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Monday 24 Aug 2026

Rail upgrades completed across East Midlands in near-£7m investment

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: East Midlands

A £6.95 million programme has seen Network Rail complete railway upgrades in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire over the past two weekends.

Passengers and freight operators will benefit from a more reliable and resilient railway in the East Midlands thanks to the completion of track, drainage and points improvements aimed at reducing the risk of flooding, improving reliability and supporting smoother journeys for years to come.

The upgrades – delivered on 15, 16, 22 and 23 August at multiple locations – included:

• Renewal of 583 metres of track at Ashwell, Rutland
• Renewal of 495 metres of drainage at Alfreton, Derbyshire
• Renewal of 576 metres of drainage at Kirby Bellars, Leicestershire
• Renewal of points at Blackwell South Junction, Derbyshire
• Refurbishment of seven sets of points at Trowell Junction on the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire border.

The work followed half a kilometre of track through Alfreton Tunnel being renewed earlier in August.

Eric Larocque, Network Rail operations director, said:

“We’re pleased to have successfully completed this important programme of railway improvements. These upgrades will reduce the impact of flooding, improve performance and support smoother, safer journeys across the region.

“We know carrying out major engineering work can inconvenience people’s journeys and we’re sorry to everyone whose travel plans were affected while the work took place. We’d like to thank passengers, freight customers and local communities for their patience and understanding while our teams completed these essential upgrades.”