Network Rail took advantage of the suspension of normal train services over Christmas to carry out work on a £3.3 million major project at Chesterfield railway station in Derbyshire.

At Chesterfield station, a multi-million-pound project to strengthen platforms 1 and 2 at the station took a major step forward.

Glass-reinforced plastic panels were used to reinforce 40-metre sections of the platforms. Using glass-reinforced plastic panels makes them easier to install than traditional materials, but they are just as durable.

As no trains were running over Christmas, passengers suffered no disruption during the work; the project is still in progress, but the station will remain open while the rest of the work continues.

In Crow Lane underneath the station platform, the platform’s steel superstructure was grit-blasted, repaired, and repainted.

The project is due for completion at the end of March. By then, new fencing and lighting should have been installed, which will improve the security and safety of passengers.

Last year, East Midlands Railway made a £70,000 investment at Chesterfield as part of its ‘Getting There Greener’ strategy.

“Our teams worked incredibly hard across the Christmas period to deliver this important phase of the Chesterfield platform upgrades. Completing these works now helped us minimise disruption and has kept us on schedule to complete the overall project on time – delivering modern, resilient platform structures that will serve passengers for decades to come.”

Jonny Ham, Network Rail lead portfolio manager