COMMUTERS stayed on track yesterday as rail replacement coaches mostly ran smoothly on the first working day since Nottingham's train station closed.
Coaches and buses transported passengers to and from a variety of places, including Derby, East Midlands Parkway, Newark and Beeston.
This will be the routine for the next five weeks for the 20,000 passengers who use the station each day.
An East Midlands Trains spokesman said: "The bus replacement operation has been running well over the weekend and today. We would like to thank our customers for their cooperation so far and for the coming weeks ahead."
There have been a few hiccups – pick-up and drop-off points were confused at Langley Mill, where several passengers were not picked up.
A Tweet posted online by @cmillsevans said: "Oh dear. Replacement bus from derby to Nottingham has just toured Derby housing estates for 20 minutes and we've just passed the welcome to Derby sign!"
The East Midlands Trains spokesman added: "With an operation of this scale, there are always individual challenges to overcome, but that is when the years of planning by ourselves, Network Rail and other organisations proves its worth."
Commuters are getting into the swing of things. Supply teacher at Bulwell St Mary's primary school, Paul O'Neill, has been working out his route for the last two days of term as he travels in from Chesterfield. He said: "I've got to be in school before half-eight, because the children are in at quarter to nine, and I've got to get my stuff ready.
"The train usually gets me into Nottingham for 7am, but this adds half-an-hour and I still have to get out to Bulwell – I'm just hoping that we get a good run."
