Friday 11 Sep 2026
Trickily tight tunnel track upgrades to take place in Buxton
- Region & Route:
- North West & Central
- | North West & Central: North West
Rail passengers are being advised of changes to journeys later this month while tracks inside a Victorian railway tunnel are upgraded in Buxton.
Network Rail is investing £1.5m to renew the lines through 163-year-old Eaves Tunnel on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September.
The work will see new railway foundation stone – known as ballast – also replaced through the 400-metre-long tunnel between Chapel-en-le-Frith and Dove Holes.
When complete, the new tracks will provide smoother and more reliable journeys for passengers travelling on this important commuter and tourist route into the Peak District.
For the work to take place, no trains can run between New Mills Newtown station and Buxton station over the affected weekend.
Rail replacement buses will be in operation to keep passengers on the move.
People planning journeys on the 26 and 27 September are being urged to plan ahead by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Andrew Mulholland, programme manager for Network Rail, said: “We’re closing the railway between New Mills Newtown and Buxton to upgrade the tracks inside Eaves Tunnel, so we can offer a smoother journey onboard train services.
“I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this vital work takes place. Please check your journeys in advance with National Rail Enquiries or Northern, so you know exactly what to expect when travelling on 26 & 27 September.”
Stuart Taylor, Northern’s director of service delivery for Greater Manchester, said: “We know this is an important route for our customers and are pleased that work will be done to deliver smoother and more reliable journeys for years to come.
“There will be no trains between New Mills Newtown and Buxton while the engineering work is being carried out, but we will be running rail replacement services to keep people moving.
“Customers should check before they travel and allow extra time for journeys.”
The work is being completed for Network Rail by the Central Rail Systems Alliance.
For the latest travel information, please visit nationalrail.co.uk.
Notes to Editors
No Northern trains will run between New Mills Newtown and Buxton on 26 & 27 September, and a rail replacement bus service will run between those two stations.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
North West and Central Media Relations
Press Office
Network Rail
NWCmediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk