Could Harborough – Northampton Railway Re-Open?

Planners say re-opening the railway line between Market Harborough and Northampton should be considered.

They say running trains along the fourteen mile route along the Brampton Valley Way, currently popular with walkers and cyclists, would open up a new north/south national rail corridor, linking the Midland Mainline with the West Coast main line.

The Brampton Valley Way leaving Market Harborough

The idea is included is the West Northamptonshire Strategic Plan, which maps out development plans for the next 30 years, although includes no details how it would link into the current tracks to serve Harborough Station.

Steve Jones, Chairman of Harborough Rail Users Group, says in principle it would be a welcomed development:

The railway between Market Harborough and Northampton shut in 1981, although the final passenger services stopped in 1972, after re-starting for a time following their first withdrawal in 1960.