Corby railway station
Encyclopedia
Corby railway station, owned by Network Rail
and managed by East Midlands Trains
(EMT), serves the town of Corby
in Northamptonshire
, England. The current station, opened on 23 February 2009, replaces an earlier one dating from 1879 and first closed in 1966 (it was reopened briefly between 1987 and 1990: see "History", below).
Plans for the current station, built on a site adjacent to the original, were approved in late 2007. The station opened with just one daily train each way on Mondays to Fridays. The full, current service of hourly trains to and from London began on 27 April 2009, after East Midlands Trains had taken delivery of the additional trains needed for its implementation.
's "alternative route" between Kettering
and Nottingham
, bypassing the present main line via Market Harborough
, Leicester
and Loughborough
and passing through Corby, Oakham
and Melton Mowbray
instead. The station was initially named "Weldon and Corby" to avoid confusion with Corby Glen
station in Lincolnshire
. Corby, along with other stations along the line, closed to passengers in May 1967. Corby was one of the largest towns in Europe without a railway station although others, such as Herten
in Germany and Łomża in Poland, are larger.
The Oakham – Melton Mowbray section remained open throughout to passengers as part of the Peterborough to Leicester line
, and the line south through Corby had remained open for freight - it passes through the 1920 yards (1.8 km) Corby Tunnel just north of the town, and further north crosses the colossal 82-arch Welland Viaduct. The line as far as Corby was singled in 1987 by British Rail
. On 13 April 1987 a local council subsidised passenger service was reintroduced with 11 shuttle trains running daily between Corby and Kettering
, usually operating using a single DMU
. Ambitious plans to extend it to Leicester were proposed but, despite the fact that more than 100,000 people used the service within the first 12 months, and a campaign against closure by "Corbyrail", it became irregular and unreliable, leading to the withdrawal of subsidies by the Council and the cessation of passenger services on 2 June 1990.
in a cross-country service from Swindon
to Peterborough, but this came to nothing. In 2001, Midland Mainline
, the rail operator in the county, decided against building a station for Corby. In 2003, Corby's urban regeneration company
, Catalyst Corby, announced plans to build a new station by 2011.
More positive news came in June 2006 when the Department for Transport (DfT)
informed prospective bidders for the new East Midlands rail franchise - bringing together Midland Mainline services from London St Pancras and the eastern section of the Central Trains
network - that they would have to include in their tenders a price for a service to a new station in Corby. The DfT's East Midlands rail franchise consultation noted that Corby had been targeted for substantial housing growth over the course of the franchise and the provision of a station would be in line with the Sustainable Communities Plan
. A new service for the town could be formed as an extension of the hourly London to Kettering train service.
In April 2007, Network Rail
announced that it had allocated £1.2 million towards the rebuilding of the station as a response to housing and jobs growth in the county. A final decision on the station, which could be open by December 2008, would be made by the Department for Transport. On 22 June the DfT confirmed that Stagecoach
had won the franchise and revealed that the company – operating as East Midlands Trains (EMT)
– would run an extra hourly London - Kettering service, with the possibility of extending this to a new station in Corby. This would put Corby within 75 minutes of central London.
An article in the June 2008 edition of the railway industry magazine Modern Railways
, produced in cooperation with EMT, suggested that from December 2008 Corby could be served by trains leaving St Pancras for Kettering at 8 minutes past each hour. However, pending the removal of infrastructure constraints – notably, the need for Network Rail to reinstate a third track between Wellingborough
and Kettering and raise the line speed between Corby and Kettering – an hourly through service to and from Corby will be unfeasible initially (trains being unable to make the run from Kettering to Corby and back within the projected timings). Therefore, with the possible exception of some peak-time services, the connection to and from Corby would have mostly to be provided by a shuttle service, with a change of trains at Kettering. For this, EMT would need to lease additional rolling stock
(it was speculated that this could be Class 222
stock cascaded from Hull Trains). In addition, DfT approval of the hourly Kettering service was still awaited.
Train services had been due to start on 14 December 2008, but EMT admitted that it had yet to secure agreement with the DfT and Rolling Stock Operating Company (ROSCO)
for the four additional trains needed for the service. EMT then announced that services would not commence from Corby until 20 March 2009.
The station's opening was then brought forward to 23 February 2009, albeit with a very limited interim timetable of one direct train to London and back each day. EMT promised that more services will commence once an additional three trains have become available. On 7 April 2009, East Midlands Trains announced that the full hourly service (13 trains each way) would commence from Monday 27 April 2009.
