Harborough Rail Users takes part in the Station Adopters for Market Harborough station.  This group is led by Market Harborough in Bloom Volunteers, who maintain award-winning amenity planting around the station, such as the planting boxes on the platforms plus the two restored parcels trolleys and the ‘goods wagons’ near the car park steps.  All of this is done under the auspices of EMR and their Community Engagement Managers provide much help and guidance. 
Our previous Engagement Manager, Alexa Stott, who had given a great deal of assistance and support, recently left EMR.  We wish her well in her new ventures.  Her replacement, Kaye Robinson, visited the station on 28th March and we had a walk-around and discussed numerous ideas.  One of these is the ‘Stationmaster’s Garden’ the rough bit of ground at the foot of the car park access road, next to the car wash.  We are hopeful that access can be granted to enable volunteers to create a small open space or garden at this gateway location for the town.   This follows disappointment at the withdrawal of funding previously earmarked for an improvement scheme for the station forecourt and adjacent grassy bank under the Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund via Harborough District Council.

​EMR have installed a new ‘Welcome Point’ in the booking hall at Market Harborough.  This is one of a small number of these on a trial at several of EMR’s stations.  The purpose is to enable disabled passengers or others who have booked assistance to alert staff to their arrival at the station when the booking office is unattended.  The large black and yellow cabinet is designed to be eye-catching.  Users place a hand where indicated on the panel on the front of the kiosk.  This messages the staff, who may be up on the platforms for example, to say they are there.  Staff can then come down and provide assistance.  In the meantime, the screen on the kiosk ‘wakes up’ and assurance is given both visually, with sign language, and by spoken announcement, that staff are on their way.
It is only an experiment, but in principle it is a good idea. HRU have given comments back to EMR to the effect that something similar in the car park pay-station would be worthwhile.  Station staff have told us it would be useful if the device had a camera and microphone such that they could interact with the customer before returning to the booking hall.  For example, there may be a delay in their attendance at the booking hall because they are engaged in urgent duties on the platform – such as assisting another disabled person in boarding a train.

Harborough Rail Users held their Annual General Meeting on Monday 18th November 2024.  For the first time, this was a hybrid meeting, in person at The Red Cow pub in Market Harborough and online on Zoom. We are grateful to The Red Cow for their hospitality and to national rail campaign organisation Railfuture for facilitating the Zoom call for those unable to attend in person.
Steve Jones was re-elected as Chair, and the other officers and Committee were elected for the forthcoming year.  We were pleased to welcome a new member to our Committee.  The priorities for the group were confirmed; these are:

• The train service and connectivity, including reinstatement of withdrawn early morning and late evening services especially from London, earlier first trains on Sundays, and improved connections at Leicester and Kettering, plus easier access to Luton Airport Parkway;
• The introduction to service of the new ‘Aurora’ bi-mode trains.  We trust these will bring greater capacity to services from Market Harborough, plus more reliable wi-fi and seat reservations;
• Further improvements to the station, including those planned for the forecourt area
  
• Improvement to deal with the continued lack of short-stay parking on the east side of the station and the lack of covered cycle parking for casual users;
• More integration of bus services with trains at Market Harborough;
• Maintaining a continued watching brief on the debate about reopening the Northampton line.

The 2023-24 HRU Annual Report can be viewed here:
hru_report_of_the_chair_-_agm_2024.pdf

Harborough Rail Users are holding their 2024 Annual General Meeting on Monday 18th November 2024.  The meeting starts at 7:00pm, in the upstairs meeting room at The Red Cow pub, High Street, Market Harborough. As this room is unfortunately only accessible via stairs, the AGM will be a hybrid meeting, with online access also to be provided.  
As well as electing officers for the group for the forthcoming year, the meeting will consider relevant topics including reviewing the past year.  Campaign priorities for the forthcoming year will also be considered.  Among these are the introduction of our new train fleet and any associated timetable changes arising from the electrification of the line.
Anyone who cares about Market Harborough's station and rail service is invited to come along.  No need to book; just turn up.  
​If you would like to attend the AGM online, please contact Harborough Rail Users via our Get in Touch facility at the top of the screen, or email us at [email protected].  If you would like to stand for election to the Committee, or nominate someone else (with their consent), please contact us in the same way.

EMR have recently advised of significant changes to our trains on Sundays from 15th December 2024.  These result from completion of some engineering work south of Bedford such that all four tracks will be available from 09:00 on Sundays.  At present, only two of the four tracks can be used, resulting in congestion and slowing journey times. 
Many of our Sunday trains to London will be significantly speeded up, as follows:
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Southbound
• MH 08:43 – London St Pancras 09:50 – (22-minute improvement)
• MH 09:06 – London St Pancras 10:15 – (23-minute improvement)
• MH 09:41 – London St Pancras 10:51 – (27-minute improvement)
• MH 10:11 – London St Pancras 11:21 – (21-minute improvement)
• MH 10:46 – London St Pancras 11:55 – (15-minute improvement)
• MH 10:59 – London St Pancras 12:10 – (9-minute improvement)

However, the 08:43 (currently 08:40) will be our first train to London.
The present 07:43 and 08:10 will no longer run.
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EMR advise that this is because of Network Rail needing more engineering access to the lines in the Leicester, Nottingham and Derby areas. 
The loss of the first two trains is partly balanced by the faster journey time on the 08:40, so first arrival into London will be at 09:50 compared with 09:16 now, only 34 minutes later.  However, earliest arrival times at the intermediate stations south of Kettering will be between 50 minutes and an hour later.  For example, the first arrival time at Luton Airport Parkway from Market Harborough will be at 09:27, compared with 08:37 now.
EMR advise that our first two trains “are currently significantly amended over 80% of the time, and are a mixture of buses for part of the journey, and / or re-timed and diverted”.  Mind you, they are also capable of arriving early at St Pancras.  Our experience is also that they are well used.

 Northbound

• Our first train north, currently the 10:29 to Nottingham, will become the 10:13.  Though this will be 16 minutes earlier than now, which is welcome, it will still miss the 10:15 from Leicester to Derby and Sheffield.  To be fair, however, we will have a 10:39 direct to Sheffield, arriving at 11:57.

We met with EMR, including one of their timetable planners, on 4th September to discuss this.  We put forward our concerns about the shortening of the operating day on Sunday, and the loss of capacity.  The 07:43 is formed of 10 carriages, the 08:10 is five.  We also expressed concern about the loss of early morning connectivity to the intermediate stations such as Luton Airport Parkway.

There is the irony that, though the electrification is entirely for the purposes of upgrading and improving our line, and is now physically complete, we are faced with a trimming back of our Sunday train service!
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Do you use these first two trains south from Market Harborough on a Sunday?  Let us know if you will be affected by this change.
[email protected]