Track work between Dore & Totley and Sheffield will be taking place between Monday, 6 January and Friday, 10 January, which will lead to a weeks-long disruption to East Midlands Railway (EMR) services heading for Sheffield.

Some of the oldest rails left on the UK national railway network are set to be replaced, having been installed as long ago as 1976.

Network Rail will remove the life-expired rails and replace them with continuous welded rails, which will offer a smoother ride and faster journey times through the area, removing the speed restrictions currently in place on this section of line.

Works at Dore & Totley last year saw the reopening of its second platform as part of the Hope Valley Railway upgrade.

Now this is complete, attention turns to replacing life expired sections of line heading towards Sheffield.

EMR services will still be able to reach the City of Steel but they will take longer to complete their journeys as trains will be diverted to run from Chesterfield via Beighton to Sheffield.

This will mean for the period of the track work only one direct train an hour will run between Sheffield and London St Pancras during the week.

The other direct timetabled train from London to Sheffield will still run but will terminate at Derby for the week.

A bus replacement service will run from Derby via Chesterfield to Sheffield for those who take these trains.

EMR services between Nottingham and Liverpool will not be able to call at Chesterfield or Sheffield. These trains will make additional stops at Ilkeston, Langley Mill, Alfreton, Dronfield, Grindleford, Hathersage, Bamford, Hope, Edale, and Chinley.

Direct services between Matlock and Nottingham will be suspended during these 5 days. Customers travelling between Matlock and Nottingham, are advised to change at Derby where they connect into services from Matlock or Nottingham using the Newark Castle – Crewe service or they can change onto a CrossCountry service.

“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused while these vital improvements take place between Monday 6 – Friday 10 January 2025.

We urge all customers to plan ahead and check their journey details before setting off. Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated as we work towards a better, more efficient railway network for everyone.”

Philippa Cresswell, Customer Service Director at East Midlands Railway