The Midland Main Line is undergoing a vast improvements programme, which will see it transformed into an electrified and more environmentally friendly railway.
The programme of work will see upgrades completed for the section of the line, including:
- Drainage Systems
- Work to create the correct clearance for bridges which will allow new overhead line equipment to be put in place.
Due to the work being carried out, East Midlands Railway will see a reduction in services between London and Sheffield/Nottingham alongside longer journey times.
These services will not be able to call at Market Harborough during the work and will see rail replacement buses in operation between Kettinger and Market Harborough and also Market Harborough and Leicester.
Customers who intend to travel using these services are advised to check their travel plans ahead of making a journey using National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner or via their rail operator. Advice has also been given to add more time than usual for journeys.
Some small changes will also be applied to services operating on early Sunday mornings throughout July due to the work. These are:
Sunday the 9th of July:
- Until 9.00, Rail replacement buses will replace Thameslink trains between London St. Pancras International and Mill Hill Broadway
Sunday the 16th of July:
- An amended early morning East Midlands Railway service will operate between Derby and Sheffield.
Sunday the 23rd and Sunday the 30th of July:
- Between 8.30 and 10.00, East Midlands Railway services operating between Bedford and Wellingborough will see journey times lengthened by up to 30 minutes.
Sunday the 30th of July:
- Until 8.30, Rail replacement buses will replace Thameslink trains between Luton and Bedford.
Gary Walsh, Network Rail's Route Director for the East Midlands, said:
“These improvements are an important part of the Midland Main Line Upgrade. We're preparing for a greener railway which is fit for the future, leading to smoother and more reliable journeys in the East Midlands.”
“I'd like to thank passengers for their patience whilst we complete this essential engineering work and encourage anyone who is planning to travel to check National Rail Enquiries or their train operator's website before setting off.”
Neil Grabham, Customer Services Director for EMR, said:
“We are asking any customers planning to travel to or from London on Sunday 9 July or Sunday 16 July to plan ahead and allow plenty of time to complete their journey.”
“Our trains will be unable to call at Market Harborough station and rail replacement buses will keep passengers moving between Kettering and Market Harborough and Market Harborough and Leicester.”
“We would like to thank our customers for their patience whilst the engineering work along the Midland Main Line is taking place.”
Why not electrify the whole Midland Main Line as far as East Midlands Parkway and extend the electrification to Nottingham, Derby and Sheffield in stages.
The huge castellated beams seem to be rather “over the top” literally and technically compared to OLE on HS1 and in the rest of Europe.
Overengineering massively preferred to the delicate fragile matchsticks used to electrify the East Coast Main Line. It’s rare enough these days to see a job done beyond the bare minimum.
Noticeable on the GW mainline too. Anyone know why? Not aware that HS1 or European main lines suffer more outages from their more fragile looking configurations.