Yes, they have laid tracks through the cutting and one track under the Great Bowden road bridge. There is also a cross-over just North of the platform ends. There are pictures earlier in the thread - post #199.
As rumoured for the last 10 months on the MML electrification thread and also discussed on the previous page of this thread.
I’d say it isn’t 100% confirmed, as was discussed a week or more back. Modern Railways also reported it as an apparently “done deal”, but that isn’t what the parliamentary answer actually said.
What you have to bear in mind is that the existing signals were there to protect the junction. Now the junction has moved to the north end of the station there is now no need to have the signals on the end of the platform as today. All the scenarios have been gone through with regard to the position of all the signals in the new layout for all proposed train movements from about 4 miles north of Market Harborough to approximately the same distance towards Kettering. Full signal sighting carried out and full risk assessments completed under the requirement for scheme plan approval.
All new main aspect signals are to be fitted with AWS. You do not put AWS on banner signals.
An earlier version of the Leicester MAS scheme envisaged both the rebuilding of the station and the reversion to the original Midland alignment at Great Bowden, and in this the pair of crossovers were to be north of the new station and for 50 mph. In the final version it was still hoped up to a very late stage to do all the realignment works, but the crossovers were moved on to the curve south of the station (and the signals were moved appropriately) so as not to complicate that realignment work if and when it happened. The crossovers that were put in were for 40 mph, which had become pretty much the standard for the modernisation of the London to Trent line. But if my memory serves me rightly, whereas none of the original junctions between running lines in the West Hampstead scheme got flashing yellows, several in the Leicester area did.
They used to be used by genuine fast services as well as those calling all over the place (and especially when reversible working was needed during normal weekday services, of course). As for what the tail end of a modern train can be doing when clearing the platform, look what an impact the 20 mph connection at the south end of Crewe platform 5 has on an 11-coach Pendolino starting away from the station. (DB uses 100 km/h switches for platform loops on new lines.)
You posted this - The signals are moving. I believe theres maybe going to be a banner repeater, but no AWS, which obviously brings its own risks.
When was this? I've been using the MML regularly for 30 years and I've never been sent wrong line through Market Harborough.
The first southbound weekday service, starting at Leicester, would very occasionally run 'wrong line' down to Kettering from Wigston a couple of years ago when I was using this service. This first train never stops at Market Harborough though.
On a weekday afternoon theres normally a cement train (14.40 ish) and a container train (15.40 ish) heading north through platform 2, to be routed onto the slow reversible line for onward journeys towards Peterborough. Trouble is there is a southbound EMT coming in at about the same time on platform 3 thus blocking access to the slow lines. These 2 freight trains often have to come into Leicester approaching a red signal, so doing a lot less than 15mph. The freight loop is often occupied by something else as well.
It's a good few years now since I was a very regular user of the MML, but there were many occasions on Sundays where the reversible facilities were in use and I've been over all the "wrong"-line sections at one time or another on a number of occasions. I think the only ones I experienced on a weekday were between Leicester and Wigston and between Kilby Bridge and Market Harborough, the latter when reversible working was used during problems.
It's puzzling me too. The junction seems to have been re-laid, so how can they still be designing a new layout? And if all southbound speeds are now up to the final level (30 out of 1, 40 out of 2 and 3, and 25 out of 4), then why is it still that truly painfully slow 15 on all northbound routes?
There is a closure of the line - 28th May to 6th June, to allow the changeover.
That seems most likely, doesn't it? But surely that would have been taken into account in planning the works, which were always designed to give 40 in both directions. So could it be that there is some signal work still to be done? With platform 2 it always used to be that the Lancaster Road signal (sorry—no numbers to hand) worked with a delayed release from red unless the platform signal was shewing a proceed aspect, I think because of the short overlap because of the closeness of the connection out of platform 1 at the north end. I'm not sure whether there's a similar situation with using 3 northbound with the connection from 4 at the north end also being very close in.
I commute from Market Harborough, it happaens once or twice a year, snow drifts last year was the last one that I remember.
where the old siding was situated.
