Loughborough railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Loughborough


manager = East Midlands Trains
locale = Loughborough
code = LBO
borough = Charnwood
start = 1872
platforms = 3
usage0405 = 1.152
usage0506 = 1.147
usage0607 = 1.277

Loughborough serves the town of Loughborough in Leicestershire, England. Situated on the Midland Main Line, 20 km (12½ miles) north of Leicester, the station lies to the north-east of the town centre.

The usable length of the station platforms are shorter than the express trains which stop here, so passengers arriving from London, Derby or Sheffield will usually have to get off from the front four carriages (or rear four if travelling into Loughborough from the north on the old style 9-carriage "high speed trains"). Elderly passengers or those with pushchairs, heavy luggage or bicycles wishing to alight at Loughborough should take particular care to board the correct portion of the train. Cycles may have to be stored in vestibules away from the cycle lockers depending on the orientation of the train

History

The original station (opened in 1840 by the Midland Counties Railway, which was shortly to join the North Midland Railway and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway to form the Midland Railway) was sited a little further south.

The present station was built in 1872 when the track was quadrupled and has retained much of its characteristically Midland Railway architecture, apart from the fact that its canopies have been cut back. The station is grade II listed [http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/environment/loughborough-statutorylist.html#loughborough18b]

It became known as "Loughborough Midland" when Loughborough had three stations; Loughborough Derby Road (London and North Western Railway - station now closed) and Loughborough Central (Great Central Railway now used by the Great Central Railway (preserved)).

Service patterns

East Midlands Trains operate the station as well as all services (bar one per day).

* East Midlands Trains Local Ivanhoe Line operates hourly to Leicester southbound calling at:::Barrow-upon-Soar, Sileby, Syston, and Leicester

* Ivanhoe services operate hourly northbound to Lincoln calling at:::Nottingham, Carlton, Burton Joyce, Bleasby, Fiskerton, Rolleston, Newark Castle, Collingham, Swinderby, Hykeham, and Lincoln Central

* East Midlands Trains London operate two trains per hour to London calling at:::Leicester, Market Harborough, Kettering, Wellingborough, Bedford, Luton or Luton Airport Parkway, and London St Pancras International

* Northbound one train operates to Nottingham calling at::Beeston and Nottingham

* The other to Derby calling at:::Long Eaton and Derby

* In the evening peak hours additional trains stop and run to Burton on Trent, Sheffield, Barnsley and Leeds calling at::additional locations such as Burton upon Trent, Langley Mill, Alfreton, Barnsley, Doncaster, Wakefield and Leeds

* East Midlands Local provide one train per day in the early morning to Norwich calling at:::Melton Mowbray, Oakham, Stamford, Peterborough and stations to Norwich

* 1 early train on Saturday and Sunday mornings operates to York or Scarborough::calling at Sheffield, Meadowhall, Doncaster, York and Scarborough

* CrossCountry operate one train a day (06:30 Leicester - Derby) which calls at the station. Departing at 06:45, the train terminates at Derby calling at Long Eaton and Spondon.

East Midlands trains proposed timetable for December 2008 will see through services from London to Lincoln and Skegness, and the end of services to Burton on Trent and Barnsley

Travellers have expressed concern in the local pressFact|date=July 2008 that when the new East Midlands Parkway opens near East Midlands Airport, the number of trains stopping at Loughborough will be reduced, as half of all London-Derby Trains will stop at the Parkway station instead. Concerns were expressed that this would be the beginning of a downgrading of Loughborough Station.Fact|date=July 2008 The same thing will happen at Wellingborough and Kettering beacuse of the new Corby station meaning the only the Nottingham train will call at the two stations.

References

* Higginson, M, (1989) "The Midland Counties Railway: A Pictorial Survey," Derby: Midland Railway Trust.

External links

* [http://www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/EMTrains/YourJourney/OurNetworkAndStations.htm Station info from East Midlands Trains]
* [http://www.kinchbus.co.uk/airline.html Airline Shuttle bus timetable]