Hope For Electrification

It’s looking like the electrification of the Midland Mainline will extend to Market Harborough.

Network Rail has been asked by the Department For Transport to draw up detailed plans for overhead cables to be installed north from Kettering.

It follows calls from campaigners after it was announced a massive electricity substation to power the electrification will be built in Braybrooke – beside tracks that weren’t due to be upgraded.

There was fury in 2017 when the government scrapped the electrification of the entire route between London and Sheffield – saying it would stop at Kettering.

Neil O’Brien, MP for Harborough told Hfm: “This is great news.  I’ve been making the case for this to the Department for Transport for a number of months and I’m pleased to see they’ve agreed with the strength of the case put forward. While nothing is guaranteed, it is a big leap forwards that they are now drawing up a detailed design.”

Diesel-only trains currently running on the Midland Mainline are to be replaced with so-called “bi-mode” trains over the coming years. These trains can run under electric power where lines are electrified, or diesel where lines are not. They are already in operation in other parts of the country. If rail electrification is extended north to market Harborough that will mean these bi-mode trains can run through the town in their quieter and cleaner electric mode.