Friday 24 May 2024
Midland Main Line milestone ahead of new electric lines powering up
- Region & Route:
- Eastern
- | Eastern: East Midlands
A milestone has been reached for the electrification of the Midland Main Line after the final bridge was demolished on the Kettering to Wigston stretch to prepare for new overhead wires to be powered up.
Over the weekend of 18 and 19 May, engineers successfully demolished the Three Arches bridge near Market Harborough to allow for new wires to be installed between Kettering and Wigston.
Along the Kettering to Wigston stretch, there have been 18 bridges which have seen vital upgrade work to prepare for the new wires.
This includes two bridges demolished and 16 bridges either reconstructed, altered, or lowered.
The installation of the new wires is part of the wider electrification project on the Midland Main Line, and it will deliver greener, faster, and more reliable journeys for passengers across the route.
Electrification of the route also allows for the introduction of East Midlands Railway’s new fleet of bi-mode trains.
Three Arches bridge will be re-built in the future once the electrification is complete.
James Spencer, Project Manager for Network Rail said: “The final bridge to be demolished in this section marks a significant milestone for the Midland Main Line electrification project as we prepare to power up the route.
“This work means passengers travelling along the Kettering to Wigston line will soon see faster, cleaner, and more reliable journeys.
“We would like to thank local residents for their patience and understanding while work has taken place through the area, and for the further electrification work due to take place.”
Tim Legg, Head of Operations for Story Contracting said: “The Network Rail and Story Contracting team have worked extremely hard to reach this important stage in the Midland Main Line programme and I am extremely proud of what they have achieved.
"The Three Arch bridge demolition and other structure works are essential in supporting Network Rail's aims to deliver a greener, more reliable railway to connect passengers right the way between London and Sheffield, via Nottingham and Derby."
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Chantele Hodson
Media Relations Executive
chantele.hodson@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk