Buxton sidings extension progress

Rail Freight

Peak District stone: No 66169 emerges from Peak Forest tunnel in Derbyshire working a Dowlow to Ashburys loaded stone train on 21 June 2018. At right is Tunstead works, comprising a quarry complex along with lime and cement manufacturing plants.

Steve Stubbs

A project to lengthen freight sidings at Buxton will be completed in April 2019, according to Network Rail.

The £18 million investment will see sidings in the Hogwash area extended by 430 metres, allowing freight trains to increase in length from 18 to 26 wagons. The extension runs through a former council-run waste facility, which NR says will be made safe and landscaped, while 1,822 metres of new drainage will be installed to help the sidings cope with heavy rainfall. A footbridge will be extended and better lighting fitted.

The project started in March, following the grant of a Transport and Works Act Order by the Secretary of State last autumn. The scheme is part of NR’s Peak Forest to London Freight Programme, which aims to increase freight capacity between the Peak Forest and Hope Valley terminals and the capital by using longer trains. Part of this would involve lengthening freight trains from the Peak District quarries at Dowlow and Hindlow.