Midland Main Line

Midland Main Line
Legend
( West Coast Main Line ) Carlisle to Glasgow    ( see Settle-Carlisle Line ) Leeds City for detail Wakefield Westgate River Dearne to Huddersfield Cudworth Blackburn Valley Railway from Grimethorpe to Houghton Colliery Darfield Wath North Dearne Valley Line Wakefield Line, Sheffield-Hull Line Swinton Swinton Central Kilnhurst West Kilnhurst Central Thrybergh Junction Parkgate and Rawmarsh Parkgate and Aldwarke Rotherham Road Rotherham Masborough Rotherham Central Rotherham Westgate C F Booth Canklow Shed M1 motorway M1 motorway Hallam and Penistone Lines Meadowhall Wincobank and Meadowhall Tinsley Marshalling Yard Brightside Treeton Sheffield & Rotherham Railway Sheffield Wicker Attercliffe Road Woodhouse Mill River Don Stocksbridge Line Darnall Sheffield Midland Orgreave Colliery Porter Brook Woodhouse Heeley Sheffield-Lincoln Line Millhouses Shed Millhouses Beauchief Beighton Dore and Totley Killamarsh Hope Valley Line Dore Junction Bradway Tunnel Eckington Dronfield to Bolsover Unstone Barrow Hill Sheepbridge Whittington Chesterfield Central Chesterfield Lancashire, Derbyshire Two crossings by the and East Coast Railway Great Central Railway Chesterfield Market Place Manchester, Sheffield Clay Cross and Lincolnshire Railway Clay Cross Tunnel Doe Hill Westhouses and Backwell To Sutton-in-Ashfield Ashover Light Railway Robin Hood Line Stretton Alfreton Pye Bridge Wingfield Ambergate to Pye Bridge Line Midland Railway - Butterley Codnor Park and Ironville Langley Mill Derwent Valley Line Grantham and Lincoln lines Ambergate Nottingham ( Station Street) Belper Milford Tunnel Great Central Railway Duffield Shipley Gate GNR Derbyshire and Staffordshire Extension Bennerley Viaduct Ilkeston Town Beeston Derby Ilkeston Junction and Cossall Crewe to Derby Line Trowell Cross Country Route Stanton Gate Stapleford and Sandiacre Attenborough Spondon Toton TMD Draycott Erewash Valley Line Borrowash Attenborough Junction Sawley Long Eaton Trent Trent Junction Castle Donnington Line Trent Viaducts Red Hill Tunnel East Midlands Parkway Kegworth Hathern Loughborough Great Central Railway North Barrow-upon-Soar Sileby Syston Junction Syston Birmingham to Peterborough Line Humberstone Road Leicester Central Leicester Leicester to Burton Line Great Central Railway Birmingham to Peterborough Line Midland Counties Railway Wigston Magna Great Glen Kibworth East Langton Rugby and Stamford Railway Market Harborough Desborough Glendon and Rushton To Rugby Oakham to Kettering Line To Northampton Kettering To Loddington Kettering to Huntingdon line Isham and Burton Latimer Finedon Wellingborough Neilsons sidings Wellingborough Northampton and Peterborough Railway River Nene Wellingborough to Irchester Higham Ferrers R'way Sharnbrook tunnel (Freight line only) Sharnbrook Oakley Bedford to Northampton Line Bedford Bedford Sidings Bedford St Johns Marston Vale Line Varsity Line Wixams (planned) Ampthill Tunnel Bedford to Hitchin Line Ampthill Flitwick Harlington Leagrave Branch to Dunstable Luton Luton Bute Street Luton Airport Parkway Luton Hoo Chiltern Green To Welwyn Nickey Line Harpenden St Albans Abbey St Albans (City) St Albans London Road Park Street  Hatfield to St Albans Line   Abbey Line  Napsbury M25 motorway Radlett Elstree & Borehamwood Elstree tunnel M1 motorway Mill Hill Broadway Hendon Welsh Harp Cricklewood Depot and Sidings Dudding Hill Line Cricklewood West Hampstead Thameslink North London Line Finchley Road Hampstead, Lismore Circus Haverstock Hill and Belsize tunnels Gospel Oak to Barking Line Kentish Town Camden Road (Midland) Camden Road tunnel Thameslink cross-London route North London Line North London Line East Coast Main Line High Speed 1 Regent's Canal London St Pancras

The Midland Main Line is a major railway in England from London's St. Pancras station to the northern city of Sheffield via Luton, Bedford, Kettering, Leicester, Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway, Derby/Nottingham and Chesterfield.

