Cancelled weekend rail services in Market Harborough to continue …
Rail services in one Leicestershire town will disrupted until next week as work to stabilise a bank begins. Train services in the Market Harborough[1] area will be disrupted until next week while engineers work to stabilise an embankment that forced a stretch of track at Braybrooke, south of Market Harborough, to close on Thursday night (November, 2) after recent storms made the bank which the track sits on unstable.
Engineers will install soil nails and other equipment to stabilise the land. Network Rail added that because the work involves concrete and other materials, it will need time to set before the track can be fully reinstated. Trains between Kettering and Leicester have been diverting via Corby, since yesterday (Friday, November, 3.)
Gary Walsh, route director for Network Rail’s East Midlands Route, said: “I’m really sorry for the disruption this essential work is causing. Our teams have been closely monitoring the land in the Braybrooke area and working hard to keep services running but we have reached the stage where we need to carry out intrusive work to strengthen the land to protect passengers and our staff.
“Train services are already diverted this weekend for track work further down the line. This repair work means that all trains will need to follow this diversion route into next week. We’re carefully monitoring progress on site and will reopen the line as soon as we can.”
Network Rail also has urged passengers travelling between London and the East Midlands[3] to check their journey before travelling as major engineering work will lead to significant disruption. Lines between Leicester[4] and Kettering will be closed to trains as Network Rail lowers sections of the track and demolishes some bridges to allow overhead electric lines to be installed.
The engineering work means no trains will operate between the two stations on Saturday, November 4, and Sunday, November 5 – with the work continuing on subsequent Sundays for the rest of the month. The work is part of the ongoing Midlands Main Line Upgrade project which is electrifying the line between London St Pancras and the East Midlands.
To deal with the disruption, rail replacement bus services are going to be in operation between Kettering, Market Harborough[5], and Leicester to take passengers through the closed section. East Midlands Railway’s[6] ‘Connect’ service will also start and terminate at Wellingborough, rather than Kettering or Corby.
References
- ^ Market Harborough (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ Why parts of Fosse Park are fenced off (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ Network Rail also has urged passengers travelling between London and the East Midlands (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ Leicester (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ Market Harborough (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ East Midlands Railway’s (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)