Update on Derby: 26th May 2012

Changing the track layout at Derby would deliver quicker journeys, reduce delays and

improve performance and Government will soon decide whether to fund this scheme. The

latest information from Network Rail is that the business case for this much-needed

investment is so strong it would pay for itself.

Increasing capacity

Derby is a major rail bottleneck. Demand for rail has grown substantially in recent years

and the number of services has increased, but trains from London, Sheffield, Nottingham,

Birmingham, Reading and even Penzance are still forced to use the same piece of track –

something that Network Rail estimates causes around 16,000 minutes of delays every year.

This lack of capacity in the area also leads to longer journey times, with some services from

St Pancras taking nearly 10 minutes longer to get to Sheffield as a result.

The rail industry has proposed to remodel this piece of track alongside a signalling and

track renewal already planned for the area, making it a ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to

make huge cuts in delays, improve performance and deliver quicker journeys – whilst

keeping costs down and minimising disruption for passengers.

Strong business case

The combined renewal and remodeling at Derby is likely to cost between £140m and

£150m. However the remodelling element, which is estimated to cost £70m, will increase

rail capacity, deliver an average journey time saving of between two and three minutes

between London and Sheffield and pay for itself.

The Derby scheme is just one part of a package of investment being promoted for the

Midland Main Line by the rail industry, MPs, council leaders and businesses across the

East Midlands and South Yorkshire. Other elements include track remodelling around

Leicester, a number of line speed improvements, longer trains, and the electrification of the

line from Bedford to Sheffield via Wellingborough, Kettering, Corby, Leicester, Derby,

Nottingham and Chesterfield. Alongside committed investment, these measures will:  

− Cut rail industry costs by up to £60m per year

− Reduce journey times between London and Sheffield by up to 14 minutes

− Slash carbon emissions by up to 13,000 tonnes a year

− Create hundreds of jobs during construction

− Add £450 million of wider economic benefits

− Improve freight access by providing W10 gauge clearance throughout the route

− Widen access to HS2 from areas not directly served by new stations