Since the closure of the rival Great Central Main Line in the 1960s, the Midland has been the only direct main-line rail link between London and the East Midlands and parts of South Yorkshire.

In January 2009 a new station, East Midlands Parkway, was opened between Loughborough and Trent Junction, as a park-and-ride station for suburban residents of East Midlands cities and to serve nearby East Midlands Airport.

Express passenger services on the line are operated by East Midlands Trains. The section between St Pancras and Bedford is electrified and forms the northern half of Thameslink (mainly operated by Thameslink and Great Northern), with a fast service to Brighton and other suburban services.

A northern part of the route, between Derby and Sheffield, also forms part of the Cross Country Route to Bristol and in summer, South West tourist resorts, operated by CrossCountry. Tracks from Nottingham to Leeds via Barnsley and Sheffield are shared with Northern. TransPennine Express operate through Sheffield. East Midlands Local also operates regional and local services using parts of the line.

Historically the line had an extension through Leeds in the near North East to Carlisle, and by agreement with other line developers ran to Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland. The East and West Coast Main Lines' faster and more direct services to Scotland caused these services to be lost. Later, overhead electrification of the West Coast Main Line and the Beeching cuts saw the marginally longer London-Manchester service via Sheffield ceasing: a straight railway from Derby to Manchester having been thwarted in 1863 by the builders of the Buxton Line who sought to monopolise on the West Coast Main Line. The line retains connections to the Peak District via the Hope Valley Line.

History

Overview of the Midland Main Line in green. In relation to other north-south main lines

British Rail APT-E built at Derby rail technical centre and extensively tested on the Midland Main Line its first run being on 25 July 1972 from Derby to Duffield

The Midland Main Line was built in stages between the 1830s and the 1870s, originating in three lines which met at the Tri Junct Station in Derby, which became the Midland Railway.

First to arrive was the line built by the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway from Hampton-in-Arden, Warwickshire^{[n 1]} to Derby, which opened on 12 August 1839. This route presents the Cross-Country Route through Birmingham to Bristol.

Derby was supplemented on 1 July 1840 by the North Midland Railway to Leeds Hunslet Lane via Chesterfield, Rotherham Masborough^{[n 2]}, Swinton and Normanton. This avoided Sheffield, Barnsley, and Wakefield to reduce gradients.

On the same day the Midland Counties Railway, which also already ran from Nottingham to Leicester, was extended to a temporary station on the northern outskirts of Rugby, Warwickshire. A few months later, the Rugby viaduct was finished so as to reach the London and Birmingham Railway's Rugby station. This cut 11 miles (18 km) off the existing Birmingham route via Hampton-in-Arden.

When these three companies merged to form the Midland Railway on 10 May 1844, the Midland did not have its own route to London, and relied upon a junction at Rugby with the London and Birmingham's line (which became part of the London and North Western Railway on 1 January 1846) to London Euston for access to the capital.

Own Southern Section

By the 1850s the junction at Rugby had become severely congested so the Midland Railway constructed a direct route from Leicester to Hitchin via Bedford.^[2] giving access to London via the Great Northern Railway from Hitchin. The line avoids Northampton, instead going via Kettering and Wellingborough in the east of Northamptonshire. This line met with similar problems at Hitchin as the former alignment had at Rugby, so in 1868 a line was opened from Bedford via Luton to St Pancras,^[3] which became known as the Bedpan line and is now part of Thameslink extending to Brighton.

Northernmost Sections

The final stretch of what is considered to be the modern Midland Main Line was a relatively short Sheffield by-pass which was opened in 1870.

The mid-1870s saw the Midland line extended northwards through the Yorkshire Dales and Eden Valley on what is now solely called the Settle-Carlisle Railway, considered an independent route and not part of the present-day Midland Main Line, although included in its diagram shown to the top right.

Before the line closures of the Beeching era, the lines to Buxton and via Millers Dale during most years presented an alternate (and competing) main line from London to Manchester, carrying named expresses such as The Palatine. Express trains to Leeds and Scotland such as the Thames-Clyde Express mainly used the Midland's corollary Erewash Valley Line, returned to it then used the Settle and Carlisle Line. Expresses to Edinburgh Waverley, such as The Waverley travelled through Corby and Nottingham.

