The Baker Viaduct is the name given to the new crossing of the River Calder near Ravensthorpe that will enable faster trains to run on the Leeds to Manchester connection due to a less sharp bend. It is part of the Tranpennine Rail Upgrade (TRU) intended to modernise and speed up the TransPennine route across the north of England
June 22
Baker Viaduct – mid June 2026
2 comments
Why is it the "Baker" viaduct ? Site of a bakery, Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street was born here, was Benjamin Baker of Forth Bridge fame a local man, Josephine Baker did her banana dance in a local pub, nobody seems to know. About as pointless as naming a street 30 June 1927 Street if nobody knows what happened on that date.
The TRU (Transpennine Route Upgrade) viaduct at Ravensthorpe is called the Baker Viaduct in honour of Stuart Baker, a renowned cartographer and expert in the British railway network, best known for creating the Rail Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland.
The new viaduct is a major part of the massive TRU civil engineering project spanning the Ravensthorpe Triangle. It will carry four tracks over the River Calder and the Calder & Hebble Navigation, smoothing out a sharp curve in the rail line to allow both faster passenger journeys and smoother freight travel