📋 Tender Overview
The Railway Line Between Kettering In Northamptonshire And Wigston Near Leicester Has Reached A Major Milestone By Being Officially Declared Ready And Safe For Electric Trains. The Certification For The 23-Mile Section Is A Massive Achievement In Network RailS Midland Main Line Electrification Programme - The Biggest Programme Of Improvements To The Line Since Its Completion In 1870. Electrification Is A Key Part Of The GovernmentS Net Zero Carbon Target By 2050, While Also Being Quieter For Passengers And Residents Living Near The Railway. The Office Of Rail And Road (Orr) Issued The Authorisation To Place Into Service (Apis) For The Kettering To Wigston Section, Which Includes A New Substation At Braybrooke, Near Market Harborough, To Provide Extra Power And Resilience To The Network. The Kettering To Wigston Section Was Energised In Summer 2024, After Which Various Tests Took Place To Ensure That Trains Can Draw Power From The New Infrastructure. This Provided The Necessary Data For The Orr To Grant The Apis. The Testing Phase Also Explored How The Midland Main Line Could Be Made Even More Efficient In Future, Such As Having Masts Further Apart To Reduce Costs And Construction Time. Seven Bridges And Four Signal Gantries On This Section Use Voltage Controlled Clearance (Vcc) Technology. This Innovative Solution Avoids The Need For Bridge Rebuilds And Lengthy Road Closures. Jorge Roque, Network Rail Senior Programme Integration Manager, Said: This Is A Huge Milestone For The Midland Main Line Electrification Programme. It Was Achieved On Time And Under Budget, And Builds On The Previous Completion Of London To Corby, Meaning Electric Trains Are Able To Run On Here In The Future. The Use Of Vcc On This Kettering To Wigston Section Has Also Saved Time, Money And Avoided Lengthy Road Closures. Where It Can Be Used, ItS A Much Better Solution For Residents Living Nearby, And For This Project It Reduced More Complex Interventions Such As Bridge Reconstructions. Network Rail Worked With Contractors To Achieve A 12% Increase In Biodiversity Along The Kettering-Wigston Section. Passengers / Community Members Network Rail National Helpline 03457 11 41 41 Latest Travel Advice Please Journalists Gareth Dennison Media Relations Manager, Eastern Region Network Rail 07561 874858 We Own, Operate And Develop BritainS Railway Infrastructure; ThatS 20,000 Miles Of , 30,000 And The Thousands Of , Level Crossings And Stations. We Run 20 Of The UkS Largest While All The Others, Over 2,500, Are Run By The CountryS . Usually, There Are Almost Five Million Journeys Made In The Uk And Over 600 Freight Trains Run On The Network. People Depend On BritainS Railway For Their Daily Commute, To Visit Friends And Loved Ones And To Get Them Home Safe Every Day. Our Role Is To Deliver , So We Carefully Manage And Deliver Thousands Of Projects Every Year That Form Part Of The , To Grow And Expand The NationS Railway Network To Respond To The Tremendous Growth And Demand The Railway Has Experienced - A Doubling Of Passenger Journeys Over The Past 20 Years. Follow Us On Twitter: Visit Our Online Newsroom:
