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Tuesday 12 Apr 2016

Historic station building to be retained at Market Harborough

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The historic building which has welcomed passengers to Market Harborough for decades will be kept as part of major upgrade work at the station.

Network Rail plans to remodel the station to allow important adjustments to be made to the layout of the track, and can now confirm that the building which current houses the ticket office will be included in the new design.

The announcement comes following overwhelming feedback from members of the public at an information day held at Market Harborough indoor market back in February, when early plans for the station were first revealed to over 400 people who turned up to see them.

Once the track and station have been redesigned, journey times will be improved on the Midland Main Line while the station will also have longer platforms to cater for longer trains with more seats.

Kevin Newman, senior commercial scheme sponsor, said: “The response to the first public information day was absolutely fantastic and we took away two key messages with us; people in Market Harborough want more car parking at the station and to keep the existing station building as part of the new design.

“I’m delighted to confirm that when we submit our plans to the planning authority both of those requests will have been met. The reason we hold public information events is not simply to tell people what we’re planning but to take on their feedback and suggestions too, and while it’s not always feasible to accommodate them all, I’m thrilled that we have been able to on this occasion.”

David Oldershaw, Area Station Manager for East Midlands Trains, said: “This is great news and we know our customers and staff will be very happy to hear that the original station building – which is iconic in Market Harborough – will be included in the new station design.

“This is a really exciting project and we will continue to work with Network Rail on the plans for Market Harborough.”

Cllr Blake Pain, Leader of Harborough District Council, said: “I am pleased to hear that the planned improvement scheme for Market Harborough railway station is progressing well and that the public have been involved in this project through consultation. We look forward to regular updates as things move forward.”

Work on the station and to straighten the track is due to begin in late 2017 and will see:

• Longer platforms to handle longer trains with more seats
• Improved access to the station, particularly for wheelchair users
• An improved access road to the car park to improve traffic flow

The project will straighten the Midland Main Line through Market Harborough allowing trains to travel at higher speeds and forms part of Network Rail’s £40bn Railway Upgrade Plan to provide a bigger, better, more reliable railway for passengers.

The upgrade at Market Harborough is one of the first projects in a comprehensive programme of upgrades to the Midland Main Line, which runs between London St Pancras and Sheffield.

Editor’s note:

The Railway Upgrade Plan is Network Rail’s £40bn spending plan for Britain’s railways for the five year period up to 31 March 2019. The plan is designed to provide more capacity, relieve crowding and respond to tremendous growth the railways have seen – a doubling of passengers in the past twenty years. The plan will deliver a bigger, better railway with more trains, longer trains, faster trains with more infrastructure, more reliable infrastructure and better facilities for passengers, especially at stations.