A Trip To Corby
I took these pictures on a trip to Corby this morning.
These are my thoughts.
Trains To And From Corby
I got a Class 222 train to Corby and an eight-car Class 360 train back.
Brent Cross West Station
There was a lot of constructruction activity at the new Brent Cross West station.
Luton Airport Parkway Station
The extensions to Luton Airport Parkway station look to be comprehensive, with several escalators.
The Luton DART connection to Luton Airport appears to be under test, so should open in 2022.
But will there be any air passengers to use it?
I last used it in 2008, when I went to see England play in Belarus.
Electrification North Of Bedford
The electrification North of Bedford station is obviously complete on the slow lines, but on the fast lines, as the pictures show, the gantries are all erected, but there are still wires to be installed.
But as the Class 810 trains won’t be in service until 2023, there’s still a bit of time.
The gantries certainly look sturdy, as this picture shows.
They’re certainly built for 125 mph, but as the Class 810 trains will be capable of 140 mph with full digital in-cab signalling, I would hope that the electrification has been installed to that standard. Or at least to a standard, that can be easily upgraded!
Corby Station
Corby station has been finished to a single-platform station, which is able to accept a twelve-car Class 360 train.
This should be adequate for the current half-hourly service, as a single platform can handle a least four trains per hour (tph) and several around the country regularly do.
Both tracks through the station are electrified and I suspect with a second platform bridge, both could be used by electric trains to create a two-platform station.
But there would appear to be no need at the moment.
Even, if it were to be decided to extend one tph to Oakham and Melton Mowbray stations, this could probably be accommodated on the single-platform.
Network Rail seem to have already installed a crossover South of Corby station, so that trains can use the single platform.
Serving Oakham And Melton Mowbray
I discussed this extension in detail in Abellio’s Plans For London And Melton Mowbray Via Corby And Oakham.
In the related post, I said this.
This page on the Department for Transport web site is an interactive map of the Abellio’s promises for East Midlands Railway.
These are mentioned for services to Oakham and Melton Mowbray.
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- After electrification of the Corby route there will continue to be direct service each way between London and Oakham and Melton Mowbray once each weekday, via Corby.
- This will be operated with brand new 125mph trains when these are introduced from April 2022.
This seems to be a very acceptable minimum position.
When my Class 222 train arrived in Corby at 1154, it waited a couple of minutes then took off to the North.
I then took the next train to London, which was an eight-car Class 360 train which formed the 1211 service back to St. Pancras.
Meanwhile the Class 222 train, that I’d arrived on did a reverse in the Corby North Run Around Loop finally arriving back in Corby at 1345. The train had taken one hour and forty-nine minutes to return to Corby.
It might be just coincidence, but are East Midlands Railway doing timing tests to see if services can be extended to Oakham And Melton Mowbray?
It should be noted that service times North of Corby are as follows.
- Corby and Oakham – 19 mins – 14.3 miles
- Corby and Melton Mowbray – 31 mins – 25.7 miles
- Melton Mowbray and Leicester – 17 mins – 12.8 miles (estimate) – CrossCountry service
My logic goes like this.
- It looks to me that it would not be unreasonable that a Class 222 train could run between Corby and Leicester in forty-eight minutes.
- Double that and you get one hour and thirty eight minutes, for a journey from Corby to Leicester and back.
- Subtract that time from the one hour and forty-nine minutes that my train took to reverse and there is eleven minutes for a turnback at Leicester station.
- Eleven minutes would certainly be long enough to tidy a train and for the crew to change ends.
I also believe that the 35.8 miles would be possible for a Class 810 train fitted with one or more battery power-packs instead of a similar number of the four diesel engines.
So are East Midlands Railway doing tests to find the most efficient way to serve Oakham And Melton Mowbray?
On The Corby Branch
I travelled North on a Class 222 diesel train and South on an electric Class 360 train.
On the Corby branch, I was monitoring the train speed on an app on my phone and both trains travelled at around 90 mph for most of the way.
There were sections at up to 100 mph and the track was generally smooth.
I was left with the impression, that trains might be able to go faster on the branch.
Average speeds for the 2.5 miles of the branch were as follows according to these timings from realtimetrains.
- Class 222 train – Arriving – 5.25 mins – 28.6 mph
- Class 222 train – Leaving – 5 mins – 30 mph
- Class 360 train – Arriving – 7.5 mins – 20 mph
- Class 360 train – Leaving – 5 mins – 30 mph
It doesn’t appear that there are much difference in the timings, although it might be said, that the electric approach is more cautious.
The Class 360 Trains
The Class 360 trains have not been refurbished yet although as my pictures show, some have been given a new livery.
In Are Class 360 Trains Suitable For St. Pancras And Corby?, I said this about the train refurbishment.
This page on the Department for Transport web site is an interactive map of the Abellio’s promises for East Midlands Railway.
These features are mentioned for Midland Main Line services to Corby.
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- Increased capacity
- Twelve-car trains in the Peak.
- More reliable service
- Improved comfort
- Passenger information system
- Free on-board Wi-Fi
- At-seat power sockets
- USB points
- Air conditioning
- Tables at all seats
- Increased luggage space
- On-board cycle storage
What more could passengers want?
It certainly hasn’t happened in full.
I did ask a steward, when the new interiors will be installed and he said they were running late because of the pandemic.
Performance Of The Class 360 Trains
I used my app to follow the speed of the Class 360 train, that brought me back to London.
- The train hit a maximum speed of about 105 mph.
- The train arrived in London a minute late.
I feel that as the drivers get used to their new charges, they will match the timetable.
Conclusion
I have a feeling that in a couple of years, these trains will fulfil Abellio’s promises.
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