Market Harborough Station Upgrade

[edwin_m]

It used to be four tracks from London to Glendon North Jn. It's now four from Kentish Town to Sharnbrook Jn, then three to Kettering South Jn, the third track between Harrowden Jn and Kettering Soth Jn having been put back a few years ago. Kettering South Jn to Kettering Station Jn was always left as four, but it was three from there to Corby until the recent restoration. And Sharnbrook Jn to Kettering South Jn is being restored to four at the moment. It was four paired by use northwards from Wigston North Jn through Trent and the Erewash Valley to Tapton Jn prior ro re-signalling, but now it's three from Leicester Station South Jn to Syston North Jn and the four northwards, but no longer right up the Erewash Valley.

Minor correction, only two tracks to Corby! There's also a plan to reinstate four tracks from Wigston right through Leicester to Syston, giving more capacity for east-west freight in particular, but I don't think it's going anywhere at present. I wonder if the Erewash will get a four-track section as part of HS2.

 

[Senex]

Sorry — my silly mistake about Corby. The Kettering & Manton line (diverging at Glendon South Jn) never had more than two tracks, even though land was originally bought for four if needed. I deliberately didn't mention the Wigston-Leicester-Syston plans, since that seems to be another bit of highly-desirable work that has been Graylinged. Aren't we lucky that Derby actually got done — and very well done? As for HS2, if the eastern arm ever gets built, I too wonder what extra capacity (and perhaps alignment improvements) will be needed, not just in the Erewash Valley but perhaps also through Sheffield itself, with restoration of the full quadding down from Dore. Surely the relatively small bits of Tesco actually on the alignment can't be allowed to stand in the way?

 

[InTheEastMids]

https://harboroughfm.co.uk/railway-to-shut-for-6-days/

Confirmation of the closure for 6 days for the switch to the new alignment. Looks like it will be the half term week to minimise disruption

 

[38Cto15E]

I assume that no funds were available to straighten the curve at Great Bowden where the MML crossed over the Mkt Harborough to Peterborough line.

 

[Flying Phil]

I assume that no funds were available to straighten the curve at Great Bowden where the MML crossed over the Mkt Harborough to Peterborough line.

In post #157 it was confirmed that the straightening of the Great Bowden curve was no longer in the scheme.

 

[Flying Phil]

Lots of activity on site today. They have put rails on sleepers (but not yet clipped) on both tracks North of the station. They are "filling in" between the North end of the new platforms to get the level correct. The tops of the concrete piles for the new platform lift/footbridge are being cropped and the rebars for the foundations for the South end of the Western platform are largely finished.

 

[Flying Phil]

Re the new footbridge South of the station at Little Bowden. The bridgework is complete but there has been no work done since mid December on completing the groundwork for the foot paths.......

 

[Senex]

Do I see that the two crossovers are now going in on a straight section north of the new platforms?

 

[Flying Phil]

Do I see that the two crossovers are now going in on a straight section north of the new platforms?

It is difficult to see, but yes, I think you are correct.

 

[edwin_m]

The crossovers replace those taken out on the curve south of the station a few months back. I recall Modern Railways in 1987/8 saying they were put in there so as not to be affected by the re-modelling that was likely to take place...

 

[Flying Phil]

They have now got the foundations in place for the new footbridge and lifts - which are due to be erected at the end of March. The foundation concrete for the South end of the Northbound platform has been poured.

 

[Flying Phil]

More progress on the new Southbound platform as the concrete foundation goes steadily Southwards.

 

[jfowkes]

This might be a really dumb question, but which current bit of curve(s) is/are actually the problem? From the top photo in the above post, it looks like they are making the curve further north of the station tighter - so I presume the work is to reduce/eliminate the curvature in the station itself?

 

[Senex]

The curvature figures I have are from a long time ago (1977), but in general horizontal alignment doesn't change very much over time. Your come in to MH on a long right-hand curve which starts at 43 chains radius, eases to 59, and then sharpens to 29 into the platform of the present station. It then reverses in the platform into a 35-chain left-hander which eases to 98 chains and then 94 chains before it in turn reverses into a 117 chains radius right-hander easing to 74 chains before the short straight leading up to the flyover bridge which is on a 39-chain curve. There is a downhill straight and then a 124-chain left-hander leading north. It is indeed the curvature in the station itself, built in during the creation of the new station in the 1880s, that is the big problem, with the reverse limiting the transition between the RH and the LH curves and thus the amountof cant and the position in a platform also limiting the amount of can allowed. The new alignment gets rid of that reverse, moves the platforms to straight track, and moves the 40-mph crossovers away from their former location on the 59-chain curve.

 

[Flying Phil]

As Senex says the remodelling will remove the "S" bend in the station itself. The other three benefits are that the Southbound platform will become much longer (10/12? coaches), disabled access between platforms much easier and there is more station car parking. The railway benefits from reduced fuel bills and brake wear due to less change of speed for through trains and faster train times.

