National Grid has received planning approval from the Kettering Borough Council to build a new electricity substation and access road in Braybrooke parish.
Image: A power transmission line. Photo: courtesy of John Smith/Freeimages.com.
Kettering Borough Council has granted consent for the electricity substation and part of the access road. Harborough District Council has given its approval for the remainder of the access road.
The substation will provide electricity supplies to a proposed new trackside feeder station which Network Rail will build as part of its plans to upgrade the Midland Main Line. The permanent 1.6km long access road from Kettering Road, off the A6, will keep construction and operational traffic away from Braybrooke and Market Harborough where people live and the roads are narrow.
Luke Sewell, project engineer at National Grid, said: “Now we’ve received planning permission we’ve started to develop plans for the construction phase of work. We expect to appoint a contractor around November 2018 and carry out archaeology surveys between November 2018 and May 2019. This is so we can examine and record any features of archaeological interest on the site. Main construction work is scheduled to start around May 2019 and complete around December 2020. We’ve written to local residents and businesses to update them on our progress and we’ll continue to do so.”
The Midland Main Line is undergoing the largest upgrade since it was completed in 1870. Upgrades to the line include track realignment, station remodelling, capacity works, bridge reconstructions and signalling improvements. In addition, the line from Bedford via Kettering to Corby will be electrified by December 2019 – enabling faster, more efficient trains to operate on the route and a quieter, cleaner environment for lineside neighbours.
The new substation is one of two new supply points along the railway. The first at Charlton in London is underway. The second at Braybrooke will support the introduction of electrified train services from December 2020.
Source: Company Press Release