Media centre

Wednesday 11 Nov 2020

Sheffield freight train derailment will mean changes to services over the coming days

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: North & East

Network Rail is urging passengers planning on travelling on routes to, from or through Sheffield over the coming days to check before travelling as work to recover a derailed freight train is ongoing.

Around 02:45 this morning, (Wednesday, 11 November), a freight service carrying cement derailed at the north end of Sheffield station whilst on route from Hope to Dewsbury.

Network Rail workers have been on site overnight, throughout today and will remain so until the issue is fixed. Investigators from the Rail Accident and Investigation Branch (RAIB) have also been on the scene and are working to establish the cause of the derailment.

The incident has caused significant damage to both the tracks and the signalling system and substantial repairs need to take place. However, before these repairs take place, the derailed train needs to be removed.

Throughout today, only three of the eight platforms at Sheffield station have been available for use, which means that there has been major disruption to Northern, TransPennine Express, CrossCountry and East Midlands Railway services.

Two more platforms are expected to reopen for the start of service tomorrow and, whilst this will reduce disruption, there will still be changes to services, particularly for Northern and East Midlands Railway's passengers. Both CrossCountry and TransPennine Express are expecting to be able to run a full service tomorrow. 

Passengers planning to travel to, from or on routes through Sheffield are urged to check before travelling via National Rail Enquiries or with their train operator. Network Rail will make an announcement later this week about when repairs are expected to complete and all platforms are able to reopen.

There will also be some disruption to motorists in Sheffield as the A61, which runs in front of Sheffield station, will partially close to allow cranes, which are needed to move the derailed train, to be stabled there. A clearly signposted diversion route will be in operation.

Matt Rice, Route Director for Network Rail’s North and East Route, said: “This is a significant incident, so it’s only right that we take time to find out all of the facts and understand what has caused this.

“Once it is safe to do so, we will start work to remove the train, better assess the extent of the damage and make a plan for repairs.

“This process is taking some time and we are sorry for the disruption which this is causing. There will still be service changes tomorrow and over the coming days. We urge anyone planning to travel to, from or via Sheffield to check before travelling.”

ENDS