Market Harborough railway station
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| Market Harborough | |||
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|---|---|---|---|
| Location | |||
| Place | Market Harborough | ||
| Local authority | Harborough | ||
| Coordinates | Coordinates: | ||
| Operations | |||
| Managed by | East Midlands Trains | ||
| Platforms in use | 2 | ||
| Annual Rail Passenger Usage | |||
| 2004/05 * | 0.575 million | ||
| 2005/06 * | 0.576 million | ||
| History | |||
| Key dates | Opened 1850 | ||
| National Rail - UK railway stations | |||
| * Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Market Harborough from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. | |||
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Market Harborough railway station serves the town of Market Harborough in Leicestershire, England. It lies on the Midland Main Line, 16 miles (26 km) south-east of Leicester and is served by the majority of semi-fast East Midlands Trains Class 222 "Meridian" services, although some faster express services also call during peak times and at weekends. The station is situated to the east of Market Harborough town centre.
Being relatively close to London, the frequency of trains to the capital in the morning and evening peak is excellent for commuting, with a train running (occasionally non stop) every twenty minutes with the quickest journeys taking fifty-five minutes.
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[edit] Services
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This article or section contains information about planned or expected public transportation in the United Kingdom.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change significantly as more information becomes available.
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There is a half-hourly service to London St. Pancras and via Leicester to either Derby or Nottingham, both operated by East Midlands Trains Meridian trains.
The morning and evening peak periods see additional trains stop, these are generally operated by Inter City 125 (HST) trains. Northbound evening peak trains operate to Sheffield and Leeds. In addition to these, the Meridian services are extended to Burton upon Trent and with the new franchise, services are proposed to continue to Lincoln.
The weekend sees trains operating to Barnsley. In the summer months there are also weekend trains to York and Scarborough, and in future to Skegness.
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leicester | East Midlands Trains Midland Main Line |
Kettering | ||
Bus services depart from outside the station and operate throughout the town and also to both Lutterworth, Hinckley and Leicester.
[edit] History
The original station was built by the LNWR in 1850 on its line between Stamford to Rugby and thence to Euston. The Midland Railway shared it from 1857 when it built its extension from Leicester to Bedford and Hitchin.
As traffic built up, the Midland built a new line at a higher elevation, crossing the LNWR and then running parallel to a new joint station in the present position. The Midland line was quadrupled in 1879 and the new station opened in 1885.
The station was the scene of a serious accident in 1862. An excursion train bound for Burton-upon-Trent stopped to pick up water, and a second train bound for Leicester collided with the rear of it.
The service on the original LNWR line was drastically reduced in 1960 and finally closed in 1966. The Midland line continues, with the platform buildings and canopies replaced with modern designs in the sixties. The main building survived, however, and was carefully restored in 1981.
[edit] Future
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This article or section contains information about planned or expected public transportation in the United Kingdom.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change significantly as more information becomes available.
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Market Harborough station is located on a large curve on the Midland Main Line, as a result of this line speeds through the station have always been relatively slow, at around 60 mph (100 km/h). The track layout is set to change significantly over the next couple of years as Network Rail engineers set about straightening the line, as part of their overall plan to increase overall line speeds.
The initial specification for the new East Midlands Trains franchise [1] would have seen a big reduction in the number of trains calling at Market Harborough. These plans were fought against by the Harborough Rail Users' Group, and, as a result, the final specification will see no reduction in services. [2]
Stagecoach have promised as part of their bid that they will create additional car parking spaces at stations along their route, Market Harborough's new larger car park opened early in 2008. [3]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Train times and station information for Market Harborough railway station from National Rail
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