Midland Main Line upgrade
[2] The current programme includes electrification of the railway line between Bedford, Wellingborough, Corby, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.
The upgrade was part of the HLOS (High Level Output Specification) for Control Period 5 published by the UK Government in 2012.
[3] To enable all the benefits of using electric traction, the line from Bedford to St Pancras is also being upgraded which includes boosting the power supply.
[6] The upgrading of the overhead line equipment (OLE) south of Bedford is underway to allow 125 mph (201 km/h) running and due for completion in late 2025.
[13] In July 2009, the Labour government published a document and said it was looking at electrification of the Midland Main Line, but no funds had been committed.
[17] It was further pointed out that ECAM had been used (as in the project had been through this procedure)- a term the treasury used meaning Enhancements Cost Adjustment Mechanism.
[19] Lilian Greenwood who at the time was Shadow Transport Secretary, and also an MP for Nottingham South, accused the government of being cynical and that they had delayed this announcement until after the 2015 United Kingdom general election which took place the previous month.
[26] This document, and the subsequent announcement by the new Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling said the electrification scheme north of Kettering to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield had been cancelled and that bi-mode trains would be used.
[27] Local news outlets reported in December 2020 that electrification to Market Harborough was moving closer.
[28] In February 2021, Network Rail put out a document confirming this saying that devegetation, ecological and biodiversity work was starting on the section between Kettering and north to Market Harborough as a prelude to electrification.
On 23 March 2021, the Transport Select Committee published its sixth report in the Trains fit for the Future ongoing enquiry, which called for a rolling programme of electrification.
[34] It was announced that due consideration was being given to environmental protection during the upgrade with Great crested newts being given special mention.
Further electrification was recommended and included the Midland Main Line and fill ins such as Sheffield northwards and Birmingham to Derby.
Contractors were invited to a market engagement event on 15 June 2022 for the remaining sections to allow bimode trains to run on electric power all the way to Sheffield.
[45] In the August 2022 edition of Modern Railways, Roger Ford stated that RS3 will have high priority because of the diversionary route capabilities it brings.
[47] The eight route sections are:[48][49][50][51] The September 2022 Mini-Budget, included RS3 as one of a list of infrastructure "projects to have particularly high potential to move to construction at an accelerated pace".
[56][57] On 6 April 2024, the West Bridgford Wire stated that the government is committed to electrify the line to Nottingham by 2030, with the rest of the electrification to Sheffield to be done by the early 2030s due to the fact it has been going at a 'snails pace'.
To cope with the higher electricity usage south of Bedford into St Pancras, the upgrade involves boosting the existing power supplies.
