Rail Electrification To Market Harborough Moves Closer

The electrification of the railway to Market Harborough is moving closer.

Network Rail is drawing up detailed plans to install over-head power cables from Kettering and upgrade some bridges along the route, through Desborough, Braybrooke and Little Bowden.

It will be the next phase of the £1.5 billion Midland Mainline upgrade, which has already seen the line electrified between Bedford and Kettering.

Once complete new more modern environmentally-friendly ‘bi-mode trains’ will run on electricity between London and Harborough, before switching to diesel, and vice versa, with four services an hour from London.

Steve Jones, Chairman of the Harborough Rail Users group, told Hfm it will improve journeys for passengers:

A large electricity sub-station will be built adjacent to the tracks near Braybrooke to power the tracks.

Network Rail has not said when work will begin on the electrification to Market Harborough, although when it was first announced the Department of Transport said it would be completed by December 2023.

This video about the plan has been released: