'Vital' rail upgrades to improve journeys completed

Network Rail says the works will remove several bottlenecks between Manchester and Sheffield by allowing passenger trains to overtake slower freight trains

Engineers have completed nine days of "vital" upgrades to a stretch of railway in Derbyshire.

The Hope Valley Railway Upgrade (HVRU) team finished nine days of track installation and drainage works on Sunday.

This took place near the Dore & Totley stop, with the number of tracks in and out of the station now doubled.

East Midlands Railway warned of 20-minute delays during the works.

Engineers added a second platform at Dore & Totley station, which is connected to the existing platform via a footbridge.

The existing platform was also extended and can now accommodate longer trains.

Network Rail says the works will remove several bottlenecks between Manchester and Sheffield by allowing passenger trains to overtake slower freight trains.

Some final work is set to be completed in the coming weeks, which includes new lifts to make the station fully accessible.

Elsewhere on the route, a new signalling system was installed, which will be controlled from a centre in York.

Ben Shaw, sponsor of the HVRU, said: "This final phase of upgrades mean customers will have a faster, more reliable, accessible railway between Manchester and Sheffield."

Kerry Peters, regional director for Northern, thanked customers for their patience during the works.