Turbostar take-off Work is in progress to prepare the Midland main line for the introduction of Turbostar semi-fast services in May. At Wigston, a new chord is being added to the single-lead junction so that trains on the Midland main line and the Leicester-Birmingham line will not delay each other. At Bedford, the new northbound fast line platform will mean that northbound trains will not have to perform the time-consuming "shuffle" across the southbound fast line to get into the station.
Trains to Corby? An informal contact has revealed that MML is considering running some Turbostar services via Corby. On the other hand, Railtrack is quoted in the local press as saying that there will be no passenger services to Corby. If MML was to start running trains via Corby, it would also open up the possibility of direct trains from London to Oakham and Melton Mowbray — but not until open access services are approved. These two stations belong to Central Trains and despite the fact that MML and Central belong to the same parent company, the present rules would prevent MML from stopping their trains there. The only opportunity for the public to travel along the Corby line is provided by the Winter Sunday diversions of MML trains, which have again proved popular this year. As in past years, East Midlands branch members have been present on Kettering station on these occasions, taking the opportunity to talk to travellers about RDS.
You can email Railwatch editor Ray King at editor@railwatch.org.uk (or just click on this link), e-mail Deltic Design with comments about the Railwatch Web pages, or visit their web site.
RiscPC