Tour de France sparks extra train services

Extra trains are being laid on to help cope with Tour de France demand.

This year’s edition of the world’s biggest annual sporting event arrives in Leeds for the Grand Départ on Saturday July 5.

There will also be stages from York to Sheffield on 6th July and Cambridge to London on 7th July.

As a result, train services on Friday 4th, Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th July will see more carriages made available on a number of services.

Trains will also call additionally at key stations and there will be two additional special services.

On Saturday 5th July there will be an extra service from Derby to Sheffield at 05.25 for passengers to connect in with services to Leeds.

And on Sunday 6th July, a special eight-carriage direct service will run between Sheffield and Cambridge at 18.58, providing almost 500 extra seats for passengers wanting to join Stage three of the race.

“It’s a very exciting time for everyone involved,” said Jayne Moyses, head of sales and customer service centre for East Midlands Trains. “This will be the first time Le Tour has ever visited the north of England and we want to ensure that as many people as possible can get to the event by train.

“We are expecting services to be busy, so we’d advise people to check train times, book in advance, and use the special train services wherever possible.”

Between 5th and 7th July, normal cycle carriage policies will apply for all train operators, but passengers are being advised to avoid taking bikes on trains as high demand may mean longer wait, with spaces limited.

Folding cycles can be carried on all East Midlands Trains’ services provided they can be stored safely in the luggage racks.

Secure cycle parking is available at the vast majority of East Midlands Trains’ stations.

During the race, there will also be extra staff on hand at Sheffield station to help passengers and there will also be additional cycle storage available at this station at the new state-of-the-art cycle hub.

Trains tickets and cycle spaces can be booked online at eastmidlandstrains.co.uk or at any of East Midlands Trains’ stations.

Passengers travelling in groups of 10 or more can enquire about options for discounted travel or carriage hire on the special Sheffield to Cambridge service by calling 0845 125678 and using option four.