Safety Warning As Railway Cables To Go Live

A safety warning is being issued ahead of electric cables going live on the railway through Market Harborough this weekend.

From Sunday 25,000 volts will pass through overhead lines which have been installed between Kettering and Wigston over the past four years, ahead of the introduction of more environmentally-friendly trains.

Network Rail has been raising awareness that overhead wires will be ‘Always On!’ by visiting schools in the area.

Josh Chapman is from Network Rail:

Work on the electrification

For the upgrades to take place, 18 bridges were either knocked down or rebuilt along the route on the Midland Mainline, to make room for the 22 miles of new overhead wires.

New bi-model trains which can run on diesel and electric are set to be introduced by East Midlands Railway next year.

They are being manufactured by Hitachi Rail and testing of the first trains is currently underway at Network Rail’s Rail Innovation & Development Centre in Melton Mowbray.

Josh Chapman explained more:

The new Aurora Class 810 bi-mode train

• Buses will be replacing trains from Market Harborough this weekend while engineering work connected to the switch-on takes place.