Passengers travelling across parts of the East Midlands will face disruption over two weekends later this month as Network Rail delivers a £5.46 million programme of infrastructure improvements designed to boost reliability and resilience across the railway.
Engineering teams will be carrying out major work in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire on Saturday 15, Sunday 16, Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 August, with amended train services and rail replacement buses operating on affected routes.
Northern passengers travelling between Sheffield and Nottingham will be served by replacement buses throughout the works.
Meanwhile, East Midlands Railway (EMR) will operate an amended timetable on its Liverpool Lime Street to Norwich route. Trains will not call at Ilkeston, Langley Mill or Alfreton, while services serving Sheffield will be significantly reduced.
Passengers travelling to and from the affected stations will be able to use Northern's rail replacement bus services at no additional cost.
Key Rail Improvements Planned
The investment will fund several critical asset renewals aimed at improving operational performance and reducing future disruption:
- Renewal of 495 metres of drainage at Alfreton, Derbyshire, helping protect the railway from flooding during periods of heavy rainfall and improving service reliability.
- Renewal of a series of points at Blackwell South Junction, Derbyshire, enabling trains to move safely between lines.
- Refurbishment of seven sets of points at Trowell Junction, on the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire border, extending the operational life of key railway assets.
The work forms part of Network Rail's wider programme to improve network resilience and maintain safe and reliable journeys for both passenger and freight operators across the East Midlands.
Network Rail: Investment Will Improve Reliability
Eric Larocque, Network Rail operations director, said:
“These upgrades represent a significant investment which will help make the railway more reliable for passenger and freight services in the East Midlands.”
“By renewing assets including drainage systems, and renewing and refurbishing points, we’re investing in infrastructure that will help reduce the impact of flooding, improve performance and keep trains moving safely.
“We’re sorry to anyone whose journey will be affected. We’re grateful for passengers’ patience while we carry out the work, and we’re encouraging people to plan ahead and check their journey before travelling.”
Operators Urge Customers to Plan Ahead
A spokesperson for Northern and East Midlands Railway said:
“We’re working closely with Network Rail to keep customers moving while the work takes place. We encourage customers to check before they travel and allow extra time for their journeys. We’d like to thank passengers for their understanding while these important upgrades are carried out.”
Passengers are being urged to check journey planners before travelling and allow additional time for their journeys during the engineering work.
Image credit: Network Rail