Partly to appease the concerns and opposition of landowners along the route, in places some of it was built to avoid large estates and rural towns, and to reduce construction costs the railways followed natural contours, resulting in many curves and bends. This has also resulted in the MML passing through some relatively hilly areas, such as Sharnbrook (where there is a 1 in 119 gradient from the south taking the line to 340 feet (100 m) above sea level). This has left a legacy of lower maximum speeds on the line compared with other main lines. The response to a similar situation on the West Coast Main Line has been the adoption of tilting trains, but there has been no proposal for such a solution on the Midland line.

In 1977 the Parliamentary Select Committee on Nationalised Industries recommended considering electrification of more of Britain's rail network, and by 1979 BR presented a range of options that included electrifying the Midland Main Line from London to Yorkshire by 2000.^[4] By 1983 the line had been electrified from Moorgate to Bedford, but proposals to continue electrification to Nottingham and Sheffield have not been implemented.

A Midland Mainline High Speed Train at Nottingham in 2005 introduced in 1983 by British Rail

The introduction of the High Speed Train (HST) in May 1983 following the Leicester area resignalling brought about an increase of the ruling line speed on the fast lines from 90 miles per hour (140 km/h) to 110 miles per hour (180 km/h).

Between 2001 and 2003 the line between Derby and Sheffield was upgraded from 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) to 110 miles per hour (180 km/h) as part of Operation Princess, the Virgin-funded CrossCountry route upgrade.

In January 2009 a new station, East Midlands Parkway, was opened between Loughborough and Trent Junction, to act as a park-and-ride station for suburban travellers from East Midlands cities and to serve nearby East Midlands Airport.^[5]

Most recently there are plans for 125 miles per hour (201 km/h) running on extended stretches, improved signalling, increased number of tracks and the revival of proposals to extend electrification from Bedford to Sheffield. Much of this £70 million upgrade, including some line speed increases, came online on 9 December 2013^[6] (see below).

Corollary lines

Also part of the line, as defined by Network Rail,^[7] are the:

• Erewash Valley Line
• Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line
• Oakham to Kettering Line
• Sections of the Nottingham to Lincoln Line between Nottingham and Newark
• Sections of the Birmingham to Peterborough Line between Nuneaton and Oakham, Rutland.

Accidents

• 1845/1882/1886/1887/1897/1916/1927 Penistone rail accidents
• 26 September 1860 Bull bridge accident; bridge collapse
• 2 September 1861 Kentish Town rail accident; collision
• 24 December 1910 Hawes Junction rail crash; signalman forgot about train
• 2 September 1913 Ais Gill rail accident; collision
• 3 December 1923 Nunnery Colliery
• 13 December 1926 Orgreave Paddy Mail accident
• 22 March 2005 Market Harborough rail accident
• 1 February 2008 Barrow upon Soar rail accident

Operators

East Midlands Trains

Formal First Capital Connect Class 377 Unit 504 at St Albans City

The principal operator is East Midlands Trains, which replaced Midland Mainline on 11 November 2007. East Midlands Trains operates 5 InterCity trains every hour on the MML from London St Pancras with two trains per hour to Nottingham and Sheffield and one train per hour to Corby. There are also limited services to Scarborough/York, Leeds, Melton Mowbray and Lincoln. The former operator, Midland Mainline also ran limited services to Matlock, Burton-on-Trent and Barnsley. EMT uses a modern Class 222 Meridian trains in various carriage formations for most of its InterCity services. Older 8 carriage HST are used for its Nottingham fast service as well as its Leeds services. East Midlands Trains are proposing to run new St Pancras to Skegness services.

Additionally, East Midlands Trains runs rural services between Leicester and Nottingham to Lincoln and Nottingham and Ambergate to Matlock, while also running Regional Express services between Nottingham and Sheffield as part of its Norwich to Liverpool route.

Thameslink

Thameslink provides frequent, 24 hour^[8] commuter services south of Bedford under the name of Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) as part of its Thameslink route to London Bridge, Gatwick Airport, Brighton and Sutton. Using 4 car electric Class 319, Class 377 Electrostar and Class 387 Electrostar trains which can be coupled into 8 and 12 car formations.

CrossCountry and Northern Rail

CrossCountry runs half hourly services to between Derby and Sheffield. Trains carry on to Birmingham, Plymouth, Bournemouth, Doncaster/Leeds and Scotland. They also provide hourly services between Nottingham and Derby to Birmingham and Cardiff. Northern Rail runs an hourly service to Leeds from Nottingham via Alferton and Barnsley.

