£145 million upgrade on Hope Valley line begins

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Ground-breaking work on a £145 million rail reliability upgrade between Manchester and Sheffield will start later this month.

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 Sunday 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 to begin building an additional railway line and make key station improvements.

The work is part of a package of improvement which 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, replacing 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.

Hannah Lomas, Principal Programme Sponsor for Network Rail, said: “We’re 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.

“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.”

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

Image credit: Network Rail

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