Media centre

Thursday 20 Jun 2013

One month until Nottingham's big change

Region & Route:

With just a month to go before the biggest change to the railway in Nottingham for more than 40 years begins, passengers are being advised to find out more about how their journeys will be affected.

From July 20 until August 25, Network Rail will be working on a £100m project to completely renew the railway around the city, relaying more than a mile of track and a series of junctions, constructing a new platform, closing three signal boxes and two level crossings, and erecting more than 140 new signals.

The work will bring a faster and more reliable railway infrastructure to complement the Nottingham Hub project. This will deliver bigger and better station facilities at Nottingham railway station, and will open in early 2014.

Network Rail route managing director Phil Verster said: “This is the first significant investment in Nottingham’s railway for more than forty years and will make a big difference to passengers.

“The work we’re doing to improve and upgrade the tracks, signalling and other infrastructure will mean greater reliability and efficiency. Add to that the work we are doing to expand and update the station itself and we will be able to offer Nottingham the gateway to the city that it deserves.”

As a result of the scale and complexity of the works, there will be significant changes to East Midlands Trains services on routes to and from Nottingham between Saturday 20 July and Sunday 25 August.

Timetables for all the affected routes are now available to download at eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/nottingham, along with advice and information for passengers travelling to and from Nottingham over the summer.

Mr Verster added: “We realise this will cause disruption to passengers and have made every effort to minimise the length of time our track work will take. As the summer is the quietest period for the railway, this is the least disruptive time to do the work. “

David Horne, Managing Director for East Midlands Trains, said: “This is a very exciting and significant scheme for Nottingham and one that will create a better, more reliable railway for passengers.

“Every effort has been made to deliver the best possible service for our passengers during the re-signalling works whilst recognising that some people will face considerable changes to their normal journey.

“Our priority in creating the timetables has been to run as many trains as we can, whilst offering a comprehensive and efficient bus operation on those routes where we are unable to offer a train service. “Our advice for passengers is to be prepared and check in advance of travel at eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/nottingham.”

East Midlands Trains has already announced plans to offer a 15% discount on train tickets which involve travel on a replacement bus service during the works. In addition, season ticket holders will receive two weeks’ compensation if their journey is affected. In addition, the train operator has teamed up with Trent Barton to help provide alternative travel options for passengers during the work.