As the final stages of the Hope Valley Line upgrade commence, passengers are reminded that there will be no trains between Manchester and Sheffield from Saturday 16th March to Sunday 24th March as sections of the line will be closed, to enable the last stages of the upgrade work to be carried out.
The last of the works to be carried out will largely take place in the Dore & Totley area, which will see the installation of drainage and track, along with the extension of the current single platform and the completion of a new second platform, which will significantly reduce the bottleneck of services through the station since the line became single track in 1985.
The new platform being built will be linked by lifts and a footbridge to the existing one, to enable passengers to cross the line safely.
The new lifts aren't expected to be in operation until April 3rd.
Those that require step free access at Dore & Totley before then should contact Passenger Assist for advice or alternative travel arrangements.
The original single platform at Dore & Totley will now become platform 2, serving trains heading out of Manchester.
The new platform will become platform 1, serving trains bound for Manchester. The re-doubling of this station will be a big boost and brings it into line with many other two platform stations on the Hope Valley Line.
As well as this, the completion of the Dore South Curve will be undertaken, doubling the track to the east of the station.
New tracks will also be laid and finished in the Grindleford area, along with a loop between Bamford and Hathersage, which also includes the installation of a new footbridge at Hathersage West.
The removal of the remaining old signals and installation of the new cutting edge signalling system will be completed, which will aid the reliability of services along the route.
Over the nine day blockade some platforms at Sheffield will also be closed for upgrade works, with passengers being advised to check their services before they travel, especially if those travelling are taking local journeys.
The platform's that will remain open will prioritise the longer distance and intercity services.
“The Hope Valley project team will be working around the clock to deliver this final stage of upgrades. We thank passengers and residents for their patience during the upgrade work. We're looking forward to bringing passengers a faster, more reliable, accessible railway between Manchester and Sheffield and would like to thank customers for their patience.”
Ben Shaw, Sponsor for the Hope Valley Railway Upgrade
I'd like to thank our customers for their patience whilst we put the finishing touches on the brand new second platform at Dore & Totley. The second platform and track through the station will bring much-needed improvements, providing for extra capacity in the future with better train speeds and enhanced reliability on this key section of our route”
Kerry Peters, Regional Director for Northern
“The major improvements that Network Rail will be undertaking, with the reinstatement of a second platform at Dore & Totley and track and signalling upgrades on the Hope Valley route, are vital for releasing capacity through this bottleneck on our network and enabling more reliable services for our customers that travel between Sheffield and Manchester. While these works are being carried out, we will be operating a revised timetable on our route between Liverpool Lime Street and Cleethorpes and diverting some trains between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield. We will also be operating an additional TPE service per hour between Manchester Oxford Road and Liverpool Lime Street. Where train services cannot run, rail replacement buses will run to keep you moving. We'd like to advise customers to check before they travel.”
Chris Nutton, Major Projects Director at TransPennine Express
Over the nine days that these works will be undertaken, trains may be diverted or replaced by buses along the Hope Valley Line and in the Sheffield area.
Customers are requested to check their services before they travel.
Changes to services Sat 16 – Sun 24 March
CrossCountry Trains – Services between the South West and Scotland will be diverted between Sheffield and Chesterfield adding approximately 10 minutes to the journey time.
East Midlands Railway: –
- Buses will Replace trains between Sheffield and Stockport.
- Trains to and from Sheffield and London will be diverted on route adding approximately 20 minutes to journey times.
- Trains will call additionally at Alfreton, Langley Mill and Ilkeston during this time.
- Those planning to travel to Sheffield on the Liverpool Lime Street – Nottingham – Norwich route, will be required to complete their journey to Sheffield on a replacement bus from Stockport
Northern: –
- Trains will run between Manchester Piccadilly and New Mills Central. While buses will run between New Mills Central and Sheffield (The Buses will be diverted via New Mills Newtown to enable passengers who require step free access).
- Buses will replace trains between Moorthorpe – York via Pontefract Monkhill, Gainsborough Lea Road – Cleethorpes and Sheffield – Chesterfield. Some early morning and late night services in the Sheffield area will also be replaced by buses.
- Buses will replace trains between Sheffield, Dronfield and Chesterfield
- No trains will run between Sheffield and Nottingham.
- Trains will still run to Stockport, where buses will replace trains for onward journeys to Sheffield and vice versa.
TransPennine Express:
- Trains will run between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield via Huddersfield to a reduced service. Buses will replace trains between Manchester Piccadilly – Sheffield where there is a reduction in the train services.
- Buses will replace trains at Dore & Totley during mid week at peak times only.
- Trains will still run to Stockport, where buses will replace trains for onward journeys to Sheffield and vice versa.
Once these round of works are complete, the Hope Valley Line upgrade will be finished. Customers will benefit from longer trains, more seats and frequent and faster journey times between Manchester and Sheffield.
Passengers are also being reminded by Network Rail that there will also be a bridge replacement at Edale in Derbyshire between 27 April and 1 May, buses will also replace trains during those five days.
For those travelling in the affected areas during the nine day upgrade works you can visit www.nationalrailenquiries.co.uk to check your service or with your train operator.
“As well as this, the completion of the Dore South Curve will be undertaken, doubling the track to the east of the station.” Er no, the curve is to the south of the station, between Dore South and Dore West Junctions extending the old chord to become a loop where freight services can wait for a path between the Midland main and Hope Valley lines. That should be almost as valuable as the dualling through the station platform.
It was incredibly short sighted to close the Woodhead route in 1981 – and almost immediately handicap this route with a single track bottleneck in 1985!
Even more shortsighted to do this and also remove 2 of the 4 tracks from Dore into Sheffield, including bridges over roads and the River Sheaf, and sell off parts of the trackbed now built on. Parts of the rest are now cluttered with slewed tracks and modern railway infrastructure. If the old slow tracks had remained restoration of Millhouses station would have been realistic. The other 2 platforms at Dore would still be difficult due to conflicts between fast and slow services for MML paths.
Absolutely true! The mistake should now be corrected by reopening the Woodhead line.
If only there was an alternative line from Manchester to Sheffield to enable diversions to take place, one that hasn’t been short sightedly been closed in 1981 and could have had AC by conversion.
I hope to see, in the future the platforms reinstalled on the other two lines, and trains to call going and coming from Nottingham and Derby. Dore and Totley would then become a useful interchange for both lines. It has great potential, especially with faster line speeds along the Hope Valley Line.