Midland Main Line, 125 mph from 8 December 2013

Speed improvements have now been commissioned between Kettering and East Midlands Parkway. I've taken a look today, and for the first ever time (since the December changes) I've seen a Sheffield fast arrive and depart Leicester right time based on the working timetable! London to Leicester in just a tad over 1 hour 1 minute - not bad going. I also like how it arrived Derby nearly 3 minutes early too!

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C60479/2014/04/28/advanced

That 95mph TSR on the down fast from Napsbury to St Albans station is still in place. What's taking them so long?

Edvid said:

That 95mph TSR on the down fast from Napsbury to St Albans station is still in place. What's taking them so long?

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There is a significant curvature from Napsbury to St Albans and to a bit north of St Albans and we have noted various night-time and weekend work going on - indeed, once we had to ask them to move a van so we could get into the signal box grounds! I assume that extra work is due to this curvature.

(There is an interesting reason for this curvature - between the Midland Railway getting their act passed for the London Extension and starting to build the line, the St Albans City fathers built a new jail, then realised that the first thing people would see getting off the train would be the new city jail! So they prevailed on the MR to move the line closer to the city so visitors would not have to pass the jail and even gave up a corner of the grounds to the MR so they could connect an engine shed to the main line.)

It's still slower now between Sheffield and London. In 2001 the 07.28 master cutler did it in 119 minutes. I know that was via the Erewash but it's still faster than today. Back then HSTs could do it from London to Leicester in 63 mins easy. I know I've been on them. But that was before the HSTs were had their Paxmen valentas downgraded. So it may be cleared for 125running now but the overall times have not come down. It was faster 20 years ago

Mark62 said:

It's still slower now between Sheffield and London. In 2001 the 07.28 master cutler did it in 119 minutes. I know that was via the Erewash but it's still faster than today. Back then HSTs could do it from London to Leicester in 63 mins easy. I know I've been on them. But that was before the HSTs were had their Paxmen valentas downgraded. So it may be cleared for 125running now but the overall times have not come down. It was faster 20 years ago

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I wouldn't exactly say it's slower, a train I was on on Saturday did Sheffield to London in 119 minutes, going via Derby and even getting delayed on the approach to Leicester (1C30 0929 SHF-STP).
I struggle to understand how HSTs could have done Leicester to London in 63 minutes or under, unless drivers were speeding a lot... Even if you have a very very fast run on a 222 these days you'll only get 61 minutes max.

As for the 125 the following sections are notable:

Ellestree to Napsbury (just before St Albans)
Luton area to Ampthill Tunnel (Ampthill tunnel to Bedford still has a 110mph TSR)
Bedford to Sharnbrook Junction (110 mph TSR over Sharnbrook Junction vice 115mph)
Sharnbrook Junction to Wellingborough
Loughborough to East Midlands Parkway

You can actually get to 125 on a HST in all those areas, if going non-stop Leicester then Derby (I tested it via GPS speed app last weekend).