Network Rail completes work on the £150m Hope Valley Railway Upgrade

THE COMPLETION of the £150 mi l l i o n H o p e Va l l e y R a i l wa y Upgrade was marked by Rail Minister Huw Merriman officially opening the expanded Dore & Totley station in Sheffield on April 8.

The three-year project to upgrade the Manchester to Sheffield route began in the spring of 2021 and features a number of improvements to increase capacity and remove bottlenecks, where slower-moving freight trains often delayed passenger services.

A new loop has been installed between Bamford and Hathersage, which will allow freight services to be held for faster passenger services to pass, and additional trackwork was installed to the south of Dore & Totley station to remove another route bottleneck. Additionally, a new pedestrian overbridge has been constructed at Hathersage West as a safety improvement in place of the previous foot crossing.

New, modern signalling has also been commissioned, with the manual signalboxes at Totley Tunnel East and Grindleford closing on March 16, in advance of a nine-day blockade while the new equipment was tested and commissioned by engineers. Drainage works was also completed during this time.

However, the most noticeable improvement has been the addition of a second platform at Dore & Totley station for the first time since the station was rationalised during the 1980s. Both platforms are now capable of accommodating six-coach trains, with the original platform, now numbered Platform 2 for services towards Sheffield, also being extended as part of the project. The new Platform 1 is for trains heading towards Manchester.

They are now linked by an accessible footbridge, with lifts to both. The station is served by trains operated by Northern, East Midlands Railway and Transpennine Express.

Sponsor for the Hope Valley Railway Upgrade, Ben Shaw, said: “We are delighted to be able to invite the Rail Minister to Dore & Totley to celebrate the completion of the programme. “The Hope Valley Railway Upgrade team worked tirelessly to deliver these upgrades, which will ensure improved rail services between Manchester and Sheffield.

“I’d like to thank all of our passengers and residents along the route for their patience and support.”

Network Rail A view of the expanded station at Dore & Totley on the Hope Valley line, taken from the newly-completed Platform 1, which is now used by services towards Manchester. The station was visited by Rail Minister Huw Merriman on April 8 to celebrate the completion of the £150 million Hope Valley Railway Upgrade project.

Network Rail Overnight track installation works taking place at Grindleford in connection with the Hope Valley Railway Upgrade project. The route reopened on April 8 after a nineday blockade of the route between Manchester and Sheffield, marking the end of the three-year scheme.