The Anonymous Widower

The Problem Of Electrifying Leicester Station

This post is my attempt to try and explain the problem of electrifying the Midland Main Line through Leicester station.

This Google map shows the Southern end of the station.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the station.

Note.

1. There appear to be five tunnels under the station buildings and London Road.
2. What is the tunnel going underneath the tracks used for?

Leicester station has a Grade II Listed frontage.

Note.

1. It is an impressive Victorian station.
2. The station building is on a bridge over the tracks.
3. The station is also on one of the main roads through Leicester.
4. The road layout is very complicated.

This 3D Google Map, shows an aerial view of the station.

Note.

1. There four platforms, which are numbered 1-4 from the left.
2. The expresses between London and Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield use the two middle tracks.
3. Other main line and East-West services  use the outside platforms.
4. There is an avoiding line for freight services.
5. 5. The step-free footbridge is clearly visible.

This second 3D Google Map, shows an enlargement of the frontage of the station.

These pictures show what is inside the building at the front of the station.

The building would appear to be a Grade II Listed taxi rank and free twenty-minute car park.

There are plans to increase the capacity of the station.

• A fifth platform will be added.
• Three miles of quadruple track will be be built South of the station.
• The Midland Main Line was also to be electrified.

Real Time Trains indicates that the distance between Leicester and Wigston North  junction is 3.1 miles.

This OpenRailMap shows that section of track.

Note.

1. Leiester station is at the top of the map.
2. Wigston junction is the triangular junction at the bottom of the map.
3. Wigston North Junction is indicated by the blue arrow.
4. OpenRailwayMap only shows a 100 mph Northbound track and a 90 mph Southbound track on the route.

It looks to me, that four tracks between Leicester and Wigston North  junction would mean that trains could expedite arrivals to and departures from Leicester to and from the South.

South From Wigston Junction

Consider.

• London St. Pancras and Kettering is a four-track railway as far as the Corby Branch.
• North of Luton the slowest maximum speed is 100 mph, with much of the line rated at 110 mph plus.
• Wigston North junction and Luton station is 65.8 miles.
• Current Class 222 diesel trains typically take 40 minutes.
• This is an average speed of 98.7 mph.
• An average speed of  110 mph between Wigston North junction and Luton station would take 36 minutes.
• An average speed of  125 mph between Wigston North junction and Luton station would take 31.6 minutes.
• An average speed of  130 mph between Wigston North junction and Luton station would take 30.4 minutes.

I believe with track improvements and digital signalling, there are time savings to be gained between St. Pancras and Leicester stations.

Ultimately, if the 140 mph design speed of the Class 810 trains under digital signalling could be maintained, this would do the following.

• Push the St. Pancras and Leicester times under an hour.
• Push the St. Pancras and Nottingham times under ninety minutes.
• Push the St. Pancras and Sheffield times under two hours.

Batteries would only be used on the three miles between Wigston North junction and Leicester station.

Could Bi-Mode Trains Be Used?

They could be used initially and to prove if the partial electrification works.

But each train has four diesel engines and sometimes they will be working in pairs through the stations between Leicester and Sheffield.

Passengers will take a dim view of being covered in lots of diesel smoke, when they have been promised clean, zero-carbon electric trains.

But the battery-electric trains will be much quieter and pollution-free.

This page on the Hitachi Rail web site is entitled Intercity Battery Trains.

New Infrastructure Needed

The only infrastructure needed will be that which will support the new trains.

The Class 810 trains will be maintained at Etches Park at Derby.

If they are battery-electric trains, there may be some strategically-placed chargers, which typically would be a short length of overhead wire.

 

July 18, 2025 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Architecture, Class 810 Train, East Midlands Railway, Electrification, Hitachi Intercity Battery Train, Kettering Station, Leicester Station, Luton Station, Midland Main Line, Midland Main Line Electrification, Nottingham Station, Sheffield Station, St. Pancras Station, Wigston Junction