Rail transport in Northamptonshire

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Rail transport in Northamptonshire
Trackside view of southbound Pendolino from the public footpath at Roade, Northants.jpg
Trackside view of southbound Pendolino from the public footpath at Roade, Northamptonshire
Operation
Infrastructure company National Rail
Major operators East Midlands Railway London Northwestern Railway
Statistics
Ridership 4.86 million (2023)
Track gauge
Main 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Features
No. stations 6
Map
Northamptonshire UK location map (2021).svg
Red pog.svg
Rail transport in Northamptonshire (Northamptonshire)

Rail transport in Northamptonshire is an integral part of transport in Northamptonshire and part of the national rail network of Great Britain.

Contents

Rail in the county of Northamptonshire began in the 1840s with the London and Birmingham Railway who built a section of the West Coast Main Line through the county, along with numerous branch lines. The number of railway lines and stations were significantly reduced in the 1960s as part of the Beeching axe, Northamptonshire now has only 6 railway stations on the national network, down from a total of 92.

Currently, rail transport in Northamptonshire is run by Network Rail with several Train Operating Companies operating services through and within the county.

History

Historically, rail transport in Northamptonshire has been hampered by the fact that most railway lines pass through the county, as opposed to the county being a destination itself. [1]

Northamptonshire historically had many railways and stations, having had 92 [1] total railway stations, most of which were closed following the Beeching cuts, leaving the county with six railway stations still open on the national rail network. [1]

The first major passenger railway to enter Northamptonshire was the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) in 1838; however, it did not pass through the county town of Northampton. This is thought to be because the gradients from Blisworth, where the L&BR passed, to Northampton were larger than locomotives at the time were capable of handling. [1] [2]

The decision to avoid Northampton by the L&BR meant that the largest settlement in the county, Northampton, did not have direct rail links to London. A branch from the main line was built to Northampton in the early 1840s: the Northampton and Peterborough Railway, from Blisworth, which gave the town indirect rail links to London and Birmingham. [3]

The successor to the L&BR, the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), decided to construct the Northampton loop line through Northampton in the 1870s. It was built as part of a wider scheme to double the capacity of the West Coast Main Line between Bletchley and Rugby by quadrupling the track; however, routing the additional tracks on a deviation via Northampton had the advantage of giving the town a much better rail service, including a direct service to London, and avoiding the cost of widening the Kilsby Tunnel. The LNWR obtained parliamentary approval for the line in 1875 and commenced construction in 1877. [3]

Following the nationalisation of British railways in 1948, British Railways took over the running of all lines and stations within the country.

In an effort to remove railway lines that were seen as unprofitable or an "unnecessary duplication" of existing railways, Richard Beeching, then Chairman of British Railways, began a reorganisation process known as the Beeching cuts in a bid to restore profitability and increase efficiency. This resulted in the closure of most smaller passenger lines themselves, rather than the limited station closures that had preceded them. Some were spared complete closure through conversion to freight-only operation. Most of these freight-only lines were later closed fully, although some remain open. [1]

Significance of stations

When it was decided to expand Northampton railway station, owing to the proximity of the River Nene, the only way the expansion could be facilitated was to expand onto the site of Northampton Castle. On 18 December 1876, the L&NWR purchased the site from William Walker and subsequently demolished the remains of the castle except for the postern gate, which, following a local petition, was moved to a new site in the boundary wall of the new station, where it remains to this day. [4]

Following the Great Depression in the United Kingdom, several post-grouping railways were forced to initiate station closures. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway, successors to the Midland Railway, decided in July 1939 to close St. John's as a cost-cutting measure. Services were switched to Castle station via Hardingstone junction. [5]

Former railways

Great Central Railway

The Great Central Railway (GCR) entered Northamptonshire in the west, away from Northampton itself. The railway entered the county south of Rugby. The GCR crossed a tributary of the River Leam by the Staverton viaduct, the River Leam itself through the Catesby viaduct, and a range of hills at the end of the valley through the Catesby tunnel. Former stations on the line (within Northamptonshire) are: [1]

Former LNWR lines

Rugby–Peterborough line

The Rugby-Peterborough line passes through the north of Northamptonshire. The L&BR, prior to its merger to become the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), were interested in creating a branch line, from Rugby to Peterborough, with the intention of keeping the Midland Railway out of Northamptonshire. The branch line was a single track which opened between 1850 and 1852 in stages however only got as far as Seaton railway station, requiring the use of the Midland Railway's Syston and Peterborough Railway to get to Peterborough. The line was doubled in 1878, and the LNWR built the final section of the line from Seaton to Peterborough in 1879. [1] Former stations within Northamptonshire include: [1]

Weedon–Leamington Spa

The LNWR (now known as the West Coast Main Line) passed through the village Weedon, which was then an important military supply depot and barracks. [1] The LNWR created a line, originally from Weedon railway station to Daventry railway station, although in 1890 they received approval to extend the line to Leamington Spa railway station and it was opened in 1895. Former stations on the line included: [1]

Banbury–Bletchley line

The LNWR also created a line from Banbury to Bletchley, passing through Northamptonshire, from Banbury (on the line now known as the Chiltern Main Line) to Bletchley. The line was in the south of the country and construction was started in 1847, and completed in 1850. Stations on the former line within Northamptonshire include: [1]

Market Harborough–Northampton line

The LNWR also created a line from Market Harborough to Northampton in 1859. [1] This included within it the complete remodelling and expansion of Northampton Castle railway station, which up to that point had been a smaller station serving only the Northampton Loop section of the West Coast Main Line. The line interchanged with the Northampton Loop at Northampton Castle station, and with the line to Peterborough at Northampton Bridge Street station. The line also featured two sets of two tunnels, the Oxendon Tunnels and the Kelmarsh Tunnels.

The line was originally a single-tracked line, but due to the high demand on the line during the 1860s, it was turned into a double track. The Newark-Market Harborough line built by the Great Northern Railway (GNR) in 1879 also increased demand on the Northampton–Market Harborough line, and the LNWR was able to run trains on the Newark-Market Harborough line in exchange for the GNR being able to run trains on the Northampton–Market Harborough line. This allowed for the LNWR to run direct services between Northampton and Nottingham.

The line allowed for Northampton to access further locations in the Midlands and further north by trains changing at Market Harborough station. This allowed for a direct train from Northampton to Skegness on Saturdays during the summer. [1]

Stations on the former line within Northamptonshire include: [1]

Northampton–Peterborough line

The L&BR also constructed a railway from its mainline (the WCML) to Peterborough, linking up with its line from Peterborough to Rugby at Yarwell Junction. Construction of the line began in 1844, and the railway reached from Blisworth station on the WCML to Northampton Bridge Street by 1845. [1]

Stations on the former line within Northamptonshire include: [1]

Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway

The Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway was a railway from Stratford-upon-Avon to Olney.

Stations on the former line within Northamptonshire include: [1]

Midland Railway lines

Harringworth viaduct line

The Midland Railway constructed a line off their main line. This line contains within it the Welland Viaduct, formerly the longest railway viaduct in the United Kingdom [6] from its completion in 1878 until 2024 when HS2's Colne Valley Viaduct surpassed it. [7]

Stations on the former line within Northamptonshire include: [1]

Kettering, Thrapston and Huntingdon Railway

The Midland Railway also constructed a branch line from their mainline, from Kettering to Huntingdon, which opened in 1866. [1]

Stations on the former line within Northamptonshire include: [1]

Bedford–Northampton line

Some railway tracks on the Northampton-Bedford line remain in Brackmills, Northampton. Hardingstone Railway Line.jpg
Some railway tracks on the Northampton–Bedford line remain in Brackmills, Northampton.

The Bedford–Northampton line was built by the Midland Railway and opened in 1872. [1]

Stations on the former line within Northamptonshire include: [1]

Wellingborough–Higham Ferrers line

The Midland Railway constructed a branch line from its Main Line to Higham Ferrers in 1892 and 1893, this was the last railway constructed in Northamptonshire. The railway was single-tracked throughout its life.

