EMR have announced a revised timetable from Monday 18th January, with some service reductions.  The main reason is reduced availability of traincrew staff because of Covid-related absences.  EMR have understandably made the decision that it is better to have a reduced timetable than to have ad hoc cancellations day by day. 
For Market Harborough, the weekday timetable is little changed; the only changes are that the 19:40 runs only to Sheffield, not Leeds, and from 1st February the 20:55 from Nottingham to St Pancras, calling at Market Harborough at 21:42, no longer runs.  However, on Saturdays, numerous trains between Nottingham and St Pancras no longer run, and our 07:33 to York is also withdrawn.  Other trains that are still running may have reduced numbers of carriages.
EMR Regional services, none of which serve Market Harborough, see varying reductions from Monday 26th January.
EMR state that: "We will continue to keep these changes under review, alongside the impact of Covid on the availability of our staff.  As a minimum it is envisaged this timetable will run until the national lockdown is lifted and at which point, we will look to move towards reinstatement to today’s (pre-18th January) service level as soon as is possible." 

Alongside the part-electrification of the Midland Main Line, EMR is replacing its entire InterCity fleet with new Hitachi bi-mode trains, which are due to enter service in 2023. (See this for more: https://www.harborough-rail.org.uk/home/new-emr-intercity-train-fleet-to-be-named-aurora).  However, the InterCity 125 High-Speed Trains (HSTs), which form about half of the present services between St Pancras and Nottingham, are approaching life-expiry and are due to be withdrawn soon.  Therefore, as an interim measure, EMR have received four Class 180 diesel multiple units transferred from Hull Trains.  The first of these entered service today, 14th December, on a small number of services to and from St Pancras.  This does not mean the end of the HSTs just yet, however, but there will be fewer of them. 

The Midland Pullman was an iconic luxury train of the early 1960s and regularly ran through Market Harborough on its journeys between London and Manchester.  It last ran in 1966, and sadly none of the vehicles survived into preservation.
However, the modern diesel-electric air-conditioned train bore some similarity with the familiar InterCity 125 High Speed Trains, HSTs, which have been the mainstay of our train service at Market Harborough since 1982.   As these, too, approach the end of their careers, it is pleasing that one of the type has been acquired by Locomotive Services Ltd, operator of heritage locomotives on the national network, as an excursion train.  They have refurbished it as authentically as possible into the style of the original Blue Pullmans, for use as a tour train.  Its inaugural run was delayed by Covid but took place on Saturday 12th December 2020, on a figure-of-eight circuit from St Pancras via Market Harborough, bypassing Sheffield, to the outskirts of Manchester, and back via Crewe, Nuneaton, Leicester, Oakham, Harringworth viaduct and Corby to St Pancras.
Despite murky weather, quite a few people turned out at Market Harborough station to see it come through a few minutes later than its booked time of 10:18.   It is due to call at Market Harborough on Saturday 16th January on a tour to the Settle and Carlisle line. 

The Government’s Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publishes annual data on rail passenger numbers.  Albeit some time after the end of the reporting year, the ORR published figures for 2019-20 on 1st December 2020.  The messages for Market Harborough are mixed: a continued trend of modest growth for most of the year, but a drastic fall in March 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold.  To reflect this, the ORR has published two sets of figures for every station on the national network: one for the standard April - March reporting year, and one for March - February, to show the underlying trend before Covid.
Market Harborough's totals were as follows:

• April 2019 – March 2020: Total 898,058 (2018-19 Total 907,770) (Down 1.1%), making Market Harborough the 636th busiest station in Britain (out of 2,567).
• March 2019 – February 2020 Total 937,484 (Up 3.3% on the 907,770 for April 2018 - March 2019).  This pre-Covid growth is encouraging, as the period included the closures in May – June 2019 for the station rebuilding project.

However, passenger numbers have plummeted since the Covid lockdown and remain very low at the time of writing.  It is hoped that the pandemic and its associated restrictions will begin to recede soon and that traffic levels can start to recover.
The usage data for all stations and franchised or equivalent train operators can be found on the ORR website at:  https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/station-usage. 

Not many takers.  An empty carriage on the 10:31 Market Harborough to Nottingham train on 25th August 2020. 
Picture: Steve Jones 

The 2020 Harborough Rail Users AGM took place on 28th November.  It was held online on Zoom because of the Covid pandemic.
It has been a most unusual year because of the pandemic, which has been very challenging for the railway.  EMR and Network Rail have worked hard to maintain as good a service as they have; significant cutbacks in late March being restored to give almost a full service for Market Harborough by September.  Nonetheless, HRU activity has continued, with meetings early in the year associated with further work on the station, and much email correspondence and telephone discussions on a number of topics since, and communication with EMR and Network Rail has remained good.  We have also had contact with local councillors and the MP regarding the station, and fares policy.
The past year has seen the opening of the car park extension and the cycle hub, the closure of the coffee shop, and liaison with Market Harborough in Bloom regarding their role as station adopters.  However, we still await new toilets and platform canopies as well as a decision on electrification.  Interim arrangements with rolling stock are clearer, as we await the new bi-mode ‘Aurora’ trains in 2023.
The AGM saw the existing Committee and officers re-elected.  The following campaign topics for HRU for the year ahead were agreed:

1. Train services.  The Covid crisis has suppressed passenger numbers massively.  Though the present level of train service is currently underwritten by the Government, this is unlikely to continue indefinitely at the present level.  Passenger numbers need to recover and revenue increase if we are to avoid cutbacks.  We shall remain alert to any threatened reductions, though EMR have given no hint of any such intention. We shall continue to press for improvements to the timetable including, but not limited to, better connections to the north, especially Leeds and Manchester.  We noted that the major timetable re-cast planned for December 2020, when the EMR Electrics service to Corby was due to start, has been postponed to May 2021 because of Covid.  HRU will take part in any consultations about future timetables.
   
2. Rolling stock.  Rolling stock plans for the short- and longer-term are now clearer, with the High Speed Trains (HSTs) due to be taken out of service and replaced in due course by Class 180 multiple units transferred from Hull Trains, plus from next May the Class 222 Meridians released by the Corby electrification.  The new Hitachi ‘Aurora’ Class 810 bi-mode (diesel + electric) trains are now on order and are due to enter service from 2023.  We are keen to see the interior fit-out of our new trains, including seating and the accessibility arrangements for disabled passengers.
   
3. Electrification.  We are keen to see the long-awaited decision on the ‘last mile’ electrification into Market Harborough, associated with the Corby line electrification and the planned power substation at Braybrooke.  We also wish to see the existing electrification between St Pancras and Bedford upgraded for higher speeds, even though the resulting time savings are reported as small.  We continue to support extension of Midland Main Line electrification northwards as well; a decision on this may become associated with decisions on whether the eastern branch of HS2 proceeds.
   
4. Market Harborough station.  We shall continue to press for enhancements to the station including the long-awaited new toilets and the promised platform canopies.  We noted the recent controversy surrounding the cycle hub, but it is now open and in use.  We also regret the closure of The Engine Room café shop and hope EMR will be able to re-let the shop unit to a new tenant at the earliest opportunity.
   
5. Northampton Line.  We shall maintain a watching brief on the proposal for the reopening of the Northampton Line, which we support.  Interestingly, it is mentioned in Network Rail’s July 2020 Leicester Area Strategic Advice document.  This is not the same as an actual go-ahead, but it is interesting to see a reference to it.  This document also proposes additional tracks between Leicester and Wigston to address conflicts between growing levels of east – west freight and the north – south passenger services through Leicester, which would benefit passengers travelling from Market Harborough.