Other operators include:

• London Midland in the Bedford area;
• First TransPennine Express in the Sheffield area;

Route definition and description

The Victorian London St Pancras terminus opened on 1 October 1868

Wellingborough station

Modular design Corby station opened in 2009

Leicester station

East Midlands Parkway station opened in 2007

Nottingham station

Chesterfield station

Sheffield station

The cities, towns and villages currently served by the MML are listed below. Stations in bold have a high usage. This table includes the historical extensions to Manchester (where it linked to the West Coast Main Line) and Carlisle (via Leeds where it meets with the 'modern' East Coast Main Line).

Network Rail group all lines in the East Midlands and the route north as far as Chesterfield and south to London as route 19. The actual line extends beyond this into routes 10 and 11.

London to Nottingham and Sheffield (Network Rail Route 19)

Station	Village/town/city and county	Ordnance Survey grid reference	Year opened	Step free access	No. of platforms	Usage 2012/13 (millions)	Branches and loops
London St Pancras	St Pancras, London		1868		15	24.298	High Speed 1 diverges north of St Pancras
Kentish Town	Kentish Town, London		1868		4	1.695	Branch from to Gospel Oak to Barking Line north of station
West Hampstead Thameslink	West Hampstead, London		1871		4	2.817
Cricklewood	Cricklewood, London		1868		4	1.080	Dudding Hill Line diverges north of Cricklewood
Hendon	Hendon, London		1868		4	0.983	Dudding Hill Line diverges south of Hendon
Mill Hill Broadway	Mill Hill, London	grid reference TQ213918	1868		4	2.040
Elstree & Borehamwood	Borehamwood, Hertfordshire		1868		4	3.234
Radlett	Radlett, Hertfordshire	grid reference TQ164998	1868		4	1.110
St Albans City	St Albans, Hertfordshire	grid reference TL155070	1868		4	6.888
Harpenden	Harpenden, Hertfordshire	grid reference TL137142	1868		4	2.095
Luton Airport Parkway	Luton, Bedfordshire	grid reference TL105205	1999		4	2.508
Luton	Luton, Bedfordshire	grid reference TL092216	1868		5	3.444
Leagrave	Leagrave, Luton, Bedfordshire	grid reference TL061241	1868		4	1.757
Harlington	Harlington, Bedfordshire	grid reference TL034303	1868		4	0.320
Flitwick	Flitwick, Bedforshire	grid reference TL034350	1870		4	1.319
Bedford Midland	Bedford, Bedfordshire	grid reference TL041497	1859		5	3.303	Marston Vale Line diverges south of Bedford
Wellingborough	Wellingborough, Northamptonshire	grid reference SP903681	1857		3	0.929
Kettering	Kettering, Northamptonshire	grid reference SP863780	1857		4	1.019	Oakham to Kettering Line diverges north of Kettering at Glendon Jun
	via Corby & diversion route
Corby	Corby, Northamptonshire	grid reference SP891886	2009		1	0.233	Oakham to Kettering Line
Oakham	Oakham, Rutland	grid reference SK856090	1848		2	0.204	Birmingham to Peterborough Line
Melton Mowbray	Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire	grid reference SK752187	1848		2	0.233
	Main Line via Market Harborough
Market Harborough	Market Harborough, Leicestershire	grid reference SP741874	1850		2	0.764
Leicester	Leicester, Leicestershire	grid reference SK593041	1840		4	4.797	Birmingham to Peterborough Line diverges south of Leicester at Wigston Junction
Syston	Syston, Leicestershire	grid reference SK621111	1994		1	0.016	Birmingham to Peterborough Line diverges north of Syston
Sileby	Sileby, Leicestershire	grid reference SK602151	1994		2	0.099
Barrow-upon-Soar	Barrow-upon-Soar, Leicestershire	grid reference SK577172	1994		2	0.079
Loughborough	Loughborough, Leicestershire	grid reference SK543204	1872		3	1.246
East Midlands Parkway	Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Nottinghamshire (for East Midlands Airport)	grid reference SK496296	2007		4	0.284	Trent Junction to Clay Cross Junction via Derby (the original line), the Nottingham branch, and the Erewash Valley Line each diverge north of East Midlands Parkway
	Via Derby
Long Eaton	Long Eaton, Derbyshire	grid reference SK481321	1888		2	0.585	Cord south of Long Eaton to the Nottingham branch
Spondon	Spondon, Derby, Derbyshire	grid reference SK397351	1839		2	0.020
Derby Midland	Derby, Derbyshire	grid reference SK362355	1839		6	3.366	Cross Country Route and Crewe to Derby Line diverges south of Derby
Duffield	Duffield, Derbyshire	grid reference SK345435	1841		3	0.055
Belper	Belper, Derbyshire	grid reference SK348475	1840		2	0.177
Ambergate	Ambergate, Derbyshire	grid reference SK348516	1840		1	0.038	Derwent Valley Line diverges at Ambergate Junction
	Via Nottingham
Attenborough	Attenborough, Nottinghamshire	grid reference SK518346	1856		2	0.089
Beeston	Beeston, Nottinghamshire	grid reference SK533362	1839		2	0.546
Nottingham Midland	Nottingham, Nottinghamshire	grid reference SK574392	1904		6	6.451	Northbound trains for the north reverse towards Langley Mill. Other continue onto the Robin Hood Line, Nottingham to Grantham or Lincoln Lines
	Via Erewash Valley (bypassing or calling at Nottingham)
Langley Mill	Langley Mill, Derbyshire	grid reference SK449470	1847		2	0.095	Erewash Valley and Trent Nottingham Lines rejoin together south of Langley Mill.
Alfreton	Alfreton, Derbyshire	grid reference SK422561	1862		2	0.225
	Clay Cross Junction to Leeds
Chesterfield	Chesterfield, Derbyshire	grid reference SK388714	1840		3	1.499	Trent Junction to Clay Cross via Derby and Erewash Valley Lines rejoin together south of Chesterfield.
Dronfield	Dronfield, Derbyshire	grid reference SK354784	1981		2	0.160	Hope Valley Line diverges north of Dronfield
Sheffield Midland	Sheffield, South Yorkshire	grid reference SK358869	1870		9	8.615	Hope Valley Line diverges south of Sheffield Sheffield to Lincoln Line diverges north of Sheffield
Meadowhall Interchange	Sheffield, South Yorkshire	grid reference SK390912	1990		4 NR	2.125	Hallam and Penistone Lines diverges at Meadowhall
	Via Doncaster
Doncaster	Doncaster, South Yorkshire	grid reference SE571032	1838		8	3.835	Connects to the East Coast Main Line south of Doncaster
	Bypassing Doncaster
Wakefield Westgate	Wakefield, West Yorkshire	grid reference SE327207	1867		2	2.267	Connects with the East Coast Main Line south of Wakefield Westgate
Leeds City	Leeds, West Yorkshire	grid reference SE299331	1938		17	26.201	Leeds City Lines

