A 23-mile section of the Midland Main Line that has been electrified has been officially declared safe and ready for use by electric trains.

The line, between Kettering in Northamptonshire and Wigston in Leicestershire, has been electrified as part of Network Rail‘s Midland Main Line Electrification Programme and constitutes the greatest improvements to the line since it opened in 1870.

Initially energised last summer, testing was required on the section between Kettering to Wigston to confirm that it provided the capacity for trains to draw power from the new infrastructure; testing also provided the requisite data for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to issue an Authorisation to Place into Service (APiS) notice.

Testing also examined whether, during further electrification of the line, economies could be made by positioning support masts further apart to reduce costs and construction time. To avoid the need to rebuild bridges with their consequent lengthy road closures, seven bridges and four signal gantries use voltage-controlled clearance (VCC) technology.

To provide extra power and resilience to the network, the Authorisation to Place into Service for the Kettering to Wigston section includes a new substation at Braybrooke near Market Harborough.

A benefit of the programme has seen a 12% increase in biodiversity along the Kettering-Wigston section through Network Rail working with its contractors.

Further south on the Midland Main Line, a series of weekend closures have been in place to allow the electrification work to continue.

“This is a huge milestone for the Midland Main Line Electrification Programme. It was achieved on time and under budget, and builds on the previous completion of London to Corby, meaning electric trains are able to run on here in the future. The use of VCC on this Kettering to Wigston section has also saved time, money and avoided lengthy road closures. Where it can be used, it’s a much better solution for residents living nearby, and for this project it reduced more complex interventions such as bridge reconstructions.”

Jorge Roque, Network Rail senior programme integration manager