Network Rail has completed 16 days of major track upgrades in the Clay Cross and Milford tunnels in Derbyshire.
Following over 17,000 hours of round-the-clock work, the tracks within the two tunnels on the Midland Main Line have now been renewed.
Within the 183-year-old Clay Cross tunnel, new sleepers and ballast have been installed and drainage equipment has been upgraded.
Coated rails have also been installed under its ten tunnel shafts to make them more resilient during adverse weather.
In addition, significant upgrades have been completed at Milford tunnel, with over 2 miles of track renewed in both tunnels.
Across the two sites, a total of 32 engineering trains were used to replace 5040 sleepers, 12,322 tonnes of ballast and 360 tonnes of rail.
Steve Hopkinson, Operations Director for Network Rail in the East Midlands, said:It is great to see that this essential work to fully upgrade the tracks in these two Derbyshire tunnels has now been completed.
I would like to thank everyone for their patience whilst we carried out this significant programme of work, which will bring much smoother and more reliable journeys to our passengers and freight users travelling through the two tunnels.