A Midland Mainline High Speed Train emerging from Milford Tunnel.

Tunnels

Ambergate Junction to Manchester

For marketing and franchising, this is no longer considered part of the Midland Main Line: see Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway

The line was once the Midland Railway's route from London St Pancras to Manchester, branching at Ambergate Junction along the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway, now known as the Derwent Valley Line. In days gone by, it featured named expresses such as The Palatine. Much later in the twentieth century, it carried the Midland Pullman.

The complex network of road and rail around Ambergate Junction, formerly where Manchester expresses left the mainline

This line was closed in the 1960s between Matlock and Buxton, severing an important link between Manchester and the East Midlands, which has never been satisfactorily replaced by any mode of transport. A section of the route remains in the hands of the Peak Rail preservation group, operating between Matlock and Rowsley to the north.

Leeds to Carlisle

For marketing and franchising, this is no longer considered part of the Midland Main Line: see Settle-Carlisle Railway.

A geographical representation of the aborted Midland Main Line diversion through the West Riding, which would have put Bradford on a through line and provided a direct connection to Scotland. (Existing lines shown in black and the diversion in red).

Map showing the proposed Midland line into Bradford

World War I prevented the Midland Railway from finishing its direct route through the West Riding to join the Settle and Carlisle (which would have cut six miles from the journey and avoided the need for reversal at Leeds).

The first part of the Midland's West Riding extension from the main line at Royston (Yorks.) to Dewsbury was opened before the war. However, the second part of the extension was not completed. This involved a viaduct at Dewsbury over the River Calder, a tunnel under Dewsbury Moor and a new approach railway into Bradford from the south at a lower level than the existing railway (a good part of which was to be in tunnel) leading into Bradford Midland (or Bradford Forster Square) station.

The 500 yards (460 m) gap between the stations at Bradford still exists. Closing it today would also need to take into account the different levels between the two Bradford stations, a task made easier in the days of electric rather than steam traction, allowing for steeper gradients than possible at the time of the Midland's proposed extension.

Two impressive viaducts remain on the completed part of the line between Royston Junction and Dewsbury as a testament to the Midland's ambition to complete a third direct Anglo-Scottish route. The line served two goods stations and provided a route for occasional express passenger trains before its eventual closure in 1968.

