NETWORK RAIL, East Midlands Trains and CrossCountry have launched an information campaign for passengers ahead of the £200 million Derby resignalling works this summer.
The project will see services disrupted over a 79-day period from 22 July to 7 October while Network Rail renews track and installs new points and signals. As well as renewing life-expired assets, the work aims to remove current bottlenecks by remodelling the layout at the station. This will see CrossCountry’s services from Birmingham to Sheffield and beyond allocated to platforms 1 and 2, Birmingham to Nottingham services (which reverse at the station) on platforms 3 and 4, and EMT’s London to Sheffield services on platform 5 and a new platform 6, built on the Pride Park side of the station. Work has already begun, with NR removing the goods lines east of the station over the Christmas period and installing a new gantry south of the station, one of nine which will be built. Construction of the new platform is now underway, as part of a plan to limit disruption to passengers, and this is due to open in early July.
The schedule for the 79-day period sees work starting first on the line towards Birmingham and then moving to the line towards Leicester and Nottingham. A transitional period in late August and early September will then see attention turn to the north end of the station. NR and EMT highlight that the station will remain open throughout the works, with only one Sunday (2 September) where no trains at all will operate. A dedicated website has been launched to provide passengers with information about how their journey will be affected, and the aim is to publish full timetables in April.
NR is working with signalling contractor Siemens, its S&C North renewals alliance with AmeySersa for track work, and Galliford Try for civils work, including the new platform. Following the resignalling, control of the area will transfer from the East Midlands signalling centre to the Derby Rail Operating Centre (ROC).
