Victorian railway bridge in Derbyshire has future secured

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Victorian railway bridge in Derbyshire has future secured

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Cllr Tony Holmes, Amber Valley Mayor, Pauline Latham MP, and Luke Gardiner at Duffield footbridge
Cllr Tony Holmes, Amber Valley Mayor, Pauline Latham MP, and Luke Gardiner at Duffield footbridge. // Credit: Network Rail

has announced that restoration work on the historic station footbridge is now complete.

The bridge, located in Duffield near Derby, crosses the Midland Main Line in order to provide passenger access to the station’s island platform from the village.

It was constructed in the Victorian era, opening to the public in 1892.

Although the original bridge span from 1892 is still in place, major upgrade work took place on the bridge in 1957. This saw the ironwork staircases changed for brick ones.

Upgrades completed to Duffield station footbridge, Network Rail
Upgrades completed to Duffield station footbridge. // Credit: Network Rail

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The improvement work carried out this year by Network Rail has taken four months and mainly involved replacing the old cross beams, handrails and stair treads.

In a nod to the line’s past, the bridge has been painted in historic Midland Railway colours.

Today, Duffield is served and managed by East Midlands Railway, whose Derby to Matlock services call at the station.

It also boasts a decorative metal arch, which was installed two years ago.

Upgrades completed to Duffield station footbridge, Network Rail
Upgrades completed to Duffield station footbridge. // Credit: Network Rail

It is also the start of the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, a standard gauge heritage line which runs from Duffield to Ravenstor via Wirksworth.

We were happy to provide a grant to ensure that the footbridge was painted in authentic Midland Railway colours. It contributes to making a smart entrance for visitors to Duffield and the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway.

Tim Hedley-Jones, Executive Director of The Trust

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  1. Why dont they just hold off on any electrification until battery powered trains have been further developed/evaluated. O/H electrification is ugly and dangerous.

  2. Very nice lattice footbridge .. Just a complete waste of time, effort and money as the Line between Derby and Sheffield as part of the Midland Main Line is being electrified … So either the bridge will have to be replaced or the sides boarded up … Seems no joined up thinking by the infrastructure owner, Network Rail. Just happy to spend public money on works that will need to be revisited …

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