East Midlands Railway announces timetable revamp

The operator said there would be more frequent services on the new-look timetable

East Midlands Railway (EMR) has announced significant changes to its regional timetable.

The operator said the new schedule, which is due to start on 14 December, will include more frequent services, new direct connections and improved reliability.

The revamped timetable includes more frequent services on the Matlock to Derby to Nottingham route, which will be extended to Lincoln and Cleethorpes to create a new direct route from the Peak District to the Lincolnshire coast.

EMR, operated by Transport UK, said the revised schedule would help drive long-term growth across the region.

Some of the key changes include two direct services between Derby and Lincoln, stopping at Nottingham, every hour during the week and Saturdays, and one train an hour on Sundays.

On the Matlock to Derby to Nottingham route, there will be three extra services in each direction from Ambergate and two from Matlock on Sundays.

There will be a new morning service departing Ambergate at 06:59 heading towards Cleethorpes on weekdays and Saturdays, while the last weekday service to Matlock, calling at Derby, will now depart Nottingham at 22:09.

Attenborough will have an hourly service to and from Derby all week, and passengers at Derby will see bolstered connections to and from Crewe and Birmingham, with Spondon, Radcliffe and Carlton also seeing more services.

EMR said a key development will be the extension of services from Lincoln to Crewe serving Nottinghamshire stations, adding the new direct journeys across the region mark a major step forward in connecting Staffordshire more effectively with Lincolnshire.

EMR said it was carrying out a £28m refurbishment programme on its trains

The operator said the additional services will deliver thousands of extra seats across the week, adding passengers can also expect a more reliable and resilient regional timetable, which has been designed around a "robust" hourly connection with London St Pancras.

Managing director Will Rogers said: "Since EMR began operating in 2019, we've increased the number of train carriages serving our regional routes by 50%.

"This timetable builds on this and makes best use of our available fleet and will be supported by our £28m regional refurbishment programme.

"It will also strengthen inter-regional connections, including improved links to London, the North East, Scotland and the South West."