Engineering work over five days will cause extensive disruption on the Midland Mainline between London and Sheffield and also between Matlock and Nottingham, starting on Monday, January 6. East Midlands Railway (EMR) is urging customers intending to travel to check how their journey may be affected by the upgrade work on the line.
Network Rail will be carrying out major engineering works between Dore and Totley and Sheffield from Monday, January 6, to Friday, January 10. The track dates to before 1976, and, as such, currently requires a large amount of maintenance. The work will provide the immediate benefit of smoother journeys and a reduction in noise disruption in the area. Longer term, it will avoid the need for a speed restriction or greater customer disruption.
During the works, there will only be one train per hour between Sheffield and London St Pancras. This service will run on a diversionary route via Beighton and will still call at Chesterfield before continuing south. The other hourly Sheffield to London St Pancras service will start at Derby.
Northbound services from London St Pancras will terminate at Derby, and customers requiring onward travel to Sheffield and Chesterfield will need to use a rail replacement bus.
Services between Nottingham and Liverpool will not call at Chesterfield or Sheffield. These trains will instead make additional stops at Ilkeston, Langley Mill, Alfreton, Dronfield, Grindleford, Hathersage, Bamford, Hope, Edale, and Chinley.
There will be no direct service between Matlock and Nottingham. Customers travelling between Matlock and Nottingham will need to change at Derby where they connect to services to and from Matlock to Nottingham via Newark Castle – Crewe service or via CrossCountry trains.
Philippa Cresswell, customer service director at East Midlands Railway , said: “We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused while these vital improvements take place between Monday 6 – Friday 10 January 2025.
“We urge all customers to plan ahead and check their journey details before setting off. Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated as we work towards a better, more efficient railway network for everyone.”
For more information about timetables click here