Chesterfield rail services Archives - Destination Chesterfield

Chesterfield rail passengers benefit from shorter Sunday journey times to London

17th December 2024

A new intercity timetable providing faster Sunday services has been put into place, saving Chesterfield passengers up to 20 minutes on their journey time to London St. Pancras.

East Midlands Railway (EMR) is now offering significantly improved Sunday Intercity journey times as part of its December timetable change.

Changes to the timetable will also mean passengers travelling to Chesterfield from London will save up to 27 minutes on their journey.

The enhancements, which are made possible by working in collaboration with Network Rail, will require the closure of tracks for maintenance and will result in the removal of two early Sunday morning services. This will give Network Rail more time to carry out maintenance work and ensure trains run safely and reliably.

Will Rogers, Managing Director at East Midlands Railway, said: “This is great news for customers who use our Intercity services on Sundays.

“In addition to speeding up 12 journeys, which will encourage more people to travel by rail, the changes will also enable critical track maintenance work and deliver annual savings to the taxpayer—balancing the need for long-term infrastructure improvements with passenger experience.”

Mark Budden, Route Director for Network Rail in the East Midlands, added: “Like all things, the railway needs to be maintained and improved, and the majority of this work needs to be carried out when trains are not running to keep everyone safe.

“These changes to the timetable are a real testament to the work between EMR and Network Rail. As well as faster journeys, it should also mean more reliable services because Network Rail teams will have more time to carry out maintenance on a crucial part of the line.”

Chesterfield is ideally located in the centre of England, and benefits from excellent connections to several major cities. Find out more about living and working in Chesterfield at: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/about-chesterfield/

Leaders call for improved rail services across the East Midlands

1st August 2024

Leaders across the East Midlands region have come together to call for a long-term plan for improving regional rail services.

It follows a report from Transport for the East Midlands (TfEM) that shines a spotlight on the opportunity to improve rail travel across the area.

The report, titled “A Platform for Growth”, highlights the need to develop a more competitive rail offer in the East Midlands, improve performance standards, and for an East Midlands voice within the new Great British Railways.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “Chesterfield Railway Station is one of the busiest in the East Midlands and of vital importance to unlocking the economic potential of our borough and the wider economies of north Derbyshire and the Peak District.

“We need our train services to be catalysts for growth bringing more and better jobs to our economies, stimulating inward investment, enabling social mobility and introducing new audiences to the area’s visitor attractions.

“To achieve this, there needs to be investment in our stations, better quality trains, more frequent and reliable services, and fare structures that encourage people to leave their cars at home.”

Sir Peter Soulsby, Chair of TfEM, said: “Our evidence suggests that regional rail services in the East Midlands are directly worth around £356 million per year to our regional economy. We have major population growth forecast and exciting local plans for many more new jobs and homes.

“Due to years of underinvestment, the East Midlands rail network is sparse and infrequent compared to other regions. This inevitably impacts on punctuality and the ability to run the level of services the region requires.

“Around 75% of stations in the East Midlands are served by just one train per hour or fewer, with even lower levels of service levels on Sundays and increasingly overcrowded trains on Saturdays.

“But it doesn’t have to be this way.

“We need to see a new clear plan for growth for this region in terms of both services and performance. The rail industry cannot ‘cut itself’ to financial sustainability – it must grow patronage to survive, and the East Midlands is a great place to start!”

Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands, said: “Rail is proudly embedded in the culture of our region, yet there is so much more room for improvement when it comes to infrastructure and regional services in the East Midlands.

“Our regional rail network doesn’t yet match the ambition of our towns and cities. Commuters, local communities and business can see what rail investment has done elsewhere and rightly expect the same standards here.

“If we’re going to reduce the number of car journeys and meet our climate goals, we need to boost sustainable travel by investing in our rail network and making sure commuters are getting a fair deal. If we get this right, we could unlock tens of millions of pounds of direct economic benefits.”

Will Rogers, Managing Director at East Midlands Railway, said: “Although our regional fleet is undergoing a major £28.2 million refurbishment, the East Midlands transport spend per head has been significantly below the UK average level for all of the last 25 years.

“We are keen to work in partnership with Transport for the East Midlands, our mayors and other stakeholders to improve this situation. Rail is a key enabler of economic and social value and for our region to compete, grow and meet the ambitions of its citizens, greater investment in rail infrastructure and services is vital.”