Stations on the former line within Northamptonshire include: [1]

Other rail

Northamptonshire also used to have within it several tram networks. Northampton Street Tramways and then Northampton Corporation Tramways operated a series of trams within Northampton from 1881 to 1934. [8] The Finedonhill Tramway for Ironstone was also in operation in Northamptonshire between 1875 and 1926, [9] as well as Neilson's Tramway from 1881 to 1929. [10]

Current operations

Currently Northamptonshire is served by 3 mainlines, the Chiltern Main Line (although this is only briefly in Northamptonshire), the Midland Main Line, and the West Coast Main Line. It has six passenger stations: [11]

Northamptonshire saw a ridership of about 4.86 million passengers in 2022/23. [12]

Northamptonshire is also served in rail freight by the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal, as well as the under-construction Northampton Gateway Rail Freight Interchange [13] due to its location in the centre of the country, termed as the “golden logistics triangle” by the ONS, an area within a 4-hour drive of 90% of the UK population, making it an area with a very high density of logistics centres. [14] [15] North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire are, for this reason, ranked 5th and 7th nationally for percentage of business units used for transport and storage. [14]

West Coast Main Line

Roade Cutting on the West Coast Main Line Roade cutting.JPG
Roade Cutting on the West Coast Main Line

The West Coast Main Line (WCML) passes through Northamptonshire, however, no stations are located on the Main Line and it runs express through the county.

Closed stations on the line are Blisworth railway station, Roade railway station, Weedon railway station, and Welton railway station. [1]

Northampton loop

The Northampton loop is a loop line that splits off from the WCML at Hanslope Junction and rejoins at Rugby. The two operational stations on the loop line are Northampton and Long Buckby. [16]

Closed stations on the line are Kilsby and Crick railway station, Althorp Park railway station, Church Brampton railway station, and Roade railway station where the two sets of tracks diverge. [1]

Midland Main Line

The Midland Main Line serves the stations of Wellingborough, Corby, and Kettering within Northamptonshire. [17]

Closed stations on the line are Desborough railway station, Glendon and Rushton railway station, Isham and Burton Latimer railway station, Finedon railway station, and Irchester railway station. [1]

Chiltern Main Line

The Chiltern Main Line is within the county boundary of Northamptonshire only very briefly, and as such only one station, Kings Sutton, is within Northamptonshire. [1]

Future

High Speed 2

The High Speed 2 (HS2) railway project passes through Northamptonshire, although has no stations within the county. The Greatworth Green Tunnel, Edgcote Viaduct, and Chipping Warden Green Tunnel structures are located within Northamptonshire. [18]

Railway campaigns

A campaign by the British Regional Transport Association has been ongoing to restore the Northampton–Market Harborough line to enable a direct link from Northampton to Leicester. [19] [20] These plans have met approval from some members of Harborough District Council. [21]

Additionally, there has been a campaign to open a new Rushden Parkway railway station on the site of the former Irchester railway station. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northamptonshire</span> County of England

Northamptonshire is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire to the south and Warwickshire to the west. Northampton is the largest settlement and the county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midland Main Line</span> Railway in the UK

The Midland Main Line (MML), sometimes also spelt Midland Mainline, is a major railway line from London to Sheffield in Yorkshire via the East Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras station via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham and Chesterfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kettering</span> Town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England

Kettering is a market and industrial town as well as a civil parish in the North Northamptonshire district, in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England. It is 45 miles (72 km) west of Cambridge, 31 miles (50 km) southwest of Peterborough, 28 miles (45 km) southeast of Leicester and 15 miles (24 km) north-east of Northampton. It is west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place of Ketter's people ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby railway station</span> Railway station in Warwickshire, England