 

[Flying Phil]

More foundation work for the middle section of the platforms and there is more concrete reinforcement for the lift shafts. I am amazed at the amount of foundation work going into this project - I presume it is because they were uncertain as to the ground conditions, as it is on the base of the former old platforms to Rugby and Northampton.

 

[InTheEastMids]

Latest update on the nearby Little Bowden footbridge is completion not now expected until the end of April.

It's not a great advert for NR's project management capability that a relatively simple footbridge project can just drag on and on like this.

 

[Flying Phil]

Latest update on the nearby Little Bowden footbridge is completion not now expected until the end of April.

It's not a great advert for NR's project management capability that a relatively simple footbridge project can just drag on and on like this.

Agreed! ..... I drove past the footbridge yesterday and there is still the groundworks ie footpaths, un-worked on since December as per post #187.

 

[Flying Phil]

They are pouring and levelling 120 cu m of concrete today so making good progress. The new track to the North has been clipped to the sleepers so ready for slewing and joining in 3 months time. The new footbridge with lifts is arriving in 5 sections to be erected at the end of this month.

 

[Flying Phil]

The East side faces of the Southbound platforms are now in place with most of the West sides. These need to be in place, as access will be difficult once the footbridge and lifts are erected - this weekend(?). They have also put more screens up on the platform to allow work to progress further Southbound.

 

[Flying Phil]

There was a lot of "in filling" going on around the base of the footbridge on the new Southbound platform so it does look as though the actual bridge sections will be put ....in this week end?

 

[38Cto15E]

It looks like it, London trains are not calling at Harborough but going via Manton on Sunday.

 

[Flying Phil]

We now have a footbridge! But you cannot use it yet as there are no steps and only one lift....I'm sure the rest will be erected soon.

 

[InTheEastMids]

We now have a footbridge! But you cannot use it yet as there are no steps and only one lift....I'm sure the rest will be erected soon.View attachment 59579

My gosh it's ugly.

 

[Senex]

My gosh it's ugly.

Hideous! Has any architect been involved with that?
Given that this is a station being built on a site clear of the working railway, what governs the decision to build a footbridge rather than a subway? We can see that the bridge is built for electrification clearances (even though the line has been Graylinged), so the climb passengers have to make is very considerable. Descent to a subway would surely involve less vertical distance to be covered and so be more comfortable for passengers to use. We always seem to have used subways less and footbridges more than on the systems in a number of other countries. Is this a valid impression, and if so, does anyone know the reason? Could it be that until disabled provision had to be included the bridge option was much cheaper (though we can see from this new work at Harborough that that's no longer true!)?

 

[duffield]

Hideous! Has any architect been involved with that?
Given that this is a station being built on a site clear of the working railway, what governs the decision to build a footbridge rather than a subway? We can see that the bridge is built for electrification clearances (even though the line has been Graylinged), so the climb passengers have to make is very considerable. Descent to a subway would surely involve less vertical distance to be covered and so be more comfortable for passengers to use. We always seem to have used subways less and footbridges more than on the systems in a number of other countries. Is this a valid impression, and if so, does anyone know the reason? Could it be that until disabled provision had to be included the bridge option was much cheaper (though we can see from this new work at Harborough that that's no longer true!)?

I would *guess* that footbridges are cheaper because they can be largely fabricated offsite and bought in in sections for assembly; also you don't have to deal with groundwater issues, or worry about the loads placed on top of a subway. But I'm not a civil engineer so this may be total rubbish!

 

[InTheEastMids]

I would *guess* that footbridges are cheaper because they can be largely fabricated offsite and bought in in sections for assembly; also you don't have to deal with groundwater issues, or worry about the loads placed on top of a subway. But I'm not a civil engineer so this may be total rubbish!

There already is a subway at the South end of the platforms that will be retained. However making that accessible would have been much more disruptive and costly.

It is only partially complete, so perhaps when it's finished it'll lose some of the 'Prison Camp chic' look that it's got right now

 

[Senex]

.... 'Prison Camp chic' look ....

I do like that!

 

[edwin_m]

I would *guess* that footbridges are cheaper because they can be largely fabricated offsite and bought in in sections for assembly; also you don't have to deal with groundwater issues, or worry about the loads placed on top of a subway. But I'm not a civil engineer so this may be total rubbish!

I'm sure those things are true. Plus if it's an existing railway putting a bridge over it is less disruptive than digging underneath for a subway. That might appear not to apply here, but the most logical place for a subway to avoid having to go up and then down again would be next to the building where the existing one is, which as mentioned would be difficult to make accessible.

 

[Flying Phil]

More platform "in-filling" going on this week with the drains and gulleys being put in, then building up the levels.