Transport secretary
Geoff Hoon
presided over ceremonies to officially open the station on 30 April 2009. The station now serves hourly passenger trains between Corby and London.
The North Northants Development Company and English Partnerships
submitted plans for the design of the station in late July 2007 and detailed planning permission was granted by the Council in November. The Development Company predicted that the new station will unlock an estimated £200 million pounds of further commercial investment in Corby, creating more than 1,200 jobs. It added that the station will also provide added impetus for residential development and aid the transformation of town centre shopping and civic facilities.
The entire project cost £8.3 million and construction began in June 2008 following the conclusion of an agreement with Kettering construction firm Mainline Contractors. The station was built at Station Road adjacent to the site of the old station and will act as a transport interchange for Corby with bus and taxi facilities being relocated here. A new road will lead into the interchange which will also have a 140-space car park, taxi rank, drop-off and pick-up areas and a bus area. Site clearance works began in March 2008 and were completed in the summer.
The station is the second to be built to the modular station design developed by Network Rail, following Mitcham Eastfields station
. There has been criticism of the design by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment
which has stated that:
An artist's impression of what the station could look like was seen on the website of the local MP
. In June 2009, it was announced that the station had won the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation
's Award for Effective Partnerships and received praise for having been built on time, within budget and to a high standard.
East Midlands Trains operates a limited service from Derby
running via East Midlands Parkway
(for East Midlands Airport), Melton Mowbray and Oakham, meaning that passenger trains once again travel over the Harringworth Viaduct on a regular basis. The possibility of extending further services in the future is being explored for implementation from 2010.
, Cambridge
and . Three routes were considered, with Corby being on the northern route. A new chord would have been required at Manton to allow direct running between Corby and Stamford
. Despite being the cheapest of the three options, the northern route has now been ruled out as being circuitous.
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
and managed by East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
(EMT), serves the town of Corby
Corby
Corby Town is a town and borough located in the county of Northamptonshire. Corby Town is 23 miles north-east of the county town, Northampton. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure...
in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, England. The current station, opened on 23 February 2009, replaces an earlier one dating from 1879 and first closed in 1966 (it was reopened briefly between 1987 and 1990: see "History", below).
Plans for the current station, built on a site adjacent to the original, were approved in late 2007. The station opened with just one daily train each way on Mondays to Fridays. The full, current service of hourly trains to and from London began on 27 April 2009, after East Midlands Trains had taken delivery of the additional trains needed for its implementation.
History
Corby station opened in 1879 and closed in April 1966. It was on the Midland RailwayMidland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
's "alternative route" between Kettering
Kettering
Kettering is a market town in the Borough of Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. It is situated about from London. Kettering is mainly situated on the west side of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene which meets at Wellingborough...
and Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, bypassing the present main line via Market Harborough
Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town within the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England.It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council. It sits on the Northamptonshire-Leicestershire border...
, Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
and Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
and passing through Corby, Oakham
Oakham
-Oakham's horseshoes:Traditionally, members of royalty and peers of the realm who visited or passed through the town had to pay a forfeit in the form of a horseshoe...
and Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
instead. The station was initially named "Weldon and Corby" to avoid confusion with Corby Glen
Corby Glen
Corby Glen is a village in southwest Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:The village of Corby Glen is in South Kesteven District in Lincolnshire. It lies mainly to the north of the A151, a former toll road, and to the east of the West Glen River, near where the Glen flows through a small graben in...
station in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. Corby, along with other stations along the line, closed to passengers in May 1967. Corby was one of the largest towns in Europe without a railway station although others, such as Herten
Herten
Herten is a town and a municipality in the district of Recklinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated in the industrial Ruhr Area, approx...
in Germany and Łomża in Poland, are larger.
The Oakham – Melton Mowbray section remained open throughout to passengers as part of the Peterborough to Leicester line
Birmingham to Peterborough Line
The Birmingham to Peterborough Line is a cross-country railway line in the United Kingdom, linking Birmingham to Peterborough, via Nuneaton and Leicester....
