Work to start on £3m Chesterfield station upgrade
Engineers will be busy on Christmas Day as they start rebuilding two platforms as part of several major upgrades to railway infrastructure in the East Midlands.
The £3.3m scheme of improvements at Chesterfield railway station will see two 40-metre sections of platform reconstructed to provide better structural integrity, which rail infrastructure operator Network Rail says will reduce long-term maintenance costs.
The project will see the existing platform surface removed and new steel cross members installed. Construction of the new platforms will include using glass-reinforced plastic panels, which are easier to install but just as durable as a traditional build.
Preparation for the main phase of work began in October, with new fencing and lighting also set to be installed by March 2026 as part of the project.
Elsewhere in the region, Kirk Hill bridge in Sutton Bonington, Nottinghamshire, will be demolished to make way for a new bridge which will allow larger freight trains to pass underneath, as well as removing a temporary speed limit on the line.
Network rail also says the new structure will leave clearance under the bridge for electric or bi-mode trains should the Midland Main Line electrification project, which was paused in the government’s spending review earlier this year, be reinstated.
The work forms part of a £160m investment programme set to take place across the country during the Christmas period.
Network Rail says a dip in expected passenger numbers makes the Christmas holiday season a “key period” for engineering works, with most services closed altogether on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
And while the Christmas holiday period often means a lull in ticket sales for the nations rail operations, more than 40 million tickets for rail travel were still sold between Friday 20 December 2024 and Monday 6 January 2025 – an average of 2.2m a day.
“This Christmas, we’re making major strides on projects across the East Midlands route as part of the national £130m of investment to improve reliability and safety for passengers,” said Dan Matthews, Network Rail operations director, East Midlands.
“These upgrades will help deliver a more resilient railway for the future. We’d like to thank passengers for their patience and encourage everyone to check before they travel.”
