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The 'Midland Main Line' is a main railway line in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.
The 'modern' line links London (St Pancras) to Sheffield (Midland station) in northern England and connects other places including Luton, Bedford, Kettering, Leicester, Derby and Nottingham. Historically the line has extended further north to Manchester in the north west, Leeds in the north east and trains through to both Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland. Progress and electrification of the east and west coast mainlines has made this route slower in comparison(see below).There are plans to build East Midlands Parkway to serve East Midlands Airport.
Express passenger services on the line are operated by the Midland Mainline train operating company. The section between St Pancras and Bedford is electrified and forms the northern half of the Thameslink commuter service (operated by First Capital Connect), which provides a through service from Bedford to Brighton.
The northern part of the route between Derby and Sheffield is shared with Virgin Cross-Country train services. Central Trains also operates regional and local services between Nottingham and Leicester / Derby / Sheffield.

Contents

History

Route - in detail

London to Trent Junction

Trent Junction to Chesterfield via Derby

Ambergate Junction to Manchester

Trent Junction to Chesterfield via Erewash Valley Line

Trent Junction to Nottingham

Chesterfield & the North

Leeds to Carlisle and the West Riding Extension

Operators

Future

London St Pancras

Network Rail's Plans

2007 Business Plan

Freight utilisation Strategy

Stagecoach Plans

Former stations

History

The Midland Main Line was built in stages between the 1830s and the 1860s, as three lines which met at the Tri Junct Station in Derby.
First to arrive was the line built by the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway from Hampton-in-Arden Warwickshire (on the London and Birmingham Railway) to Derby. This section opened on 12 August, 1839. This is now known as the Cross-Country Route through Birmingham to Bristol.
This was followed on 1 July, 1840 by the North Midland Railway, which ran from Derby to Leeds Hunslet Lane Station via Chesterfield, Swinton, Masborough, near Rotherham (from where the Sheffield and Rotherham Railway ran a branch to Sheffield Wicker Station), and Normanton. This avoided Sheffield, Barnsley, and Wakefield in order to reduce gradients.
On the same day the Midland Counties Railway, which ran from Derby and Nottingham to Leicester Campbell Street, was extended from Leicester to a temporary station on the northern outskirts of Rugby. A few months later, the Rugby viaduct was finished and the Midland Counties Railway reached the London and Birmingham's Rugby Station. This cut 11 miles off the former route via Hampton-in-Arden.
When these three companies merged to form the Midland Railway on 10 May 1844, the Midland did not have its own route to London, and relied upon a junction at Rugby with the London and Birmingham's line (which became part of the London and North Western Railway on 1 January, 1846) to London Euston for access to the capital.
By the 1850s the junction at Rugby had become severely congested, and so the Midland Railway constructed a route from Leicester to Hitchin on the Great Northern Railway, via Bedford. The line avoids Northampton, a medium town south of Leicester, instead going via Kettering and Wellingborough in the east of Northamptonshire. This line met with similar problems at Hitchin as the former alignment had at Rugby, so in 1868 a line was opened from Bedford via Luton to London St Pancras.
The final stretch of what is considered to be the modern Midland Main Line was a short cut-off from Chesterfield through Sheffield, which opened in 1870.
Also part of the line is the Erewash Valley Line, which carries services from Chesterfield and the north to Nottingham and the south.
Partly to appease the concerns and opposition of landowners along the route, in places some of the route was built so that it avoided large estates and rural towns, and to reduce construction costs the railways followed natural contours, resulting in many curves and bends. This has also resulted in the MML also passing through some of the more hilly areas of the British mainland, such as Sharnbrook. This has left a legacy of lower maximum speeds on the line compared to the other mainlines. The solution to similar problems on the West Coast Main Line has been the adoption of tilting trains, Class 390 Pendolino trains introduced by Virgin in 2003.

By 1982 the line had undergone electrification from Moorgate as far north as Bedford. The introduction of the High Speed Train HST during the 1980's time brought about an increase of the ruling linespeed on the fast lines from 90mph to 110mph.
Between 2001 and 2003 the section of the Midland Main Line between Derby and Sheffield was upgraded from 100mph to 110mph as part of Operation Princess, the Virgin Cross Country route upgrade.