Rugby railway station serves the market town of Rugby in Warwickshire, England. The current station dates from 1885; two previous stations dating from 1838 and 1840 respectively, existed at locations to the west of the current one. It has been Rugby's only station, since the closure of the former Rugby Central station in 1969, on the now-abandoned Great Central Main Line route through the town. Between 1950 and 1970, the station was known as Rugby Midland before reverting to its original title. The station underwent an extensive remodelling between 2006 and 2008; new platforms were added and a new ticket office and entrance building were constructed. The original Victorian part of the station was retained in the upgrade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northampton railway station</span> Railway station in Northamptonshire, England

Northampton railway station serves the county town of Northampton in England. It is on the Northampton Loop of the West Coast Main Line and is located 65 miles 68 chains from London Euston. The station is served by West Midlands Trains services between London Euston and Birmingham New Street; there is also a limited direct service to Crewe. A handful of Avanti West Coast services also serve the station, but these have been greatly reduced due to the longer-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. It is the busiest station in Northamptonshire, and the fourth busiest station in the East Midlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northampton loop</span>

The Northampton loop is a railway line serving the town of Northampton. It is a branch of the West Coast Main Line, deviating from the faster direct main line which runs to the west. The WCML is a four track line up to either end of the Loop: the 'up' and 'down' fast tracks take the direct route while the 'up' and 'down' slow tracks are diverted via Northampton railway station. Generally, fast express trains run via the direct line, while freight and slower passenger services run via the loop line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wellingborough railway station</span> Railway station in Northamptonshire, England

Wellingborough railway station is a Grade II listed station located in the market town of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, England. It lies on the Midland Main Line and is 65 miles (104 km) from London St. Pancras. The station is operated by East Midlands Railway, which is also the primary operator serving the station with passenger services under the Luton Airport Express brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Market Harborough railway station</span> Railway station in Leicestershire, England

Market Harborough railway station is a Grade II listed station which serves the town of Market Harborough in Leicestershire, England. It is situated to the east of the town centre and lies on the Midland Main Line, 16 miles (26 km) south-east of Leicester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blisworth</span> Human settlement in England

Blisworth is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. The West Coast Main Line, from London Euston to Manchester and Scotland, runs alongside the village partly hidden and partly on an embankment. The Grand Union Canal passes through the village and the north portal of the Blisworth Tunnel is near Stoke Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stamford railway station</span> Grade II* listed railway station in Lincolnshire, England

Stamford railway station serves the town of Stamford in Lincolnshire, England, and is located in St Martin's. The station is 12.5 miles (20 km) west of Peterborough. It was opened by the Syston and Peterborough Railway, part of the present day Birmingham to Peterborough Line. CrossCountry operate the majority of services as part of their Birmingham to Stansted Airport route. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seaton railway station (Rutland)</span> Former railway station in Rutland, England

Seaton railway station was a station serving the villages of Seaton, Rutland, and Harringworth, Northamptonshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wellingborough London Road railway station</span> Former railway station in Northamptonshire, England

Wellingborough London Road railway station is a former railway station in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire on a line which connected Peterborough and Northampton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northampton Bridge Street railway station</span> Former railway station in Northamptonshire, England

Northampton Bridge Street is a former railway station in Northampton, the main town of Northamptonshire, on the Northampton and Peterborough Railway which connected Peterborough and Northampton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northampton–Market Harborough line</span>

The Northampton–Market Harborough line is a closed railway line in England. It opened on 16 February 1859 and finally closed on 16 August 1981. The former trackbed is used by the Brampton Valley Way and part of the route has been re-opened as the Northampton & Lamport Railway.

The Northampton and Peterborough Railway was an early railway promoted by the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) to run from a junction at Blisworth on the L&BR main line to Northampton and Peterborough, in England. The construction of the line was authorised by Parliament in 1843 and the 47 mile line opened in 1845. The line largely followed the river Nene, and for the economy of construction, it had many level crossings with intersecting roads, rather than bridges. In 1846 the L&BR joined with other companies, together forming the London and North Western Railway (LNWR).

The Rugby and Stamford Railway was an early railway in England built in 1850. The London and Birmingham Railway had already built a branch from Blisworth to serve Northampton and extend to Peterborough. The success of this, the Northampton and Peterborough Railway encouraged the directors to look for other ventures. They decided upon a branch from Rugby to Stamford which would link up with other new railways in the east of the country.

