- Market Harborough railway station
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Market Harborough 
Platforms 1 and 2 at Market Harborough station, taken on 30 September 2005 Location Place Market Harborough Local authority Harborough Coordinates 52°28′48″N 0°54′34″W / 52.48°N 0.9094°WCoordinates: 52°28′48″N 0°54′34″W / 52.48°N 0.9094°W Operations Station code MHR Managed by East Midlands Trains Number of platforms 2 Live arrivals/departures and station information
from National Rail EnquiriesAnnual rail passenger usage 2004/05 * 0.575 million 2005/06 * 
0.594 million2006/07 * 0.660 million2007/08 * 0.701 million2008/09 * 717,8622009/10 * 
674,720History Opened 1850 National Rail - UK railway stations A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z * 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. Please note: methodology may vary year on year. 
Market Harborough Station in 1957
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 fast and semi-fast East Midlands Trains Class 222 "Meridian"/HST services. 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.
As of late 2009 Market Harborough is a Penalty fare station, a valid ticket or Permit to travel must be shown when requested.
Contents
History
Market Harborough was the largest station within the county boundary south of Leicester. Such was the volume of traffic, a junction for five different directions at its height, by 1870 plans for an engine shed were released in addition to the already provided loco pit, turntable and water tank. A shed was never built but this did not stop it becoming a sub-shed of Leicester in later years.
The original station was built by the London and North Western Railway (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.[1]
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.
Summary of Former Services
Preceding station Disused railways Following station Lubenham London and North Western Railway
Rugby to Peterborough EastAshley and Weston Clipston and Oxendon London and North Western Railway
Northampton to NottinghamHallaton East Langton Midland Railway
Midland Main LineDesborough and Rothwell Services
A Map of East Midlands Trains InterCity services showing the current service pattern each hourThe service pattern from London St Pancras is uneven, with two trains leaving in 15 minutes and then the next train in 45 minutes this continues every hour off peak. Trains to London are around every half hour and all off peak trains now start or end at Nottingham. One of these are fast going non-stop to or from London. While the other is a semi-fast service via Kettering, Wellingborough, Bedford and Luton Airport Parkway. Services north to Nottingham call atLeicester and either Loughborough and Beeston or East Midlands Parkway. In the morning and evening some services are extended to Lincoln via Newark. All services are operated by East Midlands Trains.[2]
The weekend sees trains operating to York and, in the summer, Scarborough. EMT hope that in the future when Network Rail have completed track upgrades that they will be able to run to Skegness at the weekends.
Faster East Midlands Trains services to/from Sheffield run through at high speed, but do not stop. Interchange with Faster services can be made at Leicester.Preceding station 
National RailFollowing station East Midlands Trains St Pancras InternationalBus services depart from outside the station and operate throughout the town and also to both Lutterworth, Hinckley and Leicester.
Future
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, it is planned that both platforms will be extended by up to 106 metres by no later than 2012.[3]
The initial specification for the new East Midlands Trains franchise[4] 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.[5]
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.[6]
References
- ^ Radford, B., (1983) Midland Line Memories: a Pictorial History of the Midland Railway Main Line Between London (St Pancras) & Derby London: Bloomsbury Books
- ^ East Midlands Trains: Timetable 13 December 2009 to 22 May 2010 Accessed 13 March 2010
- ^ "Network Rail CP4 Delivery Plan 2009 Enhancements programme: statement of scope, outputs and milestones". Network Rail. http://www.networkrail.co.uk/documents/6182_Enhancements%20Document%20Dec%202009.pdf. Retrieved 2010-03-18.
- ^ http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/dft_railways_611833.pdf
- ^ Passengers fight back over rail cuts - Harborough Today
- ^ Extra Car Park Spaces at Market Harborough - East Midlands Trains
External links
- Train times and station information for Market Harborough railway station from National Rail
Birmingham to Peterborough Line: from Birmingham New Street • Hinckley • Narborough • South Wigston • Leicester • Syston • Melton Mowbray • Oakham • to PeterboroughIvanhoe Line: Midland Main Line: from Nottingham/Derby • East Midlands Parkway • Loughborough • Leicester • Market Harborough • to London St PancrasNottingham to Grantham Line: Heritage railways Battlefield Line Railway: Great Central Railway: Categories:- Railway stations in Leicestershire
- Former London and North Western Railway stations
- Former Midland Railway stations
- Railway stations opened in 1850
- Railway stations closed in 1884
- Railway stations opened in 1884
- Railway stations served by East Midlands Trains
- DfT Category C2 stations
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