The £80m project is part of a £137m investment and will see the VolkerRailStory JV undertake extensive enhancement works to remove several bottlenecks along the route to allow passenger trains to overtake slower freight trains along the line.

The Hope Valley Capacity Scheme forms part of the government’s commitment to upgrade the rail network across the North of England, and meet future passenger demands.ain improvements include: 

• A new platform and accessible footbridge with lifts at Dore & Totley station 
• A railway loop between Bamford and Hathersage 
• A new overbridge at Hathersage West, replacing the current foot crossing to improve safety 
• Signalling improvements along the line to improve reliability 
• Platform extensions to allow for more carriages on services 

Once complete, this project will deliver real benefits for passengers in the North of England, with improved train reliability and an upgraded network to help meet future demands. 

As part of the project, the VolkerRailStory JV will also be delivering a variety of community projects, including volunteering, schools engagement, work placements and other opportunities for young people.

Communication is very important to us and we will be writing to local residents with plenty of notice before work starts, as well as holding public engagement events throughout the project to keep the local community informed on its progress.

For regular updates on the main improvement work, you can also download the Hope Valley Railway Upgrade community engagement app, which will contain details of upcoming work activities, news, and initiatives and events for the local community.

The app is available to download for both Android and Apple devices. To download the app, simply search ‘Hope Valley Railway Upgrade’ in Google Play for Android devices, or the App Store for Apple devices.