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Friday 22 Dec 2023

Final track installed to remove Hope Valley bottleneck

The final pieces of rail track have been installed to help relieve a long-standing bottleneck on the Hope Valley railway line, providing faster and more reliable rail journeys for passengers.

Totalling 850m in length, the track forms part of a new passing loop between Bamford and Hathersage stations to allow passenger trains to pass slower freight trains on the route.

The work is part of the Hope Valley Railway Upgrade, which will improve journeys between Manchester and Sheffield.

Construction of the passing loop has taken place over the past year, including during two full weekend line closures where engineers worked around the clock to complete major elements of work.

A total of 1323 sleepers were installed for the new track along with 3600 tonnes of ballast for the bottom and top stone.

A number of structures have also been extended by the team to facilitate the work, including a bridge and three culverts, which allow water to run beneath the railway.

The passing loop is expected to be operational from Spring 2024, on completion of signalling work along the route.

Graeme Whitehead, Senior Sponsor for Network Rail, said:

“It’s fantastic to see another important milestone reached on the Hope Valley Railway Upgrade.

“This is an important step that will allow us to improve journeys for those travelling via rail between Manchester and Sheffield for years to come.”

James Goldsby, Project Director for the VolkerRailStory joint venture, said:

“We’re very pleased to say that the major elements of track work for the Bamford loop have been completed.

“It’s taken a large amount of work and planning to get here and we are looking forward to completing the final signalling elements to allow the benefits for passengers to be realised”.

A total of 3923 metres of new track have now been installed along the Hope Valley line to provide additional passing places for trains and improve the reliability of services.

This includes in Dore & Totley, where work has also been taking place to upgrade the station with a new, accessible footbridge and a second platform.

Preparation for track replacement work in Grindleford is also underway, which will be completed in the new year as part of the modernisation of the signalling systems in the area.