, and the line south through Corby had remained open for freight - it passes through the 1920 yards (1.8 km) Corby Tunnel just north of the town, and further north crosses the colossal 82-arch Welland Viaduct. The line as far as Corby was singled in 1987 by British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
. On 13 April 1987 a local council subsidised passenger service was reintroduced with 11 shuttle trains running daily between Corby and Kettering
Kettering
Kettering is a market town in the Borough of Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. It is situated about from London. Kettering is mainly situated on the west side of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene which meets at Wellingborough...
, usually operating using a single DMU
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
. Ambitious plans to extend it to Leicester were proposed but, despite the fact that more than 100,000 people used the service within the first 12 months, and a campaign against closure by "Corbyrail", it became irregular and unreliable, leading to the withdrawal of subsidies by the Council and the cessation of passenger services on 2 June 1990.
Proposals
A plan was put forward to include the Kettering–Corby lineOakham to Kettering Line
The Oakham to Kettering Railway Line is a railway line in the East Midlands of England. For many years it was used for mainly for freight traffic, and as an important diversionary route for passenger trains travelling the Midland Main Line as well as for the occasional excursion.Recently, however,...
in a cross-country service from Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
to Peterborough, but this came to nothing. In 2001, Midland Mainline
Midland Mainline
Midland Mainline was a British train operating company owned by the National Express Group and based in Derby. It was created after the privatisation of British Rail. Midland Mainline services operated from April 1996 to November 2007....
, the rail operator in the county, decided against building a station for Corby. In 2003, Corby's urban regeneration company
Urban Regeneration Company
Urban Regeneration Companies are private companies in the United Kingdom that seek to achieve a radical physical transformation of their areas through masterplanning and co-ordinating financial assistance to developers from both the public and private sector....
, Catalyst Corby, announced plans to build a new station by 2011.
More positive news came in June 2006 when the Department for Transport (DfT)
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
informed prospective bidders for the new East Midlands rail franchise - bringing together Midland Mainline services from London St Pancras and the eastern section of the Central Trains
Central Trains
Central Trains was one of the original 25 train operating companies to emerge from the break-up of British Rail between 1994 and 1997. The company operated local, urban and secondary express services across central England and Mid Wales.-Overview:...
network - that they would have to include in their tenders a price for a service to a new station in Corby. The DfT's East Midlands rail franchise consultation noted that Corby had been targeted for substantial housing growth over the course of the franchise and the provision of a station would be in line with the Sustainable Communities Plan
Sustainable Communities Plan
The Sustainable Communities Plan was launched in 2003 and is a key policy of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in guiding its regeneration and departmental objectives. It led to the a range of policies and plans which are in effect a spatial plan for the whole of England...
. A new service for the town could be formed as an extension of the hourly London to Kettering train service.
Announcements
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
announced that it had allocated £1.2 million towards the rebuilding of the station as a response to housing and jobs growth in the county. A final decision on the station, which could be open by December 2008, would be made by the Department for Transport. On 22 June the DfT confirmed that Stagecoach
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
had won the franchise and revealed that the company – operating as East Midlands Trains (EMT)
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
– would run an extra hourly London - Kettering service, with the possibility of extending this to a new station in Corby. This would put Corby within 75 minutes of central London.
An article in the June 2008 edition of the railway industry magazine Modern Railways
Modern Railways
Modern Railways is a British monthly magazine covering the rail transport industry published by Ian Allan. It has been published since 1962....
, produced in cooperation with EMT, suggested that from December 2008 Corby could be served by trains leaving St Pancras for Kettering at 8 minutes past each hour. However, pending the removal of infrastructure constraints – notably, the need for Network Rail to reinstate a third track between Wellingborough
Wellingborough
Wellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...
and Kettering and raise the line speed between Corby and Kettering – an hourly through service to and from Corby will be unfeasible initially (trains being unable to make the run from Kettering to Corby and back within the projected timings). Therefore, with the possible exception of some peak-time services, the connection to and from Corby would have mostly to be provided by a shuttle service, with a change of trains at Kettering. For this, EMT would need to lease additional rolling stock
Rolling stock
Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
(it was speculated that this could be Class 222
British Rail Class 222
The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation....
stock cascaded from Hull Trains). In addition, DfT approval of the hourly Kettering service was still awaited.
Train services had been due to start on 14 December 2008, but EMT admitted that it had yet to secure agreement with the DfT and Rolling Stock Operating Company (ROSCO)
Rolling Stock Operating Company
In the United Kingdom, a Rolling Stock Operating Company owns and maintains railway engines and carriages which are leased to Train Operating Companies who actually operate the trains....
for the four additional trains needed for the service. EMT then announced that services would not commence from Corby until 20 March 2009.
