Northampton – Market Harborough
Travel between Northampton and Leicester could be revolutionised if the railway between Northampton to Market Harborough (N2MH) is reopened.
Restoring the N2MH rail link would provide transformative social, economic and environmental benefits for Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and further afield.
N2MH has huge potential to improve social inequality, create jobs, stimulate economic growth and reduce excess deaths from pollution.
There is growing parliamentary support for re-opening the line which, although closed for over 40 years, is still largely in existence.
Add your voice and make it happen.
THE SITUATION NOW
Northampton and Leicester are 31 miles (50 km) apart.
Currently the journey takes over 100 minutes by rail with two changes in Rugby and Nuneaton.
The same journey is over 90 minutes by bus.
Poor air quality is amongst the greatest health threats in West Northamptonshire.
The British Heart Foundation attributed 1 in 20 deaths in Northampton to air pollution in 2017 and predicted air pollution would cause 1,700 deaths in Northamptonshire before 2030.
N2MH: THE POTENTIAL
A reopened N2MH railway would create a Northampton to Market Harborough journey time of under 18 minutes (Network Rail Feasibility Study 2020).
It would create a Northampton to Leicester journey of 34 minutes or less.
N2MH would transform commuting and provide cleaner air in Northampton and Market Harborough as well as decarbonised journeys.
It would produce greater economic opportunity and reduce transport inequality.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Currently, Northampton has direct rail services to only four cities: London, Birmingham, Milton Keynes and Coventry.
A reopened N2MH railway would provide fast connections to Leicester, Loughborough, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield and an opportunity for London to Edinburgh services via Northampton and Leicester.
After the reopening of the Milton Keynes to Oxford line in 2025, N2MH would offer fast links from the East Midlands to Oxford via Northampton.
N2MH would transform journeys between Northampton, Kettering and Corby. A journey from Northampton to Kettering could be achieved in under 18 minutes (Network Rail Feasibility Study 2020).
N2MH: THE 2020 REPORT
A 2020 Network rail report on reopening N2MH was encouraging but incomplete.
This report needs to be completed and updated to take N2MH forward.
The British Regional Transport Association projects that 4 million passengers would use the N2MH service annually.
A new report into N2MH must consider:
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Passenger and freight estimates
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Jobs created and supported
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reduction of pollution, carbon savings and offsets
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improvements in the region’s health through decreased pollution and increased economic activity
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economic, social and health costs of not reopening N2MH for Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, the East Midlands and nationally
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Ongoing fears of economic investment being concentrated within the South-East
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Brampton Valley Way protection and enhancement
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Northampton and Lamport Steam Railway preservation
N2MH: INVESTMENT
N2MH is an ideal candidate for Invest 2035: the UK’s modern industrial strategy.
As well as furthering decarbonisation, N2MH would bring high quality infrastructure and connectivity to the region.
As Invest 2035 states: “a resilient safe and secure transport network provides access to social and economic opportunity and is fundamental to business investment and location decisions.”
N2MH: THE ROUTE
The Northampton to Market Harborough line was in active use until August 1981.
The project to reopen N2MH would need to ensure that:
- The Brampton Valley Way and its linear park can be preserved and, indeed, enhanced alongside the railway.
- The future of the Northampton and Lamport Heritage Railway is preserved.
- A full local economic and health assessment is conducted.
- Carbon capture opportunities, through reforesting, are maximised.
View low-res scans of N2MH route plans from Network Rail’s Reinstatement of the Rail Link from Northampton to the Midland Main Line Scoping Study, March 2020
N2MH: MAKE IT HAPPEN, TAKE ACTION
Your voice matters.
Join the calls for the commissioning of a new, complete feasibility report.
Contact your councillors. Write to your MP.
It’s powerful to write to your MP or councillor in your own words, telling your representative about your own beliefs and experiences and how they relate to N2MH.
Only write to your local MP and councillors. There is one MP for each constituency and they are there to represent the interests of all their constituents, not just the people who voted for them.
We recommend using writetothem.com to find your MP and councillors and to send your message or use the list of regional MPs below.
N2MH: Make your voice heard. Make it happen.
Think about the following questions when composing your letter to MPs / councillors:
- What journeys do you make? Work? Leisure? Appointments / visits?
How could N2MH improve the journeys you make? - Do you actively choose road over rail or bus? Why?
- Do you consider where you live to be well served by public transport?
- Do you have experience of new areas of housing and public transport?
- What are your experiences of the road journeys you make in the region?
- Have you made employment, school or relocation decisions based on journey times or access to public transport? Or on the lack of access to public transport?
- What are your thoughts on the environmental impact of your journeys?
- Do you have accessibility needs that affect journey decisions you make?
- What do you think about air pollution in your area?
- If you’ve enjoyed using the Brampton Valley Way, can you imagine a reopened railway coexisting alongside?
- Are you involved with or have you enjoyed the Northampton and Lamport Heritage Railway? How do you see a restored N2MH railway working alongside?
- What are the most important N2MH-related issues to you? Why?
Journey times? Road congestion reduction? Pollution reduction? Accessibility? Taking freight off the roads in your area? A better connected region? - What should be done next to make N2MH happen?
Our tips: - Even if your MP is not in the N2MH region, your letter provides them with an opportunity to learn about the issue and take action themselves.
- Aim for your letter to be no longer than one and a half sides of A4.
- Engage. Get your representative’s attention with a dramatic fact or short statement on N2MH.
- State the problem. Present the causes of the problem you just introduced. How widespread or serious is the problem?
- Inform them about the solutions that N2MH would bring.
- Call to Action. Let them know what you want them to do about it.
- Ask for a response.
Regional MPs
Northampton South | Mike Reader
Northampton North | Lucy Rigby
Kettering | Rosie Wrighting
Corby and East Northamptonshire | Lee Barron
Daventry | Stuart Andrew
Harborough, Oadby and Wigston | Neil O’Brien
Leicester South | Shockat Adam
Leicester East | Shivani Raja
Leicester West Liz Kendall
Wellingborough and Rushden | Gen Kitchen
South Northamptonshire | Sarah Bool
South Leicestershire | Alberto Costa
Mid Leicestershire | Mr Peter Bedford
Loughborough | Dr Jeevun Sandher
REGIONAL COUNCILLORS
OLD OAK COMMON – NORTHAMPTON – MARKET HARBOROUGH – LEICESTER?
Could N2MH extend this new route scheme proposed by England’s Economic Heartland and the East West Main Line Partnership?
In February 2025 England’s Economic Heartlands and EWML Partnership publicly made the case for constructing a new major rail corridor between Northampton to Old Oak Common. If opened, this line would make Northampton a major rail hub. N2MH joins directly into this proposed new corridor.
We believe that N2MH and the Northampton to Old Oak Common rail line projects offer considerable synergistic benefits, particularly with faster rail access to Leicester, Loughborough and beyond. We’re determined that any updated N2MH and Northampton to Old Oak Common feasibility reports should each factor in the benefit which each confers to the other.