Pubs and businesses near Huddersfield Railway Station saw their takings plummet at the weekend as the station closed for essential engineering works.

No trains ran to, from or via Huddersfield throughout the weekend because of engineering work on the rail network across West Yorkshire.

But that meant bad news for the two pubs situated either side of the station, The King’s Head and The Head of Steam in St George’s Square which rely heavily on the Ale Trail which attracts hundreds of thirsty drinkers from all over the country every weekend.

Bruce Travis, landlord at The King’s Head for 14 years, said: “It’s the second time the station has shut this year.

“Takings were vastly reduced this weekend. We’ve had just a handful of people around, normally we are heaving on a weekend. The Ale Trail has a big impact on us.

“We get a lot of custom from the railway and it will be the same next door for the Head of Steam.

“We didn’t really suffer during the Huddersfield Food and Drink Festival in August because there were more than 100,000 coming into the town over the four days it was on but this time it’s very different.”

Chris Haighton, general manager at The Head of Steam, said: “The food festival shielded us the last time around but this weekend we have really noticed it.

“We would expect to be busy on a weekend but it has been comparable to an average Tuesday.

“We have gone from having six staff on to just two. I know a lot of people complain about it but the Ale Trail is our bread and butter.”

The deserted Huddersfield Rail Station which was closed over the weekend of 28/29 October 2017 for essential engineering works

And taxi drivers in town were also left stalling. Cabbie Masood Pervaiz said: “Saturday night was not busy at all. I waited over two hours for a single job.”

The engineering project, which will see old signalling technology ‘re-controlled’ from local lineside signal boxes to the state-of-the-art Rail Operating Centre in York, is taking place in three stages.

The first took place in August. This weekend just gone which incorporated the closures of Huddersfield and Dewsbury stations, represented the second stage.

Rob McIntosh, route managing director for Network Rail, said: “The signalling system in this part of West Yorkshire is approaching the end of its operational life and this investment will increase reliability, thereby reducing delays, while cutting the cost of running the railway for the taxpayer.

“I thank passengers for their patience and assure them that the result of the disruption will be a more reliable, efficient, modern network fit to meet the needs of the economies and communities our railway serves.”

A spokesman for Network Rail said the third and final stage of the project, which affects Huddersfield and Dewsbury , will take place between Saturday, January 20 and Sunday, January 21.

Paul Barnfield, regional director at train operating company Northern, said: “This vital work is the latest part of the Great North Rail Project which is transforming the rail infrastructure across the north of England.”