Route - in detail

The cities, towns and villages served by the MML are listed below. Those in bold are served by fast ''InterCity'' services.

London to Trent Junction

★ 'London St Pancras'

★ ''Kentish Town''

★ ''West Hampstead''

★ ''Cricklewood''

★ ''Hendon''

★ ''Mill Hill Broadway''

★ ''Elstree & Borehamwood''

★ ''Radlett''

★ ''St Albans''

★ ''Harpenden''

★ ''Luton Airport Parkway''


★ 'Luton Town'

★ ''Leagrave''

★ ''Harlington''

★ ''Flitwick''

★ 'Bedford'
(First Capital Connect services and electrification end here)

★ ''Wellingborough''

★ 'Kettering'
: ''Kettering North Junction:'' formerly services to Corby and Melton Mowbray, from which both Leicester and Nottingham could be reached via an alternative route

★ ''Market Harborough''
:''Wigston South Junction''

★ 'Leicester'

★ ''Syston''

★ ''Sileby''

★ ''Barrow-upon-Soar''

★ 'Loughborough'

★ (East Midlands Parkway - under construction)
: ''At Trent Junction, the line splits into three, with lines to Derby, Nottingham and Erewash Valley''

Trent Junction to Chesterfield via Derby

★ ''Long Eaton''

★ 'Derby'

★ ''Duffield''

★ ''Belper''

Ambergate Junction to Manchester

''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.

★ Amber Gate

★ Watstandwell Bridge

★ Cromford Bridge

★ Matlock Bath

★ Matlock

★ Darley

★ Rowsley

★ Bakewell

★ Hassop

★ Longstone

★ Monsal Dale

★ Millers Dale

★ (Blackwell Mill)

★ (Buxton)

★ Peak Forest

★ Chapel-en-le-Frith

★ Chinley

★ Bugsworth

★ New Mills

★ Strines

★ Marple

★ Romiley

★ Bredbury

★ Brinnington

★ Reddish North

★ Ryder Brow

★ Belle Vue

★ Stockport (Teviot Dale)

★ Manchester Central
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.

Trent Junction to Chesterfield via Erewash Valley Line

★ ''Langley Mill''

★ ''Alfreton''

Trent Junction to Nottingham

★ ''Attenborough''

★ ''Beeston''

★ 'Nottingham'
:''trains often reverse to join the Erewash Valley Line at Trowell Junction''

Chesterfield & the North

★ 'Chesterfield'

★ 'Sheffield'

★ 'Wakefield Westgate'

★ 'Leeds'

Leeds to Carlisle and the West Riding Extension

''This is no longer considered part of the Midland Main Line'': see Settle-Carlisle Railway.

World War I prevented the Midland Railway from finishing its direct route (avoiding reversal at Leeds) to join the Settle and Carlisle.
The first part of the Midlands 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 yard gap between the stations at Bradford continues to exist - 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 Midlands proposed extension.
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 town. Midland trains to Scotland continued onwards from Carlisle 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.
The first section, between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square was opened by the Midland Railway on 1 July 1846. The route is described below. However it originally included stations serving the following places, many of which are now closed:

★ 'Leeds' - the station was named ''Leeds (Wellington)'' to differentiate it from the other main line stations in the city, belonging to the North Eastern Railway (NER)

★ Holbeck

★ Armley

★ Kirkstall

★ Kirkstall Forge

★ Newlay & Horsforth

★ Calverley & Rodley

★
★ here is ''Apperley Junction'' for the Wharfedale line

★ Apperley Bridge & Rawdon

★
★ here is ''Thackley tunnel''

★
★ here is the triangular junction for the branch line serving 'Shipley' and Bradford. The main line, which was opened from here to Skipton in 1847, continues:

★ 'Saltaire'

★
★ here is ''Bingley tunnel''

★ 'Bingley'

★ 'Crossflatts'

★ 'Keighley'

★
★ Here is the ''Worth Valley Branch junction'' to Oxenhope. The branch is now the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway heritage line.

