Wellingborough railway station

Charles Driver's decorative building

Wellingborough station was built by the Midland Railway in 1857, on its extension from Leicester to Bedford and Hitchin. At the time, the station was known as Wellingborough Midland Road to distinguish from one built by the LNWR in 1866, at Wellingborough London Road for the Northampton and Peterborough Railway, which closed in 1966. A curve linked the two stations from west to north.[2]

The buildings, designed by C. H. Driver, still exist, though in altered form. Much of this occurred when the branch to Higham Ferrers was built in 1894, when the up main platform was substantially altered, removing the original canopies.[3]

Wellingborough also had a large locomotive depot with two roundhouses; the first built 1868 and the second in 1872. One of the buildings still exists, next to the main station building. On 2 September 1898, the station was the scene of a serious rail accident, when a trolley ran off the platform in front of a Manchester express train. The crew and five passengers were killed and sixty-five injured.

British Rail removed the fourth track between Kettering and Sharnbrook Junction in the 1980s, for cost cutting reasons, making platform 4 unused. Work started in 2019 on rebuilding the platform in preparation for reopening and reinstatement of the fourth track.

There were originally five platforms at Wellingborough station - Platforms 1 & 2 still exist as they were, platform 3 was the bay platform for Northampton trains, which ceased on 4 May 1964. The bay is still there, but fenced off from platform 2. In 1964, platform 4 (the then down slow platform) was re-numbered platform 3. Platform 5 was taken out of use when the Rushden and Higham Ferrers services ceased in 1959.

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 Kettering, the Midland Main Line is unusual for being a three-tracked main line. There are other instances of this occurring, such as 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 (north of Kettering). With rail freight and passenger demands rising, Network Rail are now in the process of reinstating the fourth line from Sharnbrook Junction to Kettering.

East Midlands Trains launched a new timetable in December 2008, with one train fewer running during the morning peak period and four fewer during the evening peak. Some journey times increased, with the quickest train now taking 47 minutes at peak times.

Most services in 2019 are formed from Class 222 'Meridian' diesel units

A Map of East Midlands Trains InterCity services showing the current off peak service pattern each hour

There is a half-hourly service to London St. Pancras and hourly services to Nottingham via Leicester and to Corby, both operated by Meridian trains. During peak hours, one Nottingham service is extended to start and finish at Lincoln via Newark and one Corby service goes to and from Melton Mowbray.

Faster East Midlands Railway services to/from Leeds, Sheffield, Derby and Nottingham run through Wellingborough at high speed, but do not call outside of peak hours. Interchange with faster services can be made at Leicester.

At the weekend, there is one train per day to York and, in the summer months, the York service on a Saturday is extended to and from Scarborough.[10]

• 2tph to London St Pancras
• 1tph to Corby via Kettering
• 1tph to Nottingham via Kettering, Market Harborough, Leicester, Loughborough and Beeston.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Kettering		East Midlands Railway Midland Main Line		Bedford
	Historical railways
Finedon Line open, station closed		Midland Railway Midland Main Line		Irchester Line open, station closed
	Disused railways
Finedon Line open, station closed		Midland Railway Midland Main Line		Wellingborough London Road Line and station closed
Terminus		Midland Railway Rushden, Higham & Wellingborough Railway		Rushden Line closed and station open
	Proposed Heritage railways
Terminus		Rushden, Higham & Wellingborough Railway		Rushden Line closed and station open

The new platform 4 under construction in 2019

Station improvements[11]

As part of the Department for Transport's Access for all programme, Network Rail have announced to extend the station platforms and improve access by providing lifts, which would replace the flat barrow crossing at end of the platforms.[12] In August 2010, the local council gave planning permission for Network Rail to build lifts and to fit new internal toilets one of the disused buildings in the station.[13]

As Wellingborough is part of the North Northamptonshire growth area, a major housing development is due to take place and provide 3,000 new homes on the east side of the station. Along with this, another housing development is planned north of the town, meaning that the importance of the station will rise. Currently (2010) Network Rail and Borough Council of Wellingborough plan to have platform 4 back into use and for a new station building to be built for the 'Stanton Cross' development, which is due to be completed in 2021.[11]

The Midland Main Line from Bedford to Corby is also in the process of being electrified and will mean that electric trains will serve Wellingborough between London and Corby; the direct connection to Leicester will be lost. Electrification and new services are now expected by mid 2021.[14]

Car parking

Wellingborough South Car Park sign.

The new 'South' car park has been built as a replacement for the 'North' car park which is still open. The replacement was built because of the Wellingborough East (Stanton Cross) development, as a new road bridge would start where the 'North' car park is situated and then go over the railway.[15]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wellingborough railway station.

• National Rail: Wellingborough (WEL) Station information
• National Rail: Wellingborough (WEL) station plan
• National Rail: Live departures, Wellingborough
• East Midlands Trains: Wellingborough