UK: A blockade of the Hope Valley line between Sheffield and Manchester and the direct line between Sheffield and Chesterfield began on March 16 to allow completion of the final stage of the £137m Hope Valley Capacity Scheme. Due to be finished on March 25, the project is one of the major schemes in Network Rail’s Regulatory Control Period 6 which runs from 2019 to 2024.
The aim of the project is to provide a third express path between Sheffield and Manchester each hour as well to improve capacity for freight and to remove constraints caused by the single track section through Dore. As well as restricting capacity, this bottleneck has had a major impact on performance over the whole route as any trains which do not pass through the section on time can delay other services in both directions for a considerable period.
The blockade will enable commissioning of the extended Dore South curve and the reinstated double track and second platform at Dore & Totley station, as well as a new loop laid between Bamford and Hathersage.
During the blockade the mechanical signalboxes at Grindleford and Totley Tunnel East will be closed and new signalling equipment commissioned. Installed by VolkerRail, the new signalling uses Alstom Smartlock technology and will control the route as far as Earles Sidings. As this section has been re-controlled to York Rail Operating Centre, the infrastructure boundary has also been moved so that the resignalled section has been transferred from Network Rail’s North West & Central Route to its Eastern Route.
At Dore the principal element of the project is doubling of the existing single line section between Dore West Junction through Dore & Totley Station to the point where it joins the Midland Main Line at Dore Station Junction. A down platform has been constructed at Dore & Totley, along with a footbridge and step-free access facilities.
Lengthening of the existing platform, which could previously handle only four-car trains, means that both platforms will be able to accommodate trains formed of up to six cars. Dore & Totley is served by a small number of East Midlands Railway and TransPennine Express services during peak hours. As both companies operate six-car formations on some diagrams, the longer platform will ensure that all these trains can continue to call at the station.
Curve lengthened
Another element of the project is an increase in the length of Dore South Curve. This section of track is used by freight trains joining the Hope Valley route from the Midland Main Line. The longer chord will increase the length of trains that can stand on the curve awaiting a path to 500 m, eliminating conflicts with the Midland Main Line at Dore South Junction.
Lengthening the curve required extensive work to enlarge the cutting towards Totley Tunnel. While some of the embankment could be stabilised using soil nails, these proved to be ineffective closer to Dore & Totley. Contractors therefore adopted a different piling technique using preformed corrugated steel sheets to support the weight of the earth from the land nearby.
The new track and the second platform at Dore & Totley are due to open for commercial traffic on March 25, just a few days before the end of Network Rail’s Control Period 6 on March 31.