★ 'Steeton & Silsden'

★ Kildwick & Crosshills

★ 'Cononley'

★ 'Skipton.'
The line from here, known as the ''Little North Western Railway'', opened on 1 June 1850 to Lancaster
Here was the junction for the following lines:

★ Grassington branch, opened 30 July 1902, closed 22 September 1930

★ the Wharfedale line

★ the line to Burnley via Colne and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR)
The main line continues:

★ Gargrave

★ Bell Busk, for Malham

★
★ here is the junction for the L&YR line to Blackburn

★ 'Hellifield': here was a locomotive shed

★ 'Long Preston'

★
★ ''Settle Junction'' - here the line for Carlisle, opened for freight 1875, passengers 1 May 1876, continues.
The original main line to Lancaster had the following stations:

★ ' Giggleswick'

★ 'Clapham' - here was the junction for Ingleton and an end-on junction via Sedbergh to Low Gill on the London and North Western Railway (LNW) West Coast Main Line. The line was frequently used as an alternative through route when the Settle-Carlisle main line was blocked. It was opened from Ingleton by the ''Lancaster & Carlisle Railway'' in 1857: the route was closed to passenger traffic on 1 Feb 1954

★
★ Bentham

★
★ Wennington - here the Furness Railway connected with the Midland: the line was via Carnforth, on the LNW West Coast Main Line

★
★ Hornby

★
★ Caton

★
★ Halton (closed 1957)

★
★ Lancaster (Green Ayre) - at this point the line divides: a triangular junction for the two lines:

★
★ 'Morecambe,' opened 12 June 1848 - and the branch to

★
★ Heysham Harbour, including a station for Middleton Road Heysham.

★
★ the line was electrified, as Britain's first overhead high tension AC electrification, in 1908.
The line to Carlisle, from Settle Junction, opened by the Settle-Carlisle Railway (and still known by the name), served the following places:

★ 'Settle'

★
★ ''Taitlands Tunnel (now called Stainforth Tunnel)''

★ 'Horton in Ribblesdale'

★ 'Ribblehead - 'here is the Ribblehead Viaduct (originally named ''Batty Moss Viaduct'') 440 yd (396 m), with 24 piers

★
★ ''Blea Moor Tunnel'' 2629 yd (2366 m) long

★
★ here is Dent Head viaduct

★ 'Dent' (4.5 miles outside the village of Dent)

★
★ ''Rise Hill Tunnel''

★
★ here were the highest water troughs in the United Kingdom. Steam locomotives were able to pick up water from these troughs whilst still moving.

★ 'Garsdale' - originally named ''Hawes Junction & Garsdale''.

★
★ At Hawes station, on the branch to the east of the main line, there was an end-on-junction with the North Eastern Railway (NER) line across the Pennines to Northallerton

★
★ On the next stretch, there were three tunnels (''Moorcock Tunnel'', ''Shotlock Hill Tunnel'' and ''Birkett Tunnel'').

★
★ On this stretch also was the summit of the line at Ais Gill, 1169 ft (350 m) ASL

★ 'Kirkby Stephen-' There were two stations here, one (Kirkby Stephen West) for the Midland line and the other (Kirkby Stephen East) serving the NER's line from Darlington to Tebay). The two stations are about half a mile apart. The Midland station also served the village of Ravenstonedale

★ Crosby Garrett

★ Ormside

★ 'Appleby' - as with Kirby Stephen, there were separate stations for the Midland and NE lines, with a siding connection. The NE line was the branch known as the Eden Valley Railway between Kirkby Stephen and ''Eden Valley Junction'' on the West Coast Line near Clifton

★ Long Marton

★ New Biggin

★ Culgaith

★
★ there are three tunnels between these stations

★ Langwathby

★
★ here is ''Lazonby Tunnel''

★ 'Lazonby & Kirkoswald'

★
★ there are three more tunnels between these two stations

★ 'Armathwaite'

★ Cotehill

★ Cumwhinton

★ Scotby - station also served the NER line from Newcastle

★ 'Carlisle:' the station - full title ''Carlisle Citadel'' was owned jointly by the LNWR and the Caledonian Railway: the Midland (among others) was a "tenant Company".

