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Thursday 8 Sep 2022

Making way for an electric Midland Main Line: Bridge upgrade for Kettering

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: East Midlands

This weekend (Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 September), major work to upgrade a bridge near Kettering will make headway, eventually allowing cleaner and quieter electric trains to be introduced to this section of the Midland Main Line. 

Pipewell Road bridge, which carries road traffic over the Midland Main Line between Kettering and Market Harborough, needs to be raised to allow new overhead power lines to be installed in the future, as the existing bridge height is too low. 

The huge electrification project between Kettering and Wigston is part of the wider Midland Main Line Upgrade, which will support decarbonisation along the route. 

Work began in late June to prepare for the central arch of the bridge to be replaced, which will take place this weekend and is a major milestone for the project. 

To allow teams to carry out the work safely, there will be some changes to services this weekend between Kettering, Market Harborough and Leicester, so passengers should check before they travel via National Rail. 

Following this, construction of the new and improved bridge will continue with the installation of the deck, carriageway and safety barrier, before completing this December. It means that this section of Pipewell Road will be closed until 5 December, with a fully signposted diversionary route in place. 

Gary Walsh, East Midlands Route Director at Network Rail, said: “The new bridge is necessary to prepare for the next phases of electrifying the Midland Main Line, which will bring cleaner and more reliable journeys between London and important urban centres such as Derby, Nottingham, Leicester and Sheffield. 

“I’d like to thank our industry partners, passengers and the community for their support, and remind people to check before they travel this weekend.” 

Neil Grabham, Customer Services Director for EMR, said: “We are asking any customers travelling this weekend to plan ahead and allow plenty of time for their journeys.  

“We have a reduced train service operating on both our Intercity route and our Connect route, as well as some rail replacement buses between Kettering and Market Harborough, Market Harborough and Leicester. Full details can be found on the EMR website.  

“We would like to thank our passengers for their patience whilst the engineering work along the Midland Main Line is taking place.” 

ENDS