FOR secretary Jane Arscott, catching the train from Hucknall in to Nottingham every morning is all part of her daily routine.
But from July 20 that routine looks set to change drastically.
Rail bosses are closing the Robin Hood Line for six weeks to allow for major re-signalling works to take place.
No trains will run at all, with replacement bus services, while Nottingham railway station will close completely. Ms Arscott, 31, said: "I hate the idea of replacement buses – they're slow, cramped and just not a nice way to get around. "My commute is usually okay, but I don't think it will be over the summer with the line closed."
East Midlands Trains were today launching a major information campaign to inform people about the changes to their journeys.
There will be four replacement buses per hour running between Nottingham and Mansfield, and an hourly service to and from Worksop.
While the Robin Hood line is the only line closed entirely, rail replacement buses will be in use on most o routes in and out of the city.
East Midlands Trains says the Robin Hood Line needs to be totally closed because it will have nowhere to keep the rolling stock needed to service the line during the works, while sections of track will also be replaced.
Neil Micklethwaite, customer service and commercial director at East Midlands Trains, said: "We cannot run the trains because the Eastcroft depot that all our smaller trains are serviced from is cut off from the network for 37 days."
David Thornhill, chairman of Notts Campaign for Better Transport, said the closure of the whole line was "totally unacceptable."
He said: "We accept that the work at Nottingham Station has to be done and it will deliver huge benefits, but the Robin Hood Line is so important and people still need to get to work."
The closure of Nottingham Station is allowing Network Rail to spend £100 million on renewing six miles of track, installing 140 new signals, and revamping two level crossings to the east of the station.
The works promise to speed up services as trains will no longer have to wait outside the station for other trains using the platforms.
As a result, passengers could reach London from Nottingham in 94 minutes on some East Midlands Trains service from December.
The closure will mean between 25 and 35 rail replacement buses will leave Nottingham Station every hour, transferring passengers to nearby stations.
East Midlands Parkway station will be used as the main alternative for passengers heading to cities such as London, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, and Sheffield.
Network Rail is planning to build an extra 150 parking spaces at East Midlands Parkway station to cater for extra demand.
Commuters were concerned about the plans yesterday.
Matt Halfpenny, 34, of Mansfield, sometimes uses the Robin Hood Line to travel to work in Nottingham. He said: "It normally takes around 30 minutes to get to Nottingham on the train, whereas when I've driven in at peak times it's taken an hour or longer.
"If they have got to do it and it will make things better in the long run, then it's worth having the heartache in the short-term."
Paul Whittle, 42, from Vaughan Avenue, Linby, cycles to Hucknall station every morning to take the train to Nottingham.
He said: "People are used to taking the train from here – and it's a lot quicker than the tram because it doesn't stop anywhere.
"These things have to be done, I suppose, and it might be better in the long run, but I wouldn't fancy taking a bus to and from Worksop every day."
John Tew, 57, from Hucknall, was waiting to visit relatives in London with his wife Carol, 55. He said: "We take the train down to London every so often and if they stop the service for the summer it's going to irritate quite a lot of people."
David Horne, managing director for East Midlands Trains, said: "Our priority in creating the alternative timetables has been to run as many trains as we can, while offering a comprehensive and efficient bus operation on those routes where we are unable to offer a train service."
Justin Page, acting route managing director for Network Rail, said: "We're spending £100m to completely rebuild the railway through Nottingham.
"It is the biggest development on the network in this area for a generation and will transform the reliability of services from the station."
