Market Harborough Station Upgrade

Flying Phil · 5 Jul 2019

The full length of the Southbound platform looks ready for tarmac but there are still a lot of platform edging slabs to be laid. Both slabs for our two "Little" shelters have been finished.
The car park has now been largely cleared of rubble and excavation work for drains has started.

We do get long freight trains.....but this one was very short!

RailUK Forums

Flying Phil · 8 Jul 2019

More platform edging slabs have been laid - about 2/3rds done now. The posts for the rear fence are ready for erection. The car park drainage trenches are being dug and a start is being made on troughing installation.

Flying Phil · 10 Jul 2019

Lamp posts - but no lamps yet, and fence posts are up along the Southbound platform South end and drainage digging continues in the car park.

sharpley · 13 Jul 2019

Network Rail have posted a video on their YouTube channel about Market Harborough, including some time-lapse footage from the week long closure.

Flying Phil · 13 Jul 2019

Thanks for posting that link sharpley.

Ianno87 · 13 Jul 2019

Great video!

Flying Phil · 13 Jul 2019

A slightly different view today.

Flying Phil · 19 Jul 2019

On Wednesday, the platform had the tarmac in place and most of the railings. No lamps, and still awaiting our two small shelters. There is a long ramp being added at the South end.
The car park is getting more drains installed, but the elegant MR/BR lamp post has now gone....

fflint · 22 Jul 2019

Many thanks to Flying Phil once again for his devoted coverage of this thread and many others.

InOban · 22 Jul 2019

I see that MH was voted the most desirable place to live because of its affordable housing, attractive old town centre with independent stores - and its excellent train service London.

geoffk · 23 Jul 2019

I visited Market Harborough on Saturday 20th and called it at the station. The London end of the up (southbound) platform still requires fencing to be finished off so is not yet in use, as in Flying Phil's photograph. I understand this was the last work to be completed as the extension would have been foul of the old alignment. I later saw that OHLE work was progressing towards Corby.

edwin_m · 23 Jul 2019

geoffk said:
I visited Market Harborough on Saturday 20th and called it at the station. The London end of the up (southbound) platform still requires fencing to be finished off so is not yet in use, as in Flying Phil's photograph. I understand this was the last work to be completed as the extension would have been foul of the old alignment. I later saw that OHLE work was progressing towards Corby.

Yes, the southern half of this platform couldn't be built in advance because the old tracks went through where it now is. It's changed so quickly that even from Phil's excellent pictures it's getting difficult to visualise where things were before!

swt_passenger · 23 Jul 2019

edwin_m said:
Yes, the southern half of this platform couldn't be built in advance because the old tracks went through where it now is. It's changed so quickly that even from Phil's excellent pictures it's getting difficult to visualise where things were before!

I think though, (from the photos), that they completed everything necessary immediately adjacent to the track except the coping slabs? Those slabs have presumably been fitted in batches overnight, as I don’t think anyone’s mentioned further major closures?

edwin_m · 23 Jul 2019

swt_passenger said:
I think though, (from the photos), that they completed everything necessary immediately adjacent to the track except the coping slabs? Those slabs have presumably been fitted in batches overnight, as I don’t think anyone’s mentioned further major closures?

This link should lead to post 367 which is the state of the new station after the blockade. They've put in the front wall minus coping slabs before anything else. It would make sense to do that during the blockade as this allows the rest of the platform except the slabs to be fenced off and done in normal hours without the costly measures necessary when in proximity to a live railway. The slabs themselves must indeed have been added during non-traffic hours, either overnight or during one of the diversion weekends.
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/market-harborough-station-upgrade.151511/page-13#post-4038717

Flying Phil · 24 Jul 2019

Thanks for the comments.....and MH is a very nice place to live!
Meanwhile there is a lot of activity at and around the station. There is a road closure for Severn Trent to put in new water mains. The works offices on the West side are being taken away with a tall crane in operation. There is a block of 6 container offices (NR) on the East side. The car park electrics and services are being installed.
On the Southbound platform, there are electrics in the lamp columns but no lamps yet. We have one bus shelter erected and seats about to be installed. One more shelter to be erected. The long ramp is having a path built to it.

There are TSRs for 60/30 mph on the new curves either end of the station.....settling and awaiting tamping?

swt_passenger · 24 Jul 2019

Thanks for the recent updates.

