Derbyshire half-term train services hit by Network Rail tunnel upgrade plans

Track renewal works in the Milord and Clay Cross tunnels – on the Derwent Valley and Midland Main lines respectively – are scheduled to begin on Saturday, May 27, and run through until Sunday, June 11.

Buses will replace all trains between Derby and Matlock, and there will be reduced services between Sheffield and London, leading to extended journey times for passengers. One train per hour will run between London St Pancras and Derby, and one train per hour will run from London to Sheffield without stopping at Derby.

Gary Walsh, route director for Network Rail, said: “This important scheme is essential to maintaining a safe, reliable and smooth service for passengers and freight users through the tunnels.

“I’d like to thank passengers for their patience whilst we complete this essential engineering work and urge anyone who is planning to travel to check National Rail Enquiries or their train operator’s website before setting off.”

Designed by rail pioneer George Stephenson, the 183-year-old Clay Cross tunnel is just over a mile long and forms part of a core route for services running through the East Midlands.

Engineers will be working in the tunnel to upgrade drainage and replace sleepers and ballast beneath the track. Special coated rails will also be installed under the ten tunnel shafts to make them more resilient during poor weather conditions.

Milford tunnel will get a complete track upgrade, which includes replacing over a mile of ballast – taking the total used over both schemes to 16,107 tonnes.

Any poor-quality ballast which is excavated from the tracks, otherwise known as ‘spoil’, will be sent to Network Rail’s Whitemoor recycling facility in Cambridgeshire where it will be recycled and used for roads and building sites.

While the work is essential for safe operation, it may frustrate those passengers on the Derwent Valley line looking forward to the introduction of new timetables between Matlock and Nottingham from Sunday, May 21 – the first time a full service has run on the line since the start of the Covid pandemic.

Further disruption is also expected on Wednesday and Saturday, May 31 and June 3, when members of the train drivers’ union ASLEF will be on strike.

Neil Grabham, customer services director for East Midlands Railway, said: “We are asking any customers planning to travel over the summer half-term, between 27 May and 11 June, to plan ahead and allow plenty of time to complete their journeys.

“There will be fewer Intercity services to Derby, Chesterfield and Sheffield, and journey times will be extended.”

He added: “Rail replacement buses will be in place on the Derwent Valley Line, between Derby and Matlock, with the exception of the ASLEF strike days, where there will be no services.

“We would like to thank our customers for their patience whilst Network Rail upgrade the tracks at both Clay Cross and Milford tunnels.”

A spokesperson for CrossCountry said the operator will have “a comprehensive rail replacement service in place between Derby and Chesterfield throughout the duration of the works, except on strike days.”

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