Rail passengers using trains between Long Eaton and Derby are being warned to expect disruption all day today after heavy rain caused flooding to the railway Draycott, near Long Eaton.

Despite the best efforts of response teams, yesterday afternoon saw the railway tracks completely submerged with floodwater.

Until the water is cleared, the full extent of the damage will not be known.

The flowing water is likely to have dislodged the ballas – the stone that supports the rails, and may have caused damage to the electrical systems which control train movements.

What did the officials say?

Gary Walsh, Route Director for Network Rail in the East Midlands, said:

“Our teams are working tirelessly to clear debris and areas of flooding around the East Midlands today.

“The scale of the flood at Draycott means we cannot run trains through the area until we have inspected the track and signalling equipment and carried out any repairs.  We will complete this as quickly as possible and get a full service running again as soon as it is safe to do so.

“I want to thank passengers for bearing with us while we carry out this work.”

Tom Joyner, CrossCountry Managing Director, said:

“I’d like to apologise to customers whose journeys have been affected by the problems around Long Eaton.

” Network Rail has worked tirelessly to allow us to keep running, but the extent of the flooding means we must divert our trains away from the area and not call at stations between Derby and Nottingham.

“As soon as its safe to do so we’ll resume our full service, and until then we’ll do everything we can to keep our customers informed and help them complete their journeys.”

Neil Grabham, Customer Services Director for East Midlands Railway, said:

“There is still a significant amount of water covering the railway between Long Eaton and Derby and sadly this means we cannot run our services between the two stations for the time being.

“We would urge passengers to check their options before setting off and leave extra time to complete their journey. As soon as the line is open and safe to run trains on, we will reintroduce our services.

“Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to thank our passengers for their patience and understanding while we work with our partners to restore services as swiftly as possible.”

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