The failure to complete this section ended the Midland's hopes of being a serious competitor on routes to Scotland and finally put beyond all doubt that Leeds, not Bradford, would be the West Riding's principal city. Midland trains to Scotland therefore continued to call at Leeds before travelling along the Aire Valley to the Settle and Carlisle. From Carlisle they then travelled onwards via either the Glasgow and South Western or Waverley route. In days gone by the line enjoyed named expresses such as the Thames-Clyde Express and The Waverley.

• Leeds along the Airedale Line
  • Here is Apperley Junction for the Wharfedale Line
• Shipley: here is the triangular junction for the branch line serving Bradford Forster Square
• Saltaire
• Bingley
• Crossflatts
• Keighley
  • Here is the Worth Valley Branch junction to Oxenhope.
• Steeton & Silsden
• Cononley
• Skipton
  • Here is Settle Junction for the line to Morecambe
    • Giggleswick
    • Clapham
      • Here was the junction for Ingleton and an end-on junction via Sedbergh to Low Gill on the London and North Western Railway (LNW) West Coast Main Line
    • Bentham
    • Lancaster Green Ayre
      • At this point the line divided: a triangular junction for the two lines:
        • Morecambe
        • Heysham Port, including a station for Middleton Road Heysham
• Settle
• Horton-in-Ribblesdale
• Ribblehead
• Dent
• Garsdale
  • At Hawes station, on the branch to the east of the main line, there was an end-on junction with the North Eastern Railway (NER) line across the Pennines to Northallerton
• Kirkby Stephen
• Appleby
• Langwathby
• Armathwaite
• Cumwhinton
• Carlisle

Former stations

As with most railway lines in Britain, the route used to serve far more stations than it currently does (and consequently passes close to settlements that it no longer serves). Places that the current mainline used to serve include

• London to Leicester
• Camden Road

Looking south along the Midland Main Line at St. Albans.

• Haverstock Hill
• Finchley Road
• Welsh Harp
• Napsbury
• Chiltern Green
• Ampthill
• Oakley
• Sharnbrook
• Irchester
• Finedon
• Isham and Burton Latimer
• Rushton
• Desborough
• East Langton
• Kibworth
• Great Glen
• Wigston Magna

• Leicester to Trent Junction
• Leicester Humberstone Road
• Cossington Gate
• Hathern
• Kegworth
• Trent
• Derwent Valley
• Breaston (later Sawley - see Long Eaton)
• Draycott
• Borrowash
• Derby Nottingham Road
• Wingfield
• Stretton
• Clay Cross
• Erewash Valley

The Erewash Valley Line, part of the Midland Main Line. Seen here at Stapleford.

• Long Eaton (Original Midland Counties Railway station not the present one)
• Stapleford and Sandiacre
• Stanton Gate
• Trowell
• Ilkeston Junction and Cossall
• Shipley Gate
• Codnor Park and Ironville
• Pye Bridge
• Westhouses and Blackwell
• Doe Hill
• Chesterfield to Leeds
• Staveley
• Eckington and Renishaw
• Killamarsh West
• Beighton

British Rail High Speed Train near Chesterfield

• Woodhouse Mill
• Treeton
• Sheepbridge
• Unstone
• Beauchief
• Millhouses
• Heeley
• Attercliffe Road
• Brightside
• Holmes
• Rotherham Masborough
• Parkgate and Rawmarsh
• Kilnhurst
• Swinton West (reopened Swinton)

Leeds railway station, a former key reversal point on the Midland Main Line on the route north

The following on the original North Midland Railway line

• Wath North
• Darfield
• Royston and Notton
• Oakenshaw (originally for Wakefield)
• Normanton
• Methley North
• Woodlesford

Upgrade works in the 2010s

Bridges over the Midland Main Line have been replaced to allow greater clearances for electrification and larger rolling stock. Before (top) and after (bottom) the 2014 upgrade.

