First part of Midland Main Line £1bn upgrade completed
Double-track has been installed between Kettering and Corby as part of the £130 million capacity improvement on the route. This forms the first part of the £1 billion Midland Main Line upgrade, with attention now turned to electrifying the line.
East Midlands Trains began using the new track north of Kettering on February 26. Fourteen bridges were upgraded, 21 kilometres of track laid (of which 12km was new track and 9km renewals), 4km of drainage installed and 15km of railway embankment stabilised. A further 73km of cabling was laid, says Network Rail.
The full benefit will be felt from 2020 when there is a 50% increase in capacity on the route, but for now NR says the immediate benefits include improved reliability, the removal of a temporary speed restriction and an improved diversionary route. There is now also more capacity for freight, especially intermodal trains.
“In the short term, it improves reliability of our services but it is also a critical part of the wider Midland Main Line Upgrade which will boost capacity and provide a better service for customers,” says EMT managing director Jake Kelly.
Line speed has been increased on the Corby line up to 90mph from the previous 50mph, said Spencer Gibbens, principal programme sponsor for Network Rail. Gibbens said all four platforms at Kettering will be electrified, but then the overhead wires will continue from Platforms 1 and 2 to Corby.
Work on the MML upgrade is also under way at Derby and Leicester. At the latter, NR is replacing switches and crossings at the south end of the station that will enable trains to run at 30mph rather than 15mph, which is designed to improve capacity.
Gibbens added that line speed improvements are agreed for Market Harborough. The plan is for six trains per hour to serve St Pancras International. Most of the heaviest freight trains on the MML will run via Corby, although trains from Bardon Hill and Crofton will use a different route.