Ivanhoe Line

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Ivanhoe Line

Principal stations Leicester Syston Sileby Barrow-upon-Soar Loughborough

The Ivanhoe Line was the name given to local passenger services operated on the Midland Main Line between Leicester and Loughborough between 1993, when three intermediate stations were re-opened, and June 2005, when the separate Leicester–Loughborough service was withdrawn. Intermediate stations on the route are now served by Central Trains' hourly Leicester - Nottingham (- Lincoln) trains.

It was originally planned to extend the line west to Burton upon Trent on the freight-only line via Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch. However this development now looks unlikely, in the short term at least.

One station on the Derby - Birmingham line, Willington, was constructed in the mid 1990s with Ivanhoe branding and painted in the according blue livery. However, as a result of the failure of the Burton upon Trent - Leicester development to go ahead, it is a curious anomaly, deprived of a good service and separated from the Ivanhoe Line scheme.

The towns and villages served by the line are listed below.

• Leicester
• Syston
• Sileby
• Barrow-upon-Soar
• Loughborough

Local passenger services on the route are currently operated by diesel multiple units of Classes 150, 153, 156, 158 or 170.

Trains use the slow lines from just north of Leicester to Loughborough, previously used almost exclusively for freight, so as well as the rebuilding of the 3 intermediate stations, work was also required to build a new 3rd platform at Loughborough facing the Down Slow, and also a new crossover and signal south of Loughborough so southbound trains could cross from the Down Slow to the Up Slow.

Whilst Barrow and Sileby have 2 platforms [and limited access for disabled passengers], Syston has a single platform serving both directions.

The intermediate stations are only capable of taking a 2 coach train, and this has lead to overcrowding on some services, in particular now the service is extended to Nottingham and Lincoln.

edit Railway lines in Central England:
Main lines:	Cross-Country Route   Midland Main Line   West Coast Main Line  Birmingham-Peterborough via Leicester Line   Birmingham-Worcester via Bromsgrove Line    Birmingham-Worcester via Kidderminster Line   Cherwell Valley Line   Chiltern Main Line    London-Aylesbury Line   Trent Valley Line   Welsh Marches Line   Wolverhampton-Shrewsbury Line
Commuter lines:	Birmingham-Walsall-Rugeley "Chase" Line   Birmingham-Stratford Line    Coventry-Nuneaton Line   Cross-City Line   Erewash Valley Line  Leicester-Loughborough "Ivanhoe" Line   Northampton Loop Line   Robin Hood Line    Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line   Stourbridge Junction-Stourbridge Town Line    Walsall-Wolverhampton Line
Rural lines:	Cotswold Line   Crewe-Derby Line   Derwent Valley Line   Leamington-Stratford Line    Marston Vale Line   Nottingham-Lincoln Line   Nottingham to Grantham Line    Oxford-Bicester Line   Princes Risborough-Aylesbury Line   Shrewsbury-Chester Line
Freight lines:	South Staffordshire Line   Sutton Park Line