Network Rail's plans

The Midland Main line has for many years been thought of as a 'Cinderella' line but, with the increasing capacity constraints on other lines, the route looks set to benefit from investment and enhancement. Plans for the line include:

• Re-signalling of the entire route, expected to be complete by 2016 when all signalling will be controlled by the East Midlands signalling centre in Derby.^[9]
• Rebuilding Bedford, Leicester^[10] and Nottingham stations, which would also involve an enhanced approach layout during re-signalling works.
• Accessibility enhancements at Elstree & Borehamwood, Harpenden, Loughborough, Long Eaton, Luton and Wellingborough by 2015.^[11]
• Upgraded approach signalling (flashing yellow aspects) added at key junctions - Radlett, Harpenden and Leagrave allowing trains to traverse them at higher speeds.
• Lengthening of platforms at Wellingborough, Kettering, Market Harborough, Loughborough, Long Eaton and Beeston stations as well as work related to the Thameslink Programme (see below).
• Realignment (slewing) of the line to allow faster speeds through Market Harborough station.
• Electrification (below)
• Speeds of up to 125 mph between Elstree & Borehamwood and Ratcliffe Junction on the fast lines (December 2013 onwards) at a cost of £69.4m leading to an 8-minute reduction in the express London - Sheffield journey time and a 6-minute reduction for London - Nottingham journey times (London St Pancras - Sheffield LSI) on services operated by Class 222 DMUs.^[12]
• Re-doubling the Kettering to Oakham Line between Kettering North Junction and Corby as well as re-signalling to Syston Junction via Oakham. This will allow a half hourly London to Corby passenger service from December 2017 possibly using Class 387s, and will create additional paths for rail freight.^[13][14]

Electrification

Diesel Class 222 Meridian trains will no longer be needed for most services after electrification

Work to reconfigure the existing electrified section and to electrify most of the line was announced on 16 July 2012 for completion by 2020 at an expected cost of £800 million.^[15]

In January 2013, Network Rail announced that it was to be electrified at a cost of £500 million during Control Period 5 (April 2014 - March 2019).^[16] It's planned that the Bedford to Corby section will be electrified by 2017, Kettering to Derby and Nottingham by 2019 and Derby to Sheffield by 2020.^[17] Under current plans, Nottingham to Clay Cross via Alfreton will not be electrified, nor Corby to Syston via Oakham which acts as a diversion route during some track blockages.

The Electrification is part of the wider Electric Spine project, creating an electrified route from the Port of Southampton to Sheffield and possibly Doncaster. The project will mean electrifying the Varsity Line (Bedford - Oxford), the Cherwell Valley/Great Western Main Lines (Oxford/Aynho Junction - Reading) and the Reading to Basingstoke Line. The South Western Main Line between Basingstoke and Southampton will be converted to overhead AC electrification from third rail DC power.^[13]

Further possible electrification associated:^[13]

• Sheffield to Doncaster. This is seen as a priority by the Department for Transport
• Clay Cross to Trent Junction via Alfreton
• Corby to Manton Junction
• Nuneaton to Felixstowe via Leicester, Peterborough and Ely
• Ambergate to Matlock

Growth

Traffic levels on the Midland Main Line are rising faster than the national average, with continued increases predicted. The now-defunct Strategic Rail Authority produced a Route Utilisation Strategy for the Midland Main Line in 2006 to propose ways of meeting this demand;^[18] Network Rail started a new study in February 2008 and this was published in February 2010.^{[19] [20][21][22]} After electrification, the North Northamptonshire towns (Wellingborough, Kettering and Corby) are planned to have an additional 'Outer Suburban service' into London St. Pancras, similar to the London Midland's Crewe - London Euston services to cater for the growing commuter market. North Northamptonshire is a major growth area, with over 7,400 new homes planned to be built in Wellingborough^[23] and 5,500 new homes planned for Kettering.^[24] The service will be operated by new Class 387s.^[25]

2010 Route plan

Network Rail's 2010 route plan for the Midland Main Line^[26] stressed improving infrastructure to allow more and longer trains to operate in the future as more houses are built in Northamptonshire. Highlights include:

• Work related to line speed increases, removing foot crossings and replacing with footbridges
• Various capacity enhancements for freight

Route Utilisation Strategies

Freight utilisation strategy

Network Rail published a Route Utilisation Strategy for freight in 2007;^[27] over the coming years a cross-country freight route will be developed enhancing the Birmingham to Peterborough Line, increasing capacity through Leicester, and remodelling Syston and Wigston junctions.

Thameslink Programme

New station building at West Hampstead Thameslink

The Thameslink Programme has seen all stations south of Bedford apart from St Pancras, Kentish Town, Crickelwood, Hendon, Luton Airport Parkway be lengthened to 12 car capabilities. West Hampstead Thameslink has had a new footbridge installed and a new station building constructed. After September 2014, the Thameslink Great Northern franchise, currently operated by Thameslink will be re-franchised. After July 2015 Southern services will be merged with it.

