Wellingborough railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Wellingborough


manager = East Midlands Trains
locale = Wellingborough
borough = Wellingborough (borough)
start = 1857
platforms = 3
usage0506 = 0.797
usage0607 = 0.882
latitude = 52.304
longitude = -0.6764

Wellingborough railway station serves the town of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, England. It lies on the Midland Main Line, it is convert|104|km from London St. Pancras and is served in the main part of the day by semi-fast stopping East Midlands Trains Meridian services.

The station is to the east of the town. It is also the closest station to the town of Rushden.

The film Kinky Boots featured Wellingborough station but called it Northampton.

When the Wellingborough east development takes place, the station will be rotated. The main buildings, including the ticket office and toilets will move to the other side of the tracks and platform 4 will be brought back into use.

History

It was built by the Midland Railway in 1857 on its extension from Leicester to Bedford and Hitchin. It was known for a time as Wellingborough Midland Road to distinguish from one built by the LNWR in 1866 at Wellingborough London Road on its line between Northampton and Peterborough which has long disappeared. A curve linked the two stations from west to north.

The buildings, designed by C. A. Driver, still exist, though in altered form.

Wellingborough also had a large locomotive depot with two roundhouses, the first built 1868, the second in 1872.

The station was the scene of a serious accident in 1898 when a trolley ran off the platform in front of a Manchester express. The crew and six passengers were killed and sixty-five injured.

General information

Wellingborough has three platforms: two are regularly used, one occasionally, and another platform face with no trackwork. The station was formerly the junction for a branch to Higham Ferrers and there is now a preservation movement to reopen this route (see Rushden, Higham & Wellingborough Railway).

The station has the PlusBus scheme where train and bus tickets can be bought together at a saving.

From Bedford to Wellingborough the Midland Main Line is unusual for being a three-tracked main line. Other instances of this occurring are around Nuneaton on the West Coast Main Line and on the Cross City line in Birmingham. Before rationalisation this formation was part of the longest continuous four-track layout in the UK, extending from London St. Pancras to Glendon Junction.

Being relatively close to London, the frequency of trains to the capital in the morning and evening peak is excellent for commuting, with a train running (occasionally non stop) every twenty minutes with the quickest journeys taking forty–five minutes.

ervices

There is a half-hourly service to London St. Pancras and via Leicester to either Derby or Nottingham, both operated by East Midlands Trains Meridian trains. The times are:

To St. Pancras Mondays-Fridays:
xx29 from Derby
xx59 from Nottingham

Saturdays:
xx06 from Nottingham
xx36 from Derby
Sundays see different times throughout the day.

To Nottingham/Derby Mondays-Saturdays:
xx21 to Nottingham
xx51 to Derby
Sundays see different times throughout the day.

The morning and evening peak periods see additional trains stop, these are generally operated by Inter City 125 (HST) trains. Northbound evening peak trains operate to Sheffield and Leeds. In addition to these, the Meridian services are extended to Burton upon Trent and with the new franchise, services are proposed to continue to Lincoln via Newark and Melton Mowbray via Corby.

The weekend sees trains operating to Barnsley and York. In the summer months there are also weekend trains to Scarborough, and in future (possibly around 2010) to Skegness.

Travel times

Travel times from Wellingborough to London, Derby, Nottingham & Burton-on-Trent
*51 mins to St Pancras International
*33 mins to Luton Airport Parkway
*33 mins to Luton
*13 mins to Bedford
*7 mins to Kettering
*17 mins to Market Harborough
*34 mins to Leicester
*46 mins to LoughboroughTo Derby (Trains continue to Sheffield and Barnsley in peak times)
*58 mins to Long Eaton
*1h 5 mins to Derby
**1h 20 mins to Willington (peak only)
**1h 26 mins to Burton-on-Trent (peak only)
*To Nottingham (Trains continues to Leeds in peak times)
*58 mins to Beeston
*1h 5 mins to Nottingham

Tickets

Fares on many routes were increased at the start of 2008 (which is common with rail operators), which has made some fares disproportionately more expensive than those at other local stations. To enable more affordable travel, passengers can ask retailers to 'split their ticket'. For example, buying a day return to Bedford then a day return from Bedford to London can make the overall fare to London much cheaper (this is possible on many routes not just London). Be aware retailers are instructed not to do this unless asked, also that the train must stop at the station where the tickets change over although you don't have to get off.

Future

2008/2009
*There is a station being built at Corby built maybe by December 2008 which will have 1tph to and from Corby or Melton Mowbray service to and from London. Trains will call at Kettering, Wellingborough, Bedford, Luton and St Pancras and would be run by class 222 Meridian Trains.
*It is proposed that when the Corby service start (could be in December 2008) that services to Wellingborough & Kettering would be services cut to Market Harborough, Leicester & Loughborough also that there would be no service to Derby. This has angered Wellingborough and Kettering rail users as there would be only one service to Leicester an hour and one to Corby which has been said not to be helpful to local passengers, only Corby locals.

Years Later
*When the Wellingborough east development takes place, the station will be rotated. The main buildings, including the ticket office and toilets will move to the other side of the tracks and platform 4 will be brought back into use.

External links

[http://eastmidlandstrains.co.uk] -East Midlands Trains website.