Harborough Rail Users held their Annual General Meeting on Friday 26th November 2021, online because of continued Covid caution.  The officers and Committee were elected for the forthcoming year.  The priorities for the group were confirmed; these are:

• The train service and the risk of reductions, especially any resulting from the pandemic;
• Rolling stock, including shorter trains leading to some recent overcrowding;
• Electrification, work on which is due to start imminently;
• The remaining works needed to complete the station, including the new toilets and waiting room on Platform 1; and
• Keeping a watching brief on the possible consideration by England’s Economic Heartland of reopening of the Northampton line.

​The meeting also considered the reductions in CrossCountry services from Leicester resulting from staff shortages, and coordination of replacement buses with trains during engineering work.
Click on the link below for the Annual Report for HRU for the year to November 2021, as presented to the AGM.

Harborough Rail Users are holding their 2021 Annual General Meeting on Friday 26th November 2021, starting at 1:00pm.  Because of continuing Covid precautions, the meeting this year will be held online on Zoom. 
As well as electing officers for the group for the forthcoming year, the meeting will consider relevant topics including reviewing the past year and the start of the recovery from the Covid pandemic.  Campaign priorities for the forthcoming year will also be considered.  Among these are the remaining improvements we would like to see at the station, and the electrification of the line, now in its early stages.
Anyone who cares about Market Harborough's station and rail service and would like to attend the online AGM is invited to contact Harborough Rail Users via our Get in Touch facility.

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. 

Harborough Rail Users are holding their 2020 Annual General Meeting on Friday 27th November 2020, starting at 1:00pm.  Because of the Covid-19 crisis, the meeting this year will be held online on Zoom. 
As well as electing officers for the group for the forthcoming year, the meeting will consider relevant topics including reviewing the past year, which has of course been dominated by the implications of Covid-19 for the railway and its users.  Campaign priorities for the forthcoming year will also be considered.  Foremost among these is the future of the rail service post-Covid, including planned investment in the line, station and rolling stock.  The structure of the rail industry is also relevant to our services at Market Harborough.
Anyone who cares about Market Harborough's station and rail service and would like to attend the virtual AGM is invited to contact Harborough Rail Users via our Get in Touch facility.

The next open Committee meeting of HRU has been arranged for Monday 20th January, starting at 18:00, in the front bar of The Oat Hill pub restaurant on Kettering Road, Little Bowden.  The main item on the agenda is the East Midlands Railway timetable consultation for December 2020.  This is when the EMR Electrics service to Corby is due to start.  The Intercity service - which serves Market Harborough - is also due to see significant alterations. Anyone with an interest in the train service from Market Harborough is welcome to attend.
Details of the consultation, and the opportunity to submit individual responses, can be found at https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/december2020.  The consultation closes on 14th February 2020.