Media centre

Sunday 17 Feb 2019

Rail services resume as multimillion-pound project to railway in Derbyshire successfully completed

Region & Route:

Eastern

Network Rail has successfully completed a £13million pound investment into the railway in the Derwent Valley area – with all services between Derby and Matlock resuming on schedule.

For the last six says, Network Rail engineers have been working round the clock to renew and relocate Ambergate Junction, the point where the Matlock branch leaves the Midland Main Line, as well as carry out upgrades to the signalling. The work was part of the Midland Main Line Upgrade and will mean trains can travel through the area at higher speeds.

The project meant coach replacement services for passengers travelling between Matlock and Derby and changes to East Midlands Trains and CrossCountry services. The project completed on time with train services resuming this morning and the end of the coach replacement services and journey time impacts imposed by train diversion routes.

Rob McIntosh, Route Managing Director for Network Rail, said: “We are delighted that this vital work, which will allow trains to travel at an increased speed, is now complete.

“We worked extremely closely with East Midlands Trains CrossCountry to keep passengers moving and we’d like to thank passengers for their patience whilst this work took place.

“This work is the latest stage of the Midland Main Line Upgrade, which is the biggest investment into the railway in this area since it was built in the Victorian era. This major project will improve journeys for all passengers using the line and will ensure we can continue to provide a service which meets the needs of the communities and economies that our railway serves.”

Jake Kelly, Managing Director for East Midlands Trains said: “The Ambergate Junction represents another major milestone towards improving the railway in the East Midlands.

“We worked alongside Network Rail to minimise the disruption as much as possible, but we know that it impacted on our customer’s journeys, and we would like to thank our customers for their continued support whilst this work has been taking place.”

CrossCountry’s Production Director, Andre Cnossen, said: “We would like to thank our customers for their patience while this latest investment to improve the railway in Derbyshire was completed. This work by Network Rail will benefit rail users for years to come, and we are already preparing to introduce faster and more reliable journeys for our customers in future timetables.”

ENDS