The station's opening was then brought forward to 23 February 2009, albeit with a very limited interim timetable of one direct train to London and back each day. EMT promised that more services will commence once an additional three trains have become available. On 7 April 2009, East Midlands Trains announced that the full hourly service (13 trains each way) would commence from Monday 27 April 2009.
Transport secretary
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
Geoff Hoon
Geoff Hoon
Geoffrey "Geoff" William Hoon is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Ashfield from 1992 to 2010...
presided over ceremonies to officially open the station on 30 April 2009. The station now serves hourly passenger trains between Corby and London.
Design and construction
English Partnerships
English Partnerships was the national regeneration agency for England, performing a similar role on a national level to that fulfilled by Regional Development Agencies on a regional level...
submitted plans for the design of the station in late July 2007 and detailed planning permission was granted by the Council in November. The Development Company predicted that the new station will unlock an estimated £200 million pounds of further commercial investment in Corby, creating more than 1,200 jobs. It added that the station will also provide added impetus for residential development and aid the transformation of town centre shopping and civic facilities.
The entire project cost £8.3 million and construction began in June 2008 following the conclusion of an agreement with Kettering construction firm Mainline Contractors. The station was built at Station Road adjacent to the site of the old station and will act as a transport interchange for Corby with bus and taxi facilities being relocated here. A new road will lead into the interchange which will also have a 140-space car park, taxi rank, drop-off and pick-up areas and a bus area. Site clearance works began in March 2008 and were completed in the summer.
The station is the second to be built to the modular station design developed by Network Rail, following Mitcham Eastfields station
Mitcham Eastfields railway station
Mitcham Eastfields is a railway station in London, United Kingdom, which opened on 2 June 2008. The station is located at Eastfields Road level crossing, in an area previously poorly served by public transport...
. There has been criticism of the design by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment
Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment
The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment was an executive non-departmental public body of the UK government, established in 1999. It was funded by both the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Communities and Local Government.-Function:CABE was the...
which has stated that:
An artist's impression of what the station could look like was seen on the website of the local MP
Phil Hope
Philip Ian "Phil" Hope is a British Labour Co-operative politician who was the Member of Parliament for Corby from 1997 until 2010, when he lost his seat to the Conservatives. He held several ministerial roles during his time as an MP. Since his defeat, he is working as a consultant for Age...
. In June 2009, it was announced that the station had won the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation
Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation
The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation is a learned society concerned specifically with the planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of land-based transport systems and infrastructure.With over 11,500 members, the CIHT offers routes to qualifications such as...
's Award for Effective Partnerships and received praise for having been built on time, within budget and to a high standard.
Services
Trains run approximately once every hour between Corby and Kettering, 7 days per week, with most services continuing to London St. Pancras.East Midlands Trains operates a limited service from Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
running via East Midlands Parkway
East Midlands Parkway railway station
East Midlands Parkway is a railway station located north of Ratcliffe-on-Soar on the Midland Main Line in the East Midlands of England. It provides park and ride facilities for rail passengers on the routes from Leicester to Derby and Nottingham...
(for East Midlands Airport), Melton Mowbray and Oakham, meaning that passenger trains once again travel over the Harringworth Viaduct on a regular basis. The possibility of extending further services in the future is being explored for implementation from 2010.
East-West Rail Link - Northern Route
The Kettering to Manton line via Corby was also considered for reopening to passengers as part of the East West Rail Link between OxfordOxford railway station
Oxford railway station is a mainline railway station serving the city of Oxford, England. It is about west of the city centre, northwest of Frideswide Square and the eastern end of Botley Road, and on the line linking with . It is also on the line for trains between and Hereford via...
, Cambridge
Cambridge railway station
Cambridge railway station is a railway station serving the city of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located at the end of Station Road, off Hills Road, 1 mile south-east of the city centre...
and . Three routes were considered, with Corby being on the northern route. A new chord would have been required at Manton to allow direct running between Corby and Stamford
Stamford railway station
Stamford railway station serves the town of Stamford in Lincolnshire, England. The station is west of Peterborough on the Syston and Peterborough Railway, the line is now part of the much bigger Birmingham to Peterborough Line. CrossCountry operate the majority of services as part of their...
. Despite being the cheapest of the three options, the northern route has now been ruled out as being circuitous.