Operators

The principal operator is Midland Mainline.

★ First Capital Connect between Bedford and St Albans.

★ Silverlink County in the Bedford area.

★ Central Trains between Leicester and Sheffield via Nottingham.

★ Transpennine Express in the Sheffield area.

★ Virgin Cross Country between Derby and Leeds, and Derby and Burton on Trent.

★ Northern Rail between Sheffield and Barnsley, and Doncaster to York.

★ GNER between Doncaster and Leeds.

★ Hull Trains in the Doncaster area.

Future

London St Pancras

St Pancras railway station [1] in London will be opened as the new home of Eurostar International services in November 2007. When these commence, Leicester will be the first major city along the Midland Mainline with single-change links to the continent.

Network Rail's Plans

Network Rail's route 19 in recent years has seen many direct long distance trains removed to other more modern lines which has inevitably affected communities along the route. The Midland Mainline has for many years been thought of as a 'Cinderella' line and, with the increasing capacity constraints on other lines, it is inevitable that this route will be upgraded in the not-too-distant future.

2007 Business Plan

Network Rail's 2007 business plan for the Midland Main Line [2] talks for the first time of line speed increases, bringing journey times to Sheffield to under two hours, meaning that journey times would become more competitive to other north-south routes. Re-signalling of the entire route is expected to be complete by 2016.

★ Thameslink Programme [3] [4]

★ Wellingborough - Kettering third line

★ Linespeed Increases

★ Syston Junction - Wigston Junction slow line

★ Erewash Valley resignalling

★ Trent Junction resignalling

★ Bedford & Nottingham stations remodelling

★ Flashing yellow signal aspects added at key junctions

Freight utilisation Strategy

Network Rail have recently released their freight utilisation strategy [5], and if a cross country freight route was to be taken forward, the railway through Leicester, from Syston to Wigston Junctions, would be enhanced with additional slow lines and platforms at Leicester.

Stagecoach Plans

The newly awarded franchise to Stagecoach [6]includes a number of improvements to rolling stock and infrastructure linked timetabling improvements:

★ Reduced journey times between Sheffield/Leicester and London

★ Provision of an additional HST set

★ Additional services between London and the Midlands

★ £5 million to be spent on station improvements

★ £26.5 million fund for rolling stock improvements

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 mainline used to serve include

★ 'London to Leicester'

★ Camden Road

★ Haverstock Hill

★ Finchley Road

★ Welsh Harp

★ Napsbury

★ Chiltern Green

★ Ampthill

★ Oakley

★ Sharnbrook

★ Irchester

★ Finedon

★ Isham and Burton Latimer

★ Rushton

★ Desborough

★ East Langton

★ Kibworth

★ Great Glen

★ Wigston Magna

★ 'Leicester to Trent Junction'

★ Leicester Humberstone Road

★ Cossington Gate

★ Hathern

★ Kegworth

★ Trent

★ 'Derwent Valley'

★ Breaston (later Sawley - see Long Eaton)

★ Draycott

★ Borrowash

★ Derby Nottingham Road

★ Wingfield

★ Stretton

★ Clay Cross

★ 'Erewash Valley'

★ Long Eaton ''(Original Midland Counties Railway station not the present one)''

★ Stapleford and Sandiacre

★ Stanton Gate

★ Trowell

★ Ilkeston and Cossal

★ Shipley Gate

★ Codnor Park and Ironville

★ Pye Bridge

★ Westhouses and Blackwell

★ Doe Hill

★ 'Chesterfield to Leeds'

★ Staveley

★ Eckington

★ Killamarsh

★ Beighton

★ Woodhouse Mill

★ Treeton

★ Sheepbridge

★ Unstone

★ Beauchief

★ Millhouses

★ Heeley

★ Attercliffe Road

★ Brightside

★ Holmes

★ Rotherham Masborough

★ Parkgate and Rawmarsh

★ Kilnhurst

★ Swinton West (reopened Swinton)
''The following on the original North Midland Railway line''

★ Wath

★ Darfield

★ Royston and Notton

★ Oakenshaw (originally for Wakefield)

★ Normanton

★ Methley

★ Woodlesford