Major work to upgrade rail tunnels in Derbyshire have now been completed. 

Network Rail has revealed it took over 17,000 hours of labour to renew tracks in the Clay Cross and Milford tunnels on the Midland Main Line over 16 days. 

Operations director for Network Rail in the East Midlands Steve Hopkinson stated: “It is great to see that this essential work to fully upgrade the tracks in these two Derbyshire tunnels has now been completed.”

The Clay Cross tunnel, which is more than 180 years old, required significant updates, thanks to wear and tear over the decades. 

It needed drainage upgrades, new sleepers, ballast, stones for drainage and track support, and specialist equipment to support the rails. 

In addition to this, special coated rails have been added underneath tunnel shafts. This is to make the ten shafts better able to withstand poor weather conditions. 

Clay Cross North County councillor Charlotte Cupit commented: “During the works, it was a privilege to be able to visit Clay Cross Tunnel to see this historic site and to learn more about the upgrade to a key part of our local rail infrastructure.”

Milford Tunnel, also on Mildland Mainline, has received several upgrades too. More than two miles of track have been renewed at both of the tunnels.

Between the two projects, 5,040 sleepers, 12,322 tonnes of ballast, and 360 tonnes of rail were replaced, requiring 32 engineering trains. 

The aim of the initiative was to enable passengers to have a more reliable rail network, as well as safer journeys throughout the county. 

CrossCountry’s regional director for the East Midlands & East Anglia John Robson noted that the tunnels are part of one of the key routes between Derby and Chesterfield. 

“The essential work carried out over the last 16 days means that our passengers can count on the railway to deliver swift, reliable journeys through Derbyshire for years to come,” he stated. 

This comes after the Clyde Tunnel in Glasgow was reduced to one lane to enable essential work to be carried out. 

Both the northbound and southbound offside lines were shut on Sunday April 30th. However, vehicles could still use the inner lane when travelling between 0530 and 0930, after which the outside lanes were reopened. 

Glasgow Times reported this closure was to enable engineers to conduct essential repairs of the central traffic gates, which are located at the southside entrance. 

Although the closure was only for four hours, this would have impacted traffic considerably that morning, as 65,000 vehicles travel through the north and south tunnels every day. 

According to Glasgow City Council, it is one of the most important parts of the transport network in west Scotland. 

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