Route Utilisation Strategy

In the East Midlands Route Utilisation Strategy, Network Rail recommended the InterCity Express Programme trains, the Class 801 in 10 car formations for the InterCity services.^[28] Two 775 metres (848 yd) freight loops south of Bedford and between Kettering and Leicester for longer and heavier freight services, additional infrastructure to accommodate additional freight and passenger train paths and also recommended an additional stop at Kettering for the semi-fast London-Sheffield service.

Stations

From 2013 to 2014 Nottingham station is being refurbished at a cost of £50 million, creating a better interchange with Trams and Taxis. A new platform canopy has been installed on platform 6 and the station frontage is being cleaned. A multi-storey car park has already been constructed. In summer 2013, the Nottingham station area had a month-long blockade. A new platform was constructed, 143 new signals were installed, track was replaced, junctions were simplified for higher speeds, four signal boxes were replaced by Derby signalling centre, two level crossings were renewed and two were replaced with footbridges^[29][30]

As part of Wellingborough's Stanton Cross development, Wellingborough station is to be expanded, with an extra station building on a re-opened platform 4 as well as a 6 storey and a 3 storey car park.^[31][32]

There are also new stations planned or proposed on the Midland Main Line.

Three stations are planned:

• Brent Cross Thameslink between Cricklewood and Hendon as part of the Brent Cross Cricklewood development in North London.^[33]
• Wixams between Flitwick and Bedford as part of the new town just outside Bedford. Expected to be built by 2015.^[34]
• Ilkeston between Nottingham and Langley Mill, believed to be the largest town without a railway station.^[35]

Stations proposed:

• Clay Cross between Chesterfield and Ambergate/Alferton.^[36]
• Irchester (Rushden Parkway) between Wellingborough and Bedford.^[37]
• Ampthill between Bedford and Flitwick.^[38]

See also

• Great Central Main Line - Former competing main line

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Midland Main Line.

Railway lines in the East Midlands Primary Chiltern Main Line Cross Country Route East Coast Main Line Midland Main Line Local Birmingham to Peterborough Line Buxton Line Crewe-Derby Line Derwent Valley Line Doncaster to Lincoln Line Glossop Line Ivanhoe Line Northampton Loop Line Nottingham-Grantham Line Nottingham-Lincoln Line Oakham to Kettering Line Poacher Line Robin Hood Line Sheffield to Lincoln Line Freight only Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line Shirebrook to High Marnham Heritage Battlefield Line Chasewater Railway Churnet Valley Railway Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Foxfield Light Railway Great Central Railway (Leicester) Great Central Railway (Nottingham) Lincolnshire Wolds Railway Midland Railway - Butterley Nene Valley Railway Northampton & Lamport Railway Peak Rail Rushden, Higham & Wellingborough Railway Rutland Railway (Cottesmore)

Railway lines in Yorkshire and the Humber Primary To London East Coast Main Line Midland Main Line To Exeter Cross Country Route Others Inter-regional Hallam Line Hope Valley Line Leeds to Morecambe Line Doncaster to Lincoln Line Sheffield to Lincoln Line Settle-Carlisle Line Intra-regional Airedale Line Askern Branch Line Barton Line Calder Valley Line Dearne Valley Line Esk Valley Line Harrogate Line Huddersfield Line Leeds-Bradford Lines Leeds-Northallerton Railway Northallerton–Eaglescliffe Line Penistone Line Pontefract Line Selby Diversion Wakefield Line Wharfedale Line Hull to Scarborough York to Scarborough Hull to Selby Leeds to Selby Defunct Barnsley-Doncaster Brockholes-Holmfirth Dearne Valley Railway Harrogate-Church Fenton Hull-Barnsley (Cudworth) Hull and Holderness Hull and Hornsea Knaresborough-York Leeds-Harrogate Malton-Driffield Market Weighton-Driffield Middlesbrough-Guisborough Middlesbrough-Guisborough-Normanby Huddersfield-Bradford Lockwood-Meltham Nunthorpe–Battersby Otley-Ilkley Pilmoor-Knaresborough Queensbury lines Rosedale Railway Scarborough-Whitby Seamer-Pickering Selby-Driffield Selby-Goole Sowerby Bridge-Rishworth Skipton-Grassington Skipton-Ilkley Thirsk-Malton Wetherby-Cross Gates(Leeds) Whiby-Loftus Woodhead Line York-Market Weighton-Beverley York-York (Foss Island) Heritage Derwent Valley Light Railway Elsecar Heritage Railway Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Middleton Railway North Bay Railway North Yorkshire Moors Railway Wensleydale Railway Light Railways Nidd Valley Light Railway North Holderness Light Railway Sand Hutton Light Railway