The Government’s Office of Rail and Road publishes annual statistics including estimates of station usage.  These are defined as ‘entrances and exits’ and are derived from ticket sales (‘entrance’ at origin station, ‘exit’ at destination).  For the reporting year April 2024 to March 2025, these figures were released on 4th December 2025.
The total for Market Harborough in the year was 943,468, which was a 6.9% increase on 2023-24’s total of 882,598.  This just exceeds the pre-Covid peak of 937,484 in 2019-20.  Market Harborough’s increase roughly matches the national picture, with UK rail journeys totalling 1.73 billion, up 7.4% from the previous year’s 1.61 billion.
Market Harborough is thus the 566th busiest station on the national network, out of a total of 2,589 stations. 
The main destination or origin for journeys from or to Market Harborough continues to be London, with 447,496 journeys, up slightly from 439,770 in 2023-24.  London's proportion of the overall total for Market Harborough fell slightly, however, from 49.8% in 2023-24 to 47.4% in 2024-25. 
Journeys made with season tickets totalled 171,658 (18.2% of total journeys), up from 147,122 (16.7%) in 2023-24.  Despite this modest increase, season ticket usage is still not much more than half of the pre-Covid total of 311,164 in 2019-20 (33.2% of total journeys).
Will Market Harborough have over a million passengers next year?!

The introduction of EMR’s new bi-mode Hitachi Class 810 Aurora train fleet has been severely delayed; they were meant to start running in 2022!  Covid interrupted things, of course, and testing identified issues with the first of the new trains that needed extensive rectification.
Promised starts in November 2025 did not happen and it began to look as though the first run would not be until the December 2025 timetable change. However, on 3rd December, Aurora unit number 810010 operated the first public duty for the type, the 07:00 Sheffield to St Pancras (which does not call at Market Harborough).  The same unit later worked the 17:05 St Pancras to Nottingham, calling at Market Harborough at 18:07 and thereby becoming our first Aurora service, and thus our first electric train.  However, the electrification only extends as far as Wigston South Junction, so the train was diesel powered by the time it arrived in Leicester. The changeover from electric to diesel takes place at speed and is almost unnoticeable.  We look forward to more Auroras being introduced into service over the next few months.

The Automatic Number Plate Recognition, ANPR, system came into use at Market Harborough station’s main car park on 28th November 2025.  Installation had started on 24th November. Pleasingly, the car park was free of charge during the few days in the transition period and there appeared to be a visible increase in usage!  For more information on the system, see the story below at 6th October 2025.
Parking is still charged daily but is now payable on entry.  Harborough Rail Users have expressed concerns to EMR about this, partly for non-regular users not knowing what to do and having little time before their train arrives.  Others may not know exactly when they will be returning.  Pay on exit would solve both problems.  EMR insist that the system is easy to use and allows additional days to be purchased as needed via the mobile phone app (see left).
There are some benefits compared with the old barrier system, including free parking for Blue Badge holders (subject to registering their badge on the system) and the 30 minutes’ grace before payment is required, allowing free short-stay parking. 
​Arrangements have also been made for the Station Adopters, Market Harborough in Bloom Volunteers, to be able to park free of charge when carrying out activities at the station.

The AGM of Harborough Rail Users took place as planned on 26th November at the Methodist Church Centre in the town.
Steve Jones was re-elected as Chair, and the other officers and Committee were elected for the forthcoming year.  We were pleased to welcome another new member to our Committee.  The meeting noted with pleasure the forthcoming reinstatement from December 15th of a later last train back from London on weekdays, at 22:35 from St Pancras.  We also noted the improved bus connections at the station since June. We are hopeful a new operator for the station café can soon be found.
The priorities for the group were confirmed.  These are:

• The train service and connectivity.  We shall continue to press for earlier first trains on Sundays, especially given the unreliability of the present first southbound trains. Improved connections at Kettering onto the EMR Connect service are a priority.  Better connections at Leicester for Birmingham are also sought.
• The introduction of the new ‘Aurora’ bi-mode trains. Once all are in service, these will bring greater capacity plus more reliable wi-fi and seat reservations.  Moreover, their operational performance may give rise to reviews of the timetable.  HRU would want to take part in any consultations about future timetables and stopping patterns, for example, the potential for some Intercity calls at Bedford and Luton Airport Parkway. Both have an important interchange role, which for Bedford will greatly increase when East West Rail opens to Oxford and eventually Cambridge.
• Further improvements to the station, including reopening of the café, and landscaping works;
• Monitoring the operation of ANPR in the station car park. This may help to alleviate the lack of designated short-stay parking on the east side of the station. We also continue to seek covered cycle parking for occasional users for whom joining the Cycle Hub scheme is not worthwhile;
• Further integration of bus services with trains at Market Harborough, especially extension of the X3 bus route to and from the station;
• Maintaining a continued watching brief on the debate about reopening the Northampton line.
• Possibly joining a Community Rail Partnership should that come into existence for Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough, as has been proposed. Doing so would help strengthen links between ‘the railway’ and ‘the community’, in turn giving us another means of access to more influence on rail services etc. at Market Harborough.

The 2024-25 HRU Annual Report can be viewed here:  

​Harborough Rail Users welcomed the announcement on 24th November 2025 that regulated rail fares, which usually rise by RPI + 1% each January, were to be frozen in 2026.  The Government is under great pressure over the cost of living and presented the fares freeze as a contribution toward easing the burden.  We in HRU have long complained of the fares from Market Harborough being disproportionately high compared with some other lines and stations such as Northampton.  Though the fares freeze does not change that, it does help make rail travel more affordable.