22 July 2013 Last updated at 13:11

Nottingham Station project: Passengers warned to expect delays

Buses are replacing trains in Nottingham over the coming weeks as major engineering works are carried out

Rail passengers are being warned to expect disruption as Nottingham train station closes for five weeks of major engineering work.

Replacement buses have been provided from Nottingham, the first leaving the station at 05:30 BST on Saturday.

The £100m upgrade is necessary to bring signals up to standard and to cope with increasing demand for rail travel, an East Midlands Trains spokesman said.

Work started on Friday when a "big red lever" was ceremoniously pulled.

East Midlands Parkway, near East Midlands Airport, will become the main hub until 25 August.

Replacement buses are also sending passengers from Derby and other stations to join rail services at East Midlands Parkway and other locations.

Nottingham Station changes

• Work to install six miles of new track, a new platform, and 140 signals, will take place this summer
• A new bridge, as part of a £600m extension to the tram network, has been put into place over the top of the station
• The entrance hall and passenger bridges are also being redeveloped

• Nottingham Station: What to expect

Chris Denham, spokesman for Network Rail, said that early indications were that the 40 buses an hour were running smoothly following the ceremonial start of work on Friday.

"In the bowels of the signal box - which is effectively an analogue computer with a whole lot of relays making lots of noise - there's a lever with a big red knob on the end and last night it was pulled ceremoniously and that was that," he said.

"The buses are running well out to East Midlands Parkway and beyond so it is all going quite smoothly."

In a labour dispute over working conditions during the project, the RMT rail union is also expected to start industrial action against East Midlands Trains later.

Union members will not work overtime or on rest days and will stick to contracted terms of employment in a dispute over changes to working conditions that are being put in place during the six-week project.

An EMT spokesman said the industrial action would not affect timetables during the signalling work.

Staff involved include train managers and senior conductors.

David Horne, managing director of East Midlands Trains, said: "More than 750 buses a day will be running to keep people on the move - we are determined that we will get people to where they want to go.

"We will have plenty of people on hand at the station to provide assistance and to provide water if it is as hot as it has been lately.

"A huge amount of effort and more than three years worth of detailed planning has taken place by our teams to ensure our passengers get the best possible service during the works."

Services between Nottingham and Skegness will also be affected, with trains starting and terminating at Grantham.