Interesting that on the planning drawings the long ramp and path to the car park from the south end of the platform is only there for emergency exit, and is described as being accessed through normally shut “push bar gates”. All seems a bit gold plated to me, but I expect it’s in some revision to the platforms group standard...

hwl · 24 Jul 2019

Is the huge mound of earth to the north of the Car Park also going to be removed?

Flying Phil · 24 Jul 2019

hwl said:
Is the huge mound of earth to the north of the Car Park also going to be removed?

Good question....it may well be used to bring the car park level up, as the various service ducts appear to be higher than the current ground level. We shall have to wait and see.
I did ask if the platform will be brought into use soon, but the only confirmation was, that the job will be finished by/in December. However the platform may "suddenly" open before then...

louis97 · 24 Jul 2019

Flying Phil said:
There are TSRs for 60/30 mph on the new curves either end of the station.....settling and awaiting tamping?

These are ESRs heat speed restrictions with boards in place for when they need to be implemented. The speed can be lowered to 20mph if required too.

hwl · 24 Jul 2019

Flying Phil said:
Good question....it may well be used to bring the car park level up, as the various service ducts appear to be higher than the current ground level. We shall have to wait and see.
I did ask if the platform will be brought into use soon, but the only confirmation was, that the job will be finished by/in December. However the platform may "suddenly" open before then...

Platform - Keeping sites mobilised costs £££s so there is big incentive to get it completed & signed off even if not in use so there isn't. Then it is all up to EMT/EMR...

sharpley · 24 Jul 2019

hwl said:
Is the huge mound of earth to the north of the Car Park also going to be removed?

On Google Maps its labelled as 'The Mound'. an ecological park

https://www.google.com/maps/place/T...8a269e8d74bf1c5!8m2!3d52.4822604!4d-0.9074946

couldn't find anything else about it. Looks like a large pile of overgrown spoil to me.

Flying Phil · 25 Jul 2019

Looking back to the begining of this thread, the "mound" was largely created by the levelling of the ground for the new car park - so it is not exactly an ancient "ecological park"!

edwin_m · 25 Jul 2019

Sounds like someone is pulling Google's corporate leg.

seconinline · 25 Jul 2019

edwin_m said:
Sounds like someone is pulling Google's corporate leg.

the mound is an ecological park as there is rare grasses saved from old sidings growing on it, i believe its planned to be kept and covered with wildflowers

Flying Phil · 30 Jul 2019

Most of the lamps are wired to the posts, the other "Bus shelter" has been erected and the access path has been tarmaced. There is a bit more to be done and the expectation is that the platform will be opened mid Aug......i.e. in two weeks time.

sorry for picture quality but it was raining.....

Flying Phil · 2 Aug 2019

The platform just seems to need the Passenger Information Screen, a couple of cctv head units and a couple of gates in the back fence. The car park is just about ready for the hard core to be laid to get the level up - there are two mounds, at the far end, of material for this.

Flying Phil · 2 Aug 2019

At the back of the Northbound platform, they are laying a track (for emergency access?) the full length and getting the site clear of plant and material.

swt_passenger · 2 Aug 2019

Yes, that new path is on the layout drawing as an emergency route, it should have a “push bar gate” a few metres from the north end of the down platform.

Flying Phil · 5 Aug 2019

One aspect of this improvement that has not been raised, is that there are quite a few people who cycle to the station and leave their bikes. There used to be several bike racks on platform 1 - and even one with a roof. During the rebuild these spaces have been moved to the car park/turning circle/drop-off at the front of the station building. There appears to be no provision for bicycle storage on/at/or near to, the new platforms. I'm sure a simple sheltered space would be appreciated next to the footbridge on the car park side.....which seems to be unused on the plans.

Flying Phil · 5 Aug 2019

I have made enquiries and there is no provision for bicycles beyond the current racks outside the station. Apparently it is a Dept for Transport decision about provision on the car park ... and the TOC has to ask. Of course EMT are no longer interested and EMR have many more important things to think about....Also, having the bikes on the platforms, caused "incidents" at night when the white and red lamps were causing train drivers problems.
There are now some bikes being chained to posts in the new car park......but that is actually illegal (I'm told) and they can have the locks cut, be removed and disposed........

Market Harborough Station Upgrade

Established Member

RailUK Forums

Established Member

Established Member

Member

Established Member

Veteran Member

Established Member

Established Member

Member

Established Member

Established Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Established Member

Veteran Member

Established Member

Established Member

Established Member

Established Member

Member

Established Member

Veteran Member

Member

Established Member

Established Member

Established Member

Veteran Member

Established Member

Established Member