Major railway upgrades between Derby and Chesterfield complete after 16 days of work

The work took over 17,000 hours to complete and saw the tracks completely re-laid on a key route between Derby and Chesterfield.

The 183 year old Clay Cross tunnel has also received drainage upgrades, new sleepers – specialist equipment which supports the rails – and new ballast – the stones used for drainage and track support.

Significant upgrades have also been carried out at Milford tunnel with over two miles of track renewed at both tunnels.

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Steve Hopkinson, operations director for Network Rail in the East Midlands, said: “It is great to see that this essential work to fully upgrade the tracks in these two Derbyshire tunnels has now been completed.

“I would like to thank everyone for their patience whilst we carried out this significant programme of work, which will bring much smoother and more reliable journeys to our passengers and freight users travelling through the two tunnels.”

Between both schemes, a total of 32 engineering trains were used to replace 5040 sleepers, 12,322 tonnes of ballast and 360 tonnes of rail. All this work means that passengers will benefit from a safer and more reliable railway.

Network Rail worked closely with East Midlands Railway (EMR) and CrossCountry during this intensive programme of works, with rail replacement buses and rail diversions keeping passengers on the move throughout.

John Robson, CrossCountry’s regional director for the East Midlands & East Anglia, said: “I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while work has been underway on one of our key routes between Derby and Chesterfield. The essential work carried out over the last 16 days means that our passengers can count on the railway to deliver swift, reliable journeys through Derbyshire for years to come.”

Cllr Charrlote Cupit, councillor for Clay Cross North, visited the tunnel to see work take place on June 2 and added: “Many thanks to everyone who has been involved in this major local project. During the works, it was a privilege to be able to visit Clay Cross Tunnel to see this historic site and to learn more about the upgrade to a key part of our local rail infrastructure.”