Media centre

Tuesday 23 Feb 2016

Station upgrade drop-in event at Market Harborough

Region & Route:

Network Rail is holding a drop-in session for passengers and residents in Market Harborough to present plans for significant improvements which will benefit passengers traveling by rail in the East Midlands.

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
• A new 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.

A team from Network Rail will be in Market Harborough indoor market on Saturday, 27 February between 10am-4pm to talk about the plans for the station.

Rob McIntosh, route managing director for Network Rail, said: “This is an important, once in a generation project which will improve the rail service for passengers as well as drive economic growth in the East Midlands. While the work to the station will benefit those who use Market Harborough station, the work to straighten the line will allow for trains to travel through the area at higher speed and once the full Midland Main Line upgrade is completed will allow for faster journeys.”

Jake Kelly, Managing Director for East Midlands Trains said: "We welcome the improvements planned by Network Rail at Market Harborough, which will help to deliver faster journey times and a much improved station. We will work closely with Network Rail over the coming weeks and months to develop the designs for the new station and to plan this exciting programme of work which will provide major improvements for our customers.”

Over the next seven years the Midland Main Line will be electrified, have track and signals modernised, platforms lengthened and new trains with more carriages will be introduced. The work will involve remodelling bridges, tunnels and stations and installing overhead electrical lines helping to reduce running costs, energy usage and carbon emissions and improve journey times for passengers.

All work will be carefully planned to minimise disruption to local residents. The work will be carried out subject to obtaining the relevant consents from Leicestershire County Council.

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.