Roade was a railway station serving the Northamptonshire village of the same name on the West Coast Main Line. Roade Station opened in 1838 as the principal station for Northampton, but its importance diminished upon the opening of the Northampton and Peterborough Railway in 1845. The construction of the Northampton Loop Line in 1875 made Roade a junction station, and it survived until 1964.

The Weedon–Marton Junction line was a rural branch line in England that ran from the West Coast Main Line at Weedon, via Daventry to Marton Junction, where it joined the Rugby–Leamington line and thus connected to Leamington Spa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stowe Hill Tunnel</span> Railway tunnel in Northamptonshire, England

Stowe Hill Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the West Coast Main Line just south of the village of Weedon, Northamptonshire, England.

The Nottingham direct line of the Midland Railway was a new route created in 1879 to relieve congestion on the established routes of the Midland Railway, in England. It consisted of two connecting lines that, together with part of an existing route, formed a new route from Nottingham to near Kettering. The line was used for Nottingham to London express passenger trains, and for heavy mineral and goods trains heading south. As well as shortening the transit a little, the new line had the effect of relieving congestion on the original main line through Leicester, that had become excessively congested.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Kingscott, Geoffrey (2008). Lost Railways of Northamptonshire. Countryside Books. ISBN   978-1-84674-108-1.
  2. ↑ Elliott, Peter H. (1985). Rugby's railway heritage. Blaby, Leicester: Anderson Publications. ISBN   978-0-907917-06-9.
  3. 1 2 Elliott, Peter H. (1982). "Rugby's Transport History" (PDF). pp. 128–133. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  4. ↑ Kingscott (2008), p. 70.
  5. ↑ Oppitz, Leslie (2000). Lost Railways of the Chilterns (Lost Railways Series). Newbury, Berkshire: Countryside Books. p. 141. ISBN   978-1-85306-643-6.
  6. ↑ Marshall, John. "The Guinness Book of Rail Facts & Feats". Guinness, 1979. ISBN   0-900424-56-7.
  7. ↑ "Britain gets its new longest rail bridge in major HS2 milestone". HS2 News and Information. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  8. ↑ The Golden Age of Tramways. Published by Taylor and Francis.
  9. ↑ Quine, Dan (2016). Four East Midlands Ironstone Tramways Part Three: Wellingborough. Vol. 108. Garndolbenmaen: Narrow Gauge and Industrial Railway Modelling Review.
  10. ↑ Tonks, Eric (May 1990). The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands Part 4: The Wellingborough Area. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN   1-870-754-042.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  11. ↑ "Local Railway Stations | Northamptonshire County Council". www.smartmovenorthamptonshire.net. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  12. ↑ Cronin, Kate (22 December 2023). "How many passengers travelled from each Northamptonshire railway station during the past year?". Northamptonshire Telegraph. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  13. ↑ "Future freight boost through new Northampton rail to road interchange". Network Rail Media Centre. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  14. 1 2 "The rise of the UK warehouse and the "golden logistics triangle" - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  15. ↑ "Warehousing and the Golden Logistics Triangle". Morgan King. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  16. ↑ Adams, William (2012). Northamptonshire: Part 1 South and West. Past & Present Publishing Limited. ISBN   9781858952840.
  17. ↑ Adams, William (2012). Northamptonshire. British railways past and present. Great Addington, Kettering, Northants: Past & Present Publishing Ltd. ISBN   978-1-85895-284-0.
  18. ↑ "HS2 in Northamptonshire". HS2. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  19. ↑ Pill, Richard (30 January 2024). "BRTA calls on all leaders, to give support for rail link". Northampton Chronicle . Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  20. ↑ Kearns, Laura (8 March 2024). "Calls for railway line between Harborough and Northampton to reopen". Harborough Mail. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  21. ↑ Moorhouse, Sam (13 March 2023). "Call to reopen old rail line between neighbouring towns". Leicestershire Live. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  22. ↑ "Move to reinstate lost rail lines". BBC News. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
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