Midland Main Line

This article is about the railway line. For the former train operating company, see Midland Mainline.
Midland Main Line

Overview
Type Intercity, commuter rail,
regional rail and heavy rail
System National Rail
Status Operational
Locale Greater London
East of England
East Midlands
Yorkshire and the Humber
Termini London St. Pancras International
Sheffield or Nottingham
Stations 35 (London to Sheffield)
Operation
Opened Stages between 1830s–1860s
Owner Network Rail
Operator(s) East Midlands Trains
CrossCountry
Thameslink
TransPennine Express
Northern
GB Railfreight
Freightliner
DB Schenker
Direct Rail Services
Depot(s) Cricklewood
Derby Etches Park
Nottingham Eastcroft
Toton
Sheffield Station
Neville Hill
Rolling stock Class 43/HST
Class 150 Sprinter
Class 153 Super Sprinter
Class 156 Super Sprinter
Class 158 Express Sprinter
Class 170 Turbostar
Class 185 Desiro
Class 220 Voyager
Class 221 Super Voyager
Class 222 Meridian
Class 319
Class 377 Electrostar
Class 387 Electrostar
Class 700 Desiro City
Technical
Number of tracks 2–4
Track gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Loading gauge W6-W8,[1] planned upgrade to UIC GB+
Electrification Mk3b 25 kV 50 Hz AC (south of Bedford)
Operating speed Maximum 125 mph (201 km/h)

Midland Railway

Legend
 "New Road" (1870) 
Masborough
Holmes
Wincobank
Brightside
Attercliffe Road
Sheffield Midland
Heeley
Millhouses
and Ecclesall
Beauchief
Dore and Totley
Bradway Tunnel
Dronfield
Unstone
Broomhouse Tunnel
Sheepbridge
Tapton Junction

The Midland Main Line is a major railway line in England from London to Sheffield in the North of England. The line is under the Network Rail description of Route 19;[2] it comprises the lines from London's St. Pancras station via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham and Chesterfield in the East Midlands.

Express passenger services on the line are operated by East Midlands Trains. The section between St Pancras and Bedford is electrified and forms the northern half of Thameslink (mainly operated by Thameslink and Great Northern), with a fast service to Brighton and other suburban services.

A northern part of the route, between Derby and Chesterfield, also forms part of the Cross Country Route operated by CrossCountry. Tracks from Nottingham to Leeds via Barnsley and Sheffield are shared with Northern. East Midlands Local also operates regional and local services using parts of the line.

History

Midland Counties early developments

Overview of the Midland Main Line in green. In relation to other north-south main lines
British Rail APT-E built at Derby rail technical centre and extensively tested on the Midland Main Line its first run being on 25 July 1972 from Derby to Duffield

The Midland Main Line was built in stages between the 1830s and the 1870s. The earliest section was opened by the Midland Counties Railway between Nottingham and Derby on 4 June 1839.[3] On 5 May 1840 the section of the route from Trent Junction to Leicester was opened.[4]

The line at Derby was joined on 1 July 1840 by the North Midland Railway to Leeds Hunslet Lane via Chesterfield, Rotherham Masborough[n 1], Swinton and Normanton.

On 10 May 1844 the North Midland Railway, the Midland Counties Railway and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway merged to form the Midland Railway.

Midland Main Line Southern Extensions

Without its own route to London, the Midland Railway relied upon a junction at Rugby with the London and Birmingham Railway line for access to the capital at London Euston. By the 1850s the junction at Rugby had become severely congested. The Midland Railway employed Thomas Brassey to construct a new route from Leicester to Hitchin via Kettering, Wellingborough and Bedford.[5] giving access to London via the Great Northern Railway from Hitchin. The Crimean War resulted in a shortage of labour and finance, and only £900,000 (equivalent to £77,430,000 in 2015)[6] was available for the construction, approximately £15,000 for each mile.[7] To reduce construction costs the railway followed natural contours, resulting in many curves and gradients. Seven bridges and one tunnel were required, with 60ft cuttings at Desborough and Sharnbrook. There are also major summits at Kibworth, Desbrough and at Sharnbrook where a 1 in 119 gradient from the south over 3 miles takes the line to 340 feet (100 m) above sea level. This route opened for coal traffic on 15 April 1857, goods on 4 May and passengers on 8 May[8] and the section between Leicester and Bedford is still part of the Midland Main Line.

While this took some of the pressure off the route through Rugby, the GNR insisted that passengers for London alight at Hitchin, buying tickets in the short time available, to catch a GNR train to finish their journey. James Allport arranged a seven-year deal with the GN to run into Kings Cross for a guaranteed £20,000 a year (equivalent to £1,720,000 in 2015).[6] Through services to London were introduced in February 1858.[9]

This line met with similar capacity problems at Hitchin as the former route via Rugby, so a new line was constructed from Bedford via Luton to St Pancras[10] which opened on 1 October 1868.[7] The construction of the London extension cost £9,000,000[11] (equivalent to £730,290,000 in 2015).[6]

As traffic built up, the Midland opened a new deviation just north of Market Harborough railway station on 26 June 1885 to remove the flat crossing of the Rugby and Stamford Railway.[12]

Northernmost Sections

Plans by the Midland Railway to build a direct line from Derby to Manchester were thwarted in 1863 by the builders of the Buxton Line who sought to monopolise on the West Coast Main Line.

In 1870 the Midland Railway opened a new route from Chesterfield to Rotherham which went through Sheffield.

The mid-1870s saw the Midland line extended northwards through the Yorkshire Dales and Eden Valley on what is now called the Settle-Carlisle Railway.

Before the line closures of the Beeching era, the lines to Buxton and via Millers Dale during most years presented an alternate (and competing) main line from London to Manchester, carrying named expresses such as The Palatine. Express trains to Leeds and Scotland such as the Thames-Clyde Express mainly used the Midland's corollary Erewash Valley Line, returned to it then used the Settle and Carlisle Line. Expresses to Edinburgh Waverley, such as The Waverley travelled through Corby and Nottingham.

Under British Railways and Privatisation

Most Leicester-Nottingham local passenger trains were taken over by diesel units from 14 April 1958, taking about 51 minutes between the two cities.[13]

When the Great Central Main Line closed in the 1960s, the Midland became the only direct main-line rail link between London and the East Midlands and parts of South Yorkshire.

The Beeching cuts and electrification of the West Coast Main Line brought an end to the marginally longer London-Manchester service via Sheffield.

In 1977 the Parliamentary Select Committee on Nationalised Industries recommended considering electrification of more of Britain's rail network, and by 1979 BR presented a range of options that included electrifying the Midland Main Line from London to Yorkshire by 2000.[14] By 1983 the line had been electrified from Moorgate to Bedford, but proposals to continue electrification to Nottingham and Sheffield were not implemented.

A Midland Mainline High Speed Train at Nottingham in 2005 introduced in 1983 by British Rail

The introduction of the High Speed Train (HST) in May 1983, following the Leicester area resignalling, brought about an increase of the ruling line speed on the fast lines from 90 miles per hour (140 km/h) to 110 miles per hour (180 km/h).

Between 2001 and 2003 the line between Derby and Sheffield was upgraded from 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) to 110 miles per hour (180 km/h) as part of Operation Princess, the Virgin-funded CrossCountry route upgrade.

In January 2009 a new station, East Midlands Parkway, was opened between Loughborough and Trent Junction, to act as a park-and-ride station for suburban travellers from East Midlands cities and to serve nearby East Midlands Airport.[15]

Most recently 125 miles per hour (201 km/h) running has been introduced on extended stretches. Improved signalling, increased number of tracks and the revival of proposals to extend electrification from Bedford to Sheffield are underway. Much of this £70 million upgrade, including some line-speed increases, came online on 9 December 2013[16] (see below).

Network Rail route strategy for freight 2007

Network Rail published a Route Utilisation Strategy for freight in 2007;[17] over the coming years a cross-country freight route will be developed enhancing the Birmingham to Peterborough Line, increasing capacity through Leicester, and remodelling Syston and Wigston junctions.

Network Rail 2010 route plan

Near Felmerham
Bridges over the Midland Main Line have been replaced to allow greater clearances for electrification and larger rolling stock. Before (top) and after (bottom) the 2014 upgrade.

Traffic levels on the Midland Main Line are rising faster than the national average, with continued increases predicted. In 2006 the Strategic Rail Authority produced a Route Utilisation Strategy for the Midland Main Line to propose ways of meeting this demand;[18] Network Rail started a new study in February 2008 and this was published in February 2010.[19] [20][21][22] After electrification, the North Northamptonshire towns (Wellingborough, Kettering and Corby) are planned to have an additional 'Outer Suburban service' into London St. Pancras, similar to the London Midland's Crewe – London Euston services to cater for the growing commuter market. North Northamptonshire is a major growth area, with over 7,400 new homes planned to be built in Wellingborough[23] and 5,500 new homes planned for Kettering.[24] The service will be operated by new Class 387s.[25]

Highlights include:[26]

Electrification

Diesel Class 222 Meridian trains will no longer be needed for most services after electrification

On 16 July 2012, the Department for Transport announced plans to reconfigure the existing electrified section and to electrify most of the line by 2020 at an expected cost of £800 million.[32] In January 2013 Network Rail expected the electrification to cost £500 million and be undertaken in stages during Control Period 5 (April 2014 – March 2019),[33] with Bedford to Corby section electrified by 2017, Kettering to Derby and Nottingham by 2019 and Derby to Sheffield by 2020.[34] Those plan did not include electrification of Nottingham to Clay Cross via Alfreton, nor Corby to Syston via Oakham.

The plans were put on hold in June 2015 by the Secretary of State for Transport (Patrick McLoughlin).[35] In September 2015, the Department for Transport announced revised completion dates of 2019 for Corby and Kettering and 2023 for the line further north to Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield.[36][37]

In the Route Utilisation Strategy, Network Rail recommended the Class 801 in 10 car formations for the InterCity services,[38] two 775 metres (848 yd) freight loops south of Bedford and between Kettering and Leicester for longer and heavier freight services, additional infrastructure to accommodate additional freight and passenger train paths and also recommended an additional stop at Kettering for the semi-fast London-Sheffield service.

The electrification is part of the wider Electric Spine project to create an electrified route from the Port of Southampton to Sheffield and possibly Doncaster. The project will mean electrifying the Varsity Line (Bedford – Oxford), the Cherwell Valley/Great Western Main Lines (Oxford/Aynho Junction – Reading) and the Reading to Basingstoke Line. The South Western Main Line between Basingstoke and Southampton will be converted to overhead AC electrification from third rail DC power.[30]

Further possible electrification associated:[30]

New station building at West Hampstead Thameslink

The Thameslink Programme has seen the platforms at all stations south of Bedford apart from St Pancras, Kentish Town, Cricklewood, Hendon and Luton Airport Parkway, which were already long enough, be lengthened to 12-car capabilities. West Hampstead Thameslink has had a new footbridge installed and a new station building constructed. In September 2014 the current Thameslink Great Northern franchise was awarded and trains on this route are currently operated by Thameslink. In 2018 the Thameslink network will additionally be expanded with some Southern services being merged into it.

Station improvements

In 2013/14 Nottingham station was refurbished and the platforms restructured.

As part of Wellingborough's Stanton Cross development, Wellingborough station is to be expanded.[39]

Ilkeston between Nottingham and Langley Mill[40] is under construction and scheduled to open in autumn 2016.[41]

Two new stations are planned:

Some new stations have been proposed:

Route definition

The term Midland Main Line has been used from the late 1840s to describe any route of the Midland Railway on which express trains were operated.

It is first recorded in print in 1848 in Bradshaw’s railway almanack of that year.[48] In 1849 it begins to be mentioned regularly in newspapers such as the Derby Mercury.[49]

In 1867 the Birmingham Journal uses the term to describe the new railway running into St Pancras railway station.[50]

In 1868 the term was used to describe the Midland Railway main route from North to South through Sheffield[51] and also on routes to Manchester, Leeds and Carlisle.

Under British Rail the term was used to define the route between St Pancras and Sheffield, but in more recent times, Network Rail has restricted it in its description of Route 19[2] to the lines between St. Pancras and Chesterfield.

Accidents

Operators

East Midlands Trains

Former First Capital Connect Class 377 Unit 504 at St Albans City

The principal operator is East Midlands Trains, which operates 5 InterCity trains every hour from London St Pancras with two trains per hour to Nottingham and Sheffield and one train per hour to Corby. EMT use Class 222 Meridian trains in various carriage formations for most of its InterCity services. Traditional 8 coach HSTs are used for its Nottingham fast service as well morning/evening Leeds services.

Thameslink provides frequent, 24-hour[52] commuter services south of Bedford under the name of Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) as part of its Thameslink route to London Bridge, Gatwick Airport, Brighton and Sutton, using 4-car electric Class 319, Class 377 Electrostar and Class 387 Electrostar trains which can be coupled into 8- and 12-car formations.

CrossCountry and Northern

CrossCountry runs half-hourly services between Derby and Sheffield on its route between the South West and North East, and hourly services from Nottingham to Birmingham and Cardiff. Northern runs an hourly service to Leeds from Nottingham via Alferton and Barnsley.

Other operators include TransPennine Express in the Sheffield area.

Route description

The Victorian London St Pancras terminus opened on 1 October 1868
Wellingborough station
Modular design Corby station opened in 2009
Leicester station
East Midlands Parkway station opened in 2007
Nottingham station
Chesterfield station
Sheffield station

The cities, towns and villages currently served by the MML are listed below. Stations in bold have a high usage. This table includes the historical extensions to Manchester (where it linked to the West Coast Main Line) and Carlisle (via Leeds where it meets with the 'modern' East Coast Main Line).

Network Rail groups all lines in the East Midlands and the route north as far as Chesterfield and south to London as route 19. The actual line extends beyond this into routes 10 and 11.

London to Nottingham and Sheffield (Network Rail Route 19)

Station Village/town/city and county Ordnance Survey
grid reference		 Year opened Step free access No. of platforms Usage 2012/13
(millions)		 Branches and loops
London St Pancras St Pancras, London 1868 15 Increase 24.298 High Speed 1 diverges north of St Pancras
Kentish Town Kentish Town, London 1868 4 Increase 1.695 Branch from to Gospel Oak to Barking Line north of station
West Hampstead Thameslink West Hampstead, London 1871 4 Increase 2.817
Cricklewood Cricklewood, London 1868 4 Increase 1.080 Dudding Hill Line diverges north of Cricklewood
Hendon Hendon, London 1868 4 Increase 0.983 Dudding Hill Line diverges south of Hendon
Mill Hill Broadway Mill Hill, London grid reference TQ213918 1868 4 Increase 2.040
Elstree & Borehamwood Borehamwood, Hertfordshire 1868 4 Increase 3.234
Radlett Radlett, Hertfordshire grid reference TQ164998 1868 4 Increase 1.110
St Albans City St Albans, Hertfordshire grid reference TL155070 1868 4 Increase 6.888
Harpenden Harpenden, Hertfordshire grid reference TL137142 1868 4 Increase 2.095
Luton Airport Parkway Luton, Bedfordshire grid reference TL105205 1999 4 Increase 2.508
Luton Luton, Bedfordshire grid reference TL092216 1868 5 Increase 3.444
Leagrave Leagrave, Luton, Bedfordshire grid reference TL061241 1868 4 Increase 1.757
Harlington Harlington, Bedfordshire grid reference TL034303 1868 4 Increase 0.320
Flitwick Flitwick, Bedfordshire grid reference TL034350 1870 4 Increase 1.319
Bedford Midland Bedford, Bedfordshire grid reference TL041497 1859 5 Decrease 3.303 Marston Vale Line diverges south of Bedford
Wellingborough Wellingborough, Northamptonshire grid reference SP903681 1857 3 Decrease 0.929
Kettering Kettering, Northamptonshire grid reference SP863780 1857 4 Increase 1.019 Oakham to Kettering Line diverges north of Kettering at Glendon Jun
via Corby & diversion route
Corby Corby, Northamptonshire grid reference SP891886 2009 1 Increase 0.233 Oakham to Kettering Line
Oakham Oakham, Rutland grid reference SK856090 1848 2 Increase 0.204 Birmingham to Peterborough Line
Melton Mowbray Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire grid reference SK752187 1848 2 Decrease 0.233
Main Line via Market Harborough
Market Harborough Market Harborough, Leicestershire grid reference SP741874 1850 2 Increase 0.764
Leicester Leicester, Leicestershire grid reference SK593041 1840 4 Decrease 4.797 Birmingham to Peterborough Line diverges south of Leicester at Wigston Junction
Syston Syston, Leicestershire grid reference SK621111 1994 1 Increase 0.016 Birmingham to Peterborough Line diverges north of Syston
Sileby Sileby, Leicestershire grid reference SK602151 1994 2 Decrease 0.099
Barrow-upon-Soar Barrow-upon-Soar, Leicestershire grid reference SK577172 1994 2 Increase 0.079
Loughborough Loughborough, Leicestershire grid reference SK543204 1872 3 Decrease 1.246
East Midlands Parkway Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Nottinghamshire (for East Midlands Airport) grid reference SK496296 2007 4 Increase 0.284 Trent Junction to Clay Cross Junction via Derby (the original line), the Nottingham branch, and the Erewash Valley Line each diverge north of East Midlands Parkway
Via Derby
Long Eaton Long Eaton, Derbyshire grid reference SK481321 1888 2 Increase 0.585 Cord south of Long Eaton to the Nottingham branch
Spondon Spondon, Derby, Derbyshire grid reference SK397351 1839 2 Increase 0.020
Derby Midland Derby, Derbyshire grid reference SK362355 1839 6 Increase 3.366 Cross Country Route and Crewe to Derby Line diverges south of Derby
Duffield Duffield, Derbyshire grid reference SK345435 1841 3 Increase 0.055
Belper Belper, Derbyshire grid reference SK348475 1840 2 Increase 0.177
Ambergate Ambergate, Derbyshire grid reference SK348516 1840 1 Decrease 0.038 Derwent Valley Line diverges at Ambergate Junction
Via Nottingham
Attenborough Attenborough, Nottinghamshire grid reference SK518346 1856 2 Increase 0.089
Beeston Beeston, Nottinghamshire grid reference SK533362 1839 2 Increase 0.546
Nottingham Midland Nottingham, Nottinghamshire grid reference SK574392 1904 6 Increase 6.451 Northbound trains for the north reverse towards Langley Mill. Other continue onto
the Robin Hood Line, Nottingham to Grantham or Lincoln Lines
Via Erewash Valley (bypassing or calling at Nottingham)
Langley Mill Langley Mill, Derbyshire grid reference SK449470 1847 2 Increase 0.095 Erewash Valley and Trent Nottingham Lines rejoin together south of Langley Mill.
Alfreton Alfreton, Derbyshire grid reference SK422561 1862 2 Increase 0.225
Clay Cross Junction to Leeds
Chesterfield Chesterfield, Derbyshire grid reference SK388714 1840 3 Increase 1.499 Trent Junction to Clay Cross via Derby and Erewash Valley Lines rejoin together south of Chesterfield.
Dronfield Dronfield, Derbyshire grid reference SK354784 1981 2 Increase 0.160 Hope Valley Line diverges north of Dronfield
Sheffield Midland Sheffield, South Yorkshire grid reference SK358869 1870 9 Increase 8.615 Hope Valley Line diverges south of Sheffield
Sheffield to Lincoln Line diverges north of Sheffield
Meadowhall Interchange Sheffield, South Yorkshire grid reference SK390912 1990 4 NR Increase 2.125 Hallam and Penistone Lines diverges at Meadowhall
Via Doncaster
Doncaster Doncaster, South Yorkshire grid reference SE571032 1838 8 Decrease 3.835 Connects to the East Coast Main Line south of Doncaster
Bypassing Doncaster
Wakefield Westgate Wakefield, West Yorkshire grid reference SE327207 1867 2 Decrease 2.267 Connects with the East Coast Main Line south of Wakefield Westgate
Leeds City Leeds, West Yorkshire grid reference SE299331 1938 17 Increase 26.201 Leeds City Lines
A Midland Mainline High Speed Train emerging from Milford Tunnel.
Tunnels
Tunnel Stations between
Camden Road Tunnel St Pancras and Kentish Town
Hampstead Tunnel Kentish Town and West Hampstead
Lismore Circus Tunnel Kentish Town and West Hampstead
Belsize Tunnel Kentish Town and West Hampstead
Elstree Tunnel Mill Hill Broadway and Elstree & Borehamwood
Ampthill Tunnel Flitwick and Bedford
Sharnbrook Tunnel (Freight Line only) Bedford and Wellingborough
Knighton Tunnel Market Harborough and Leicester
Red Hill Tunnel East Midlands Parkway and Long Eaton / Trent Junction
Milford Tunnel Duffield and Belper
Toadmoor Tunnel Belper and Chesterfield
Wingfield Tunnel Belper and Chesterfield
Alfreton Tunnel Langley Mill and Alfreton
Clay Cross Tunnel Belper and Clay Cross
Broomhouse Tunnel (Opened out to cutting 1969) Sheepbridge and Unstone
Bradway Tunnel Dronfield and Dore

Ambergate Junction to Manchester

The complex network of road and rail around Ambergate Junction, formerly where Manchester expresses left the mainline

For marketing and franchising, this is no longer considered part of the Midland Main Line: see Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway

The line was once the Midland Railway's route from London St Pancras to Manchester, branching at Ambergate Junction along the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway, now known as the Derwent Valley Line. In days gone by, it featured named expresses such as The Palatine. Much later in the twentieth century, it carried the Midland Pullman.

Town/City Station Ordnance Survey
grid reference
Ambergate Ambergate
Whatstandwell Whatstandwell
Cromford Cromford
Matlock Bath Matlock Bath
Matlock Matlock
Closed Section Stations
Darley Dale Darley Dale
Rowsley Rowsley
Bakewell Bakewell
Hassop Hassop
Great Longstone Great Longstone for Ashford
Monsal Dale Monsal Dale
Millers Dale Millers Dale
Blackwell Mill Blackwell Mill
Buxton Buxton
Peak Forest Peak Forest
Chapel-en-le-Frith Chapel-en-le-Frith Central
Now part of the Hope Valley Line or other lines
Chinley Chinley
Bugsworth Buxworth (Now Closed)
New Mills New Mills Central
Strines Strines
Marple Marple
Romiley Romiley
Bredbury Bredbury
Brinnington Brinnington
Reddish Reddish North
Gorton Ryder Brow
Belle Vue/Gorton Belle Vue
Stockport Stockport Tiviot Dale
Manchester Manchester Central (Now Closed)

This line was closed in the 1960s between Matlock and Buxton, severing an important link between Manchester and the East Midlands, which has never been satisfactorily replaced by any mode of transport. A section of the route remains in the hands of the Peak Rail preservation group, operating between Matlock and Rowsley to the north.

Leeds to Carlisle

For marketing and franchising, this is no longer considered part of the Midland Main Line: see Settle-Carlisle Railway.

A geographical representation of the aborted Midland Main Line diversion through the West Riding, which would have put Bradford on a through line and provided a direct connection to Scotland. (Existing lines shown in black and the diversion in red).
Map showing the proposed Midland line into Bradford

World War I prevented the Midland Railway from finishing its direct route through the West Riding to join the Settle and Carlisle (which would have cut six miles from the journey and avoided the need for reversal at Leeds).

The first part of the Midland's West Riding extension from the main line at Royston (Yorks.) to Dewsbury was opened before the war. However, the second part of the extension was not completed. This involved a viaduct at Dewsbury over the River Calder, a tunnel under Dewsbury Moor and a new approach railway into Bradford from the south at a lower level than the existing railway (a good part of which was to be in tunnel) leading into Bradford Midland (or Bradford Forster Square) station.

The 500 yards (460 m) gap between the stations at Bradford still exists. Closing it today would also need to take into account the different levels between the two Bradford stations, a task made easier in the days of electric rather than steam traction, allowing for steeper gradients than possible at the time of the Midland's proposed extension.

Two impressive viaducts remain on the completed part of the line between Royston Junction and Dewsbury as a testament to the Midland's ambition to complete a third direct Anglo-Scottish route. The line served two goods stations and provided a route for occasional express passenger trains before its eventual closure in 1968.

The failure to complete this section ended the Midland's hopes of being a serious competitor on routes to Scotland and finally put beyond all doubt that Leeds, not Bradford, would be the West Riding's principal city. Midland trains to Scotland therefore continued to call at Leeds before travelling along the Aire Valley to the Settle and Carlisle. From Carlisle they then travelled onwards via either the Glasgow and South Western or Waverley route. In days gone by the line enjoyed named expresses such as the Thames-Clyde Express and The Waverley.

Former stations

As with most railway lines in Britain, the route used to serve far more stations than it currently does (and consequently passes close to settlements that it no longer serves). Places that the current main line used to serve include

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. ↑ Quickly the Sheffield and Rotherham Railway ran its branch line to Sheffield Wicker
References
  1. ↑ "East Midlands RUS Loading Gauge" (PDF). Network Rail. p. 55. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Route 19 Midland Main Line and East Midlands" (pdf). Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  3. ↑ "The Railway between Nottingham and Derby". Stamford Mercury. British Newspaper Archive. 7 June 1839. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "Midland Counties Railway". Leicester Chronicle. British Newspaper Archive. 9 May 1840. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "A Midland Railway chronology>Incorporation and expansion". The Midland Railway Society. 1998. Archived from the original on 28 December 2008.
  6. 1 2 3 UK CPI inflation numbers based on data available from Gregory Clark (2016), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)" MeasuringWorth.
  7. 1 2 Leleux, Robin. A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain. Volume 9. David & Charles, Newton Abbot. p. 92. ISBN 0715371657.
  8. ↑ "Opening of the Leicester and Hitchin Line". Bedfordshire Mercury. British Newspaper Archive. 9 May 1857. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  9. ↑ Davies, R.; Grant, M.D. (1984). Forgotten Railways: Chilterns and Cotswolds. Newton Abbot, Devon: David St John Thomas. ISBN 0-946537-07-0, p. 110-111.
  10. ↑ "A Midland Railway chronology>London extension". The Midland Railway Society. 1998.
  11. ↑ Barnes, E.G. (1969). The Rise of the Midland Railway 1844–1874. Augustus M. Kelley, New York. p. 308.
  12. ↑ Radford, B., (1983) Midland Line Memories: a Pictorial History of the Midland Railway Main Line Between London (St Pancras) & Derby London: Bloomsbury Books
  13. ↑ Railway Magazine June 1958. p. 432.
  14. ↑ Railway Electrification. British Railways Board (Central Publicity Unit). Winter 1979. pp. 0–2, 8.
  15. ↑ "East Midlands Parkway – Our greenest station to open on 26 January" (Press release). East Midlands Trains. 14 January 2009.
  16. ↑ http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2013/12/09-midland-main-line-celebrates-at.html
  17. ↑ "Route Utilisation Strategy > Freight". Network Rail.
  18. ↑ "Midland Main Line / East Midlands Route Utilisation Strategy". Strategic Rail Authority. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
  19. ↑ "East Midlands Route Utilisation Strategy". Network Rail. February 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
  20. ↑ "Midlands line 'to be electrified'". BBC News Online. 14 July 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012. A £500m scheme … Transport Secretary Justine Greening is set to outline plans to complete the electrification of the route from Sheffield to London on Monday.
  21. ↑ Odell, Mark; Parker, George (13 July 2012). "Osborne backs £10bn rail plan". Financial Times. Retrieved 14 July 2012. announcement, expected on Monday, is likely to include a £530m plan to complete electrification of the Midland mainline between Bedford and Sheffield
  22. ↑ "Working Group 4 – Electrification Strategy". Network Rail. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
  23. ↑ Barton, Tom (17 March 2014). "Developers taking too long to build homes, MP says". BBC News Online. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  24. ↑ "Kettering East: Compromise deal agreed over funding". BBC News Online. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  25. ↑ Broadbent, Steve (19 February 2014). "Switching on the Electric Spine". RAIL. No. 742. pp. 69–75.
  26. ↑ Midland Main Line 2010 route plan, Network Rail.
  27. ↑ "Secretary of State opens Network Rail control centre" (Press release). Network Rail. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
  28. ↑ "Plans for £150m station facelift". BBC News Online. London. 6 March 2008.
  29. ↑ Department for Transport (26 July 2011). "Access for all – stations". GOV.UK. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  30. 1 2 3 Rail Magazine. Issue 742. 19 February – 4 March. pp. 69–75.
  31. ↑ "Second Corby to Kettering railway track to be restored". BBC News Online. London. 6 February 2014.
  32. ↑ "Investing in rail, investing in jobs and growth" (Press release). Department for Transport. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  33. ↑ "Network Rail to spend £500m electrifying Midland Mainline". BBC News. 8 January 2013.
  34. ↑ Rail Magazine. issue 729. 2013. p. 6.
  35. ↑ "Today's House of Commons debates – Thursday 25 June 2015: Network Rail". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  36. ↑ "TransPennine and Midland Mainline electrification works to resume" (Press release). Department for Transport. 30 September 2015.
  37. ↑ "Electrification of train lines to be restarted by Network Rail". BBC News. 30 September 2015.
  38. ↑ Network Rail: East Midlands Draft Route Utilisation Strategy. Retrieved 23 August 2013
  39. ↑ "Wellingborough railway station expansion plan unveiled". BBC News. 18 April 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  40. ↑ "Ilkeston could get new £5m railway station". BBC News. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  41. ↑ "Ilkeston Station Phase 2 Development Begins". Ilkeston Railway Station. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
  42. ↑ Brent Cross Cricklewood: Transport Retrieved 23 August 2013
  43. ↑ The Wixams: Transportation Retrieved 23 August 2013
  44. ↑ "Route Specifications 2015 - London North Eastern and East Midlands" (PDF). Network Rail. Network Rail. April 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  45. ↑ "Connecting Communities - expanding access to the rail network" (PDF). London: Association of Train Operating Companies. June 2009. p. 9. Archived from the original (pdf) on 29 July 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  46. ↑ ATOC 2009, p. 19.
  47. ↑ Bedfordshire Ampthill station, Railway & Transport Association. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  48. ↑ Bradshaw, George (1848). Bradshaw’s railway almanack, directory, shareholders’ guide and manual. George Bradshaw. p. 204.
  49. ↑ "The Leeds and Bradford". Derby Mercury. British Newspaper Archive. 15 August 1849. Retrieved 10 August 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
  50. ↑ "The New Works of the Midland Railway Company". Birmingham Journal. British Newspaper Archive. 21 December 1867. Retrieved 10 August 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
  51. ↑ "The New Midland Railway Station at Sheffield". Sheffield Independent. 12 December 1868. Retrieved 10 August 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
  52. ↑ First Capital Connect: Thameslink Route Timetable B Retrieved 24 August 2013
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