COMMUTERS are set to face more than five weeks of disruption from today as the majority of trains stop running at Nottingham Station.
The plans will see the complete closure of the Robin Hood Line to Mansfield and Worksop and replacement buses on most journeys out of the city as part of a £100m programme of engineering works – including replacing six miles of track as well as 140 signals and signal boxes.
Temporary bus stops and information boards have been put up along Station Street.
Trains are set to return to normal by August 26.
Simon Newstead, 64, of Carrington, said he felt train companies had done a good job of informing people about the disruption.
He added: "I travel on trains quite a bit and everywhere I've been recently there have been announcements about the Nottingham station work. Whenever they were going to do it, it was going to cause problems.
"I feel for people who have to commute and can't get to their job easily, but it's worth it because it will improve the reliability of the trains."
But Robert Lloyd, 21, from Gamston, said: "It's going to be crazy with all the replacement buses leaving. With the A453 work going on as well, it's going to take much longer to get anywhere – people are just going to get hot and bothered.
"I don't take the trains that often and, given what it's going to be like, I'm glad I don't rely on them."
David Horne, managing director for East Midlands Trains, said: "This is a very exciting and significant scheme for Nottingham and one that will create a better, more reliable railway."
Justin Page, of Network Rail, said: "We're spending £100m to completely rebuild the railway through Nottingham. It will transform the reliability of services from the station."
