Sunday Live Updates: Many East Midlands Railway services remain …

Multiple East Midlands Railway routes remained closed, with trains unable to run after heavy rainfall flooded the railway and also caused a landslip.

East Midlands Railway said:

Flooding caused by Storm Babet continues to disrupt the EMR network with multiple routes expected to be closed for the weekend.

There has been significant damage to railway infrastructure, with track and signalling cables underwater and damage caused by the flow of water. Network Rail have teams out across our routes inspecting the damage, and carrying out essential repairs to the track and signalling. In some areas, we are still waiting for floodwater to recede enough for the extent of the damage to be understood.

Across our routes, roads have also been flooded, with significant delays and some roads impassable. As a result, we have been unable to source road transport to support in areas where trains have been suspended. Whilst we will continue to try to source road transport, we cannot guarantee this and so cannot guarantee you will be able to complete your journey whilst this disruption continues.

We strongly recommend that you do not attempt travelling on our affected routes whilst the disruption continues. Your EMR tickets for the 20 and 21 October will be accepted on EMR services until the end of day on Tuesday 24 October.

What has happened?

Storm Babet brough heavy rain on Friday 20 October, which has flooded much of the railway. Although the water has begun to recede, significant damage remains.The following EMR routes are currently facing disruption due to this today.

- Advertisement -
  • Sheffield/Derby – London St Pancras
    • Unable to run between Sheffield/Chesterfield and Derby
  • Liverpool Lime Street – Nottingham – Peterborough
    • Unable to run trains between Nottingham and Sheffield for Manchester & Liverpool
  • Derby – Matlock – Nottingham
    • Unable to run between Derby and Matlock
  • Nottingham -Skegness
    • Unable to run between Grantham and Skegness

Network Rail have multiple teams out on our network monitoring flood water levels and assessing damage to the railway. Some significant repairs are required in various locations and plans are being established, with some teams already at some locations starting to work on those repairs. We are expecting the disruption to continue through the weekend and into Monday on most routes.

You can find out more about how flooding impacts the railway by clicking here.[1]

You can see some photographs provided by Network Rail of current flooding at the bottom of this page.

How does this affect my train?

Services on some routes are not expected to run normally until Monday 23 October. A full summary of the impact on each route is provided below.

  • London St Pancras – Derby/Chesterfield/Sheffield
    • Trains can run between London St Pancras and Derby only.
  • Nottingham – Derby – Matlock
    • Trains can run between Nottingham and Derby only.

Both of the above routes are impacted by severe flooding in Breadsall (see first image below). There is significant damage which will require emergency repairs before trains can run. This work cannot be completed until the water has drained more fully. We do not expect to be able to run services on the above routes until the afternoon of Monday 23 October.

  • Liverpool – Nottingham – Peterborough
    • Services to run between Nottingham and Peterborough only.

Significant flooding in the Ilkeston area means that signalling cables remain underwater. Once the water level drops, further safety inspections and signalling testing are required before trains can run. We do not expect to be able to run services between Nottingham and Sheffield for Manchester & Liverpool until start of day on Monday 23 October.

  • Nottingham – Grantham – Skegness
    • On Sunday 22 October, services will run between Nottingham and Grantham only.
    • We expect a normal service to operate on Monday 23 October.
  • Leicester – Nottingham – Lincoln/Grimsby
    • Services will run between Nottingham and Lincoln only on Sunday 22 October.
    • We expect a normal service to operate on Monday 23 October.

The following routes are expected to operate to our advertised normal/engineering work timetables over the next few days however some delays and minor alterations may occur:

  • Nottingham – London route
  • Wellingborough – London route
  • Barton on Humber – Cleethorpes
  • Crewe – Nottingham – Newark Castle
  • Nottingham – Mansfield Woodhouse

Disrupted routes are expected to remain affected throughout this weekend. We are continually in contact with Network Rail working to understand the progress on the repairs and safety checks. For routes on which we expect to run an advertised service, there may be some short-notice alterations due to staff and trains being displaced by the disruption across the network. Any alterations will be input to customer systems and online journey planners as soon as we know about them.

•  Nottingham trams back in service on track works timetable[2]

How do I get where I need to be?

We expect disruption to continue across our network this weekend and we cannot guarantee you’ll be able to complete your journey, as we have faced significant difficulty in sourcing rail replacement. We have not been able to provide road transport due to flooded roads. We are continuing to seek suitable arrangements to help you complete your journey but this is proving challenging.

We strongly recommend that you postpone travel until routes re-open and our advertised service resumes on the following routes:

  • London St Pancras – Chesterfield/Sheffield
  • Nottingham – Derby – Matlock
  • Liverpool – Nottingham – Peterborough
  • Doncaster – Newark/Lincoln/Peterborough
  • Nottingham – Mansfield -Worksop
  • Nottingham – Skegness

References

  1. ^ Network Rail flooding (www.networkrail.co.uk)
  2. ^ Nottingham trams back in service on track works timetable (westbridgfordwire.com)

Tags: