Transpennine Route Upgrade launches campaign to raise awareness of major railway improvements

Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) has today launched a new campaign, ‘On Track to Better’, which aims to communicate the benefits of TRU and the multi-billion-pound programme of improvements which will transform the railway between York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester.

The marketing campaign, that consists of digital, TV, radio, digital billboards, web, social and in-station, marks the first major multichannel campaign to promote TRU and the benefits of the landmark work to consumers.

At the heart of the campaign is a stop motion animation advert, featuring both TransPennine Express (TPE) and Northern trains, that communicates just some of the many scheme benefits to customers.

The marketing campaign highlights the major, multi-billion-pound programme of improvements which will transform the railway between York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester, bringing passengers more frequent, faster, greener trains, running on a better, cleaner and more reliable railway.

The improvements will support economic growth in the North and deliver real benefits for passengers, communities and freight services along this vital rail artery.

Daniel Bolton, Transpennine Route Upgrade Senior Marketing Manager, at TPE said: “The new TRU ‘On Track to Better’ campaign is the result of a fantastic collaborative effort across the industry and is designed to raise awareness of the major railway improvements that will take place in a way in which customers can relate to.

“Faster commutes will see longer bedtime stories for parents, a more frequent service will make city visits a more frequent day out and a fully electrified line will mean cleaner air for the people of the North, and these are just some of the large-scale improvements customers will benefit from.”

Neil Holm, Transpennine Route Upgrade Director, said: “The ‘On Track to Better’ campaign will help to raise the profile of our multi-billion-pound improvement programme, and I hope it will get people excited for the transformational benefits in store for passengers in the north.

“We’ve made a huge amount of progress already, with major work already underway to electrify both ends of the route. We’ll eventually deliver a fully electrified line to bring faster, more frequent trains running on a cleaner, greener railway between Manchester and York.”

Rob Warnes, Strategic Development Director for Northern, said: "The new campaign highlights the huge range of railway improvements that will be delivered for our customers as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade. Faster, better and greener journeys are the key to unlocking opportunities for our communities right across the Pennines, and we’re excited to tell our customers about the work that has now begun to transform their railway”.

The marketing campaign was a collaborative piece of work, produced by creative agency ‘The&Partnership’ and production house ‘Passion’. The advert was directed by Tom O’Meara, an award-winning animation director who is known for his stunning collection of work, including ‘The Wind in the Willows’ and ‘Isle of Dogs’.

The new advert can be viewed here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu2Oz3cdkGk