Network Rail announce £145m reliability upgrade on Hope Valley railway line

Credit: Network Rail

Work on a £145 million rail reliability upgrade between Manchester and Sheffield will start in May 2022. This essential work will remove several bottlenecks on the Hope Valley line to allow passenger trains to overtake slower freight trains and improve reliability, helping people get to their destinations on time.

On 29 May, and every weekend throughout July, Dore & Totley, Grindleford, Bamford and Hathersage stations will be closed to allow Network Rail and contractor VolkerRailStory Joint Venture (VRSJV) to begin building an additional railway line and make key station improvements.

The work is part of a £145 million package of improvement, and it includes a new platform and accessible footbridge with lifts at Dore & Totley station, a railway loop between Bamford and Hathersage, a new overbridge at Hathersage West that will replace the current foot crossing to improve safety, signalling improvements along the line to improve reliability and platform extensions to allow for more carriages on services.

“We are so pleased to see this major work begin, it’ll make Hope Valley stations and train services better, and improve reliability for passengers in the future,” Hannah Lomas, Principal Programme Sponsor for Network Rail, said. “There will be some changes to services and car park closures while our work takes place, so I’d like to thank passengers for bearing with us and apologise for any inconvenience.”

“This work will improve Hope Valley stations and services and we are delighted to be working with our partners on this project,” Tony Baxter, Regional Director at Northern, said. “We are sorry for any disruption during the improvements and our customers can be assured that both Northern and Network Rail will do everything possible to minimise the impact of the work and deliver alternatives that keep people on the move.”

 “These works are a vital step towards delivering better services across the Pennines between Sheffield and Manchester, improving the infrastructure to help make our customers journeys more reliable and upgrading stations we serve,” Chris Nutton, Major Projects Director for TransPennine Express, said. “While these engineering works take place on the Hope Valley line, there will be a number of changes to TransPennine Express services, and we’d advise our customers to check carefully for the latest advice before they travel.”

“We thank the local community for their patience and understanding while we carry out these essential upgrade works on the Hope Valley line,” Darren Lockwood, Project Director from VRSJV, said. “The work plays an important part in facilitating this important investment in Northern travel infrastructure.”