Kettering railway station is to the south-west of the
KetteringKettering is a town in the north of Northamptonshire, England. It is the main town within the Borough of Kettering.Kettering is on the River Ise, a tributary of the Nene and is twinned with Lahnstein, Germany and Kettering, Ohio, in the United States....
town centre in
NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It lies on the
Midland Main LineThe Midland Main Line is a major railway line in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The 'Modern' line links London St. Pancras International to Sheffield station in northern England via Luton, Bedford, Kettering, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Chesterfield.Historically the...
, 115 km (72 miles) north of London St. Pancras and is served primarily by slower
East Midlands TrainsEast Midlands Trains is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands and surrounding areas, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire...
Class 222 "Meridian"The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation....
services, with
HSTThere are three types of trains in Britain that have been traditionally viewed as high speed trains:* Advanced Passenger Train - Tilting trains which never entered into regular revenue-earning service....
services at peak times.
Through-fares were made available from 68 UK towns and cities to Paris, Brussels and other destinations in France and Belgium in late 2007, which must be booked through
EurostarEurostar is a high-speed railway passenger service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains cross under the English Channel via the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
.
Being relatively close to London, the frequency of trains to the capital in the morning and evening peak is excellent for
commutingCommuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. Institutions that have few dormitories or near-campus student housing are called commuter schools in the United States....
, with a train running (occasionally non stop) every twenty minutes with the quickest journeys taking forty-five minutes.
The station was opened in May 1857 by the
Midland RailwayThe Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
on a line linking the Midland to the
Great Northern RailwayThe Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the London & York Railway Act of 1846.The main line ran from London via Hitchin, Peterborough, and Grantham, to York, with a loop line from Peterborough to Bawtry via Boston and Lincoln, and branch lines to Sheffield and...
at
HitchinHitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
.
Kettering railway station is to the south-west of the
KetteringKettering is a town in the north of Northamptonshire, England. It is the main town within the Borough of Kettering.Kettering is on the River Ise, a tributary of the Nene and is twinned with Lahnstein, Germany and Kettering, Ohio, in the United States....
town centre in
NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It lies on the
Midland Main LineThe Midland Main Line is a major railway line in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The 'Modern' line links London St. Pancras International to Sheffield station in northern England via Luton, Bedford, Kettering, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Chesterfield.Historically the...
, 115 km (72 miles) north of London St. Pancras and is served primarily by slower
East Midlands TrainsEast Midlands Trains is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands and surrounding areas, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire...
Class 222 "Meridian"The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation....
services, with
HSTThere are three types of trains in Britain that have been traditionally viewed as high speed trains:* Advanced Passenger Train - Tilting trains which never entered into regular revenue-earning service....
services at peak times.
Through-fares were made available from 68 UK towns and cities to Paris, Brussels and other destinations in France and Belgium in late 2007, which must be booked through
EurostarEurostar is a high-speed railway passenger service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains cross under the English Channel via the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
.
Being relatively close to London, the frequency of trains to the capital in the morning and evening peak is excellent for
commutingCommuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. Institutions that have few dormitories or near-campus student housing are called commuter schools in the United States....
, with a train running (occasionally non stop) every twenty minutes with the quickest journeys taking forty-five minutes.
History
The station was opened in May 1857 by the
Midland RailwayThe Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
on a line linking the Midland to the
Great Northern RailwayThe Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the London & York Railway Act of 1846.The main line ran from London via Hitchin, Peterborough, and Grantham, to York, with a loop line from Peterborough to Bawtry via Boston and Lincoln, and branch lines to Sheffield and...
at
HitchinHitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
. (Later the Midland gained its own London terminus at
St Pancras railway stationSt Pancras railway station is a major railway station situated in the United Kingdom that is celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London, between the British Library, King's Cross station and the...
)
It was designed by C H Driver, with particularly fine "pierced grill" cast ironwork on the platforms. Although it was altered between 1879 and 1884 when the line was quadrupled and again in 1896, it is one of best remaining examples of Midland architecture.
At the time, the leather trade being in recession, over half of its population was on poor relief. The railway enabled the town to sell its products over a much wider area and restored it to prosperity.
In the 1970s the glass canopies became a maintenance headache for
British RailBritish Railways , which later traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the British railway system from the nationalisation of the 'Big Four' British railway companies in 1948 until privatisation in stages from 1994 to 1997...
, who proposed to remove the tops of the cast iron columns and replace the glass canopies with plastic sheeting. Kettering Civic Society objected to the plans and the canopies and columns were reprieved, later to be sympathetically restored by
RailtrackRailtrack was a group of companies that owned the track, signalling, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and all but a handful of the stations of the British railway system from its formation in April 1994 until 2002...
in 2000.
Services
There is a half-hourly service to London St. Pancras and to Nottingham via
LeicesterLeicester railway station serves the City of Leicester in Leicestershire, England.-Background:The first station on the site opened in the Victorian era, in 1840, though this was replaced in 1894 by a new station...
or
CorbyCorby is a railway station owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains . It serves the town of Corby in Northamptonshire, England...
both operated by modern
MeridianThe British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation....
trains. In the morning and evening services are extended to
LincolnLincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of around 101,000 - the 2001 census gave the entire urban area of Lincoln a population of 120,779...
via
NewarkNewark-on-Trent is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. It stands athwart the River Trent, the Great North Road and the East Coast Main Line railway.-Geography:...
and
Melton MowbrayMelton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
via
CorbyCorby is a borough of Northamptonshire, and an industrial town located 13 km north of Kettering in the East Midlands of England. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure. Corby is in a triangle formed by Leicester,...
.
Faster East Midlands Trains services to/from
LeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. The historic core at the heart of Leeds in 2001 had an estimated subdivision population of 443,247, whilst the entire city, that includes the urban and suburban areas incorporated into the city in 1974, had an estimated...
,
SheffieldSheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base...
,
NottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England and is one of only eight members of the English Core Cities Group....
and
DerbyDerby is a city in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
run through at high speed, but do not stop. Interchange with Faster services can be made at
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England. It is the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
and St Pancras.
The weekend sees trains operating to
YorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence....
and in the summer months there are also weekend trains to Scarborough. EMT plan to run a through service (possibly around 2010) to
SkegnessSkegness is a seaside town and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910...
, although this depends on when
Network RailNetwork Rail owns and operates Britain’s rail infrastructure. It is a British "not for dividend" company limited by guarantee whose principal asset is Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, a company limited by shares....
have completed track upgrade works.
Corby
Just to the north of Kettering is the junction for the
Oakham to Kettering LineThe Oakham to Kettering Railway Line is a railway line in central England. For many years it was used for mainly for freight traffic, and as an important diversionary route for passenger trains traveling the Midland Main Line as well as for the occasional excursion.Recently, however, the part of...
, which leads through
CorbyCorby is a borough of Northamptonshire, and an industrial town located 13 km north of Kettering in the East Midlands of England. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure. Corby is in a triangle formed by Leicester,...
to Manton Junction where it joins the
Leicester to Peterborough LineThe Birmingham to Peterborough Line is a cross-country railway line in the United Kingdom, linking the Midlands to East Anglia.-Services:Passenger services are provided by CrossCountry, with a very small number of East Midlands Trains London and Local services east of Leicester...
. This historically provided an alternative route for expresses to
NottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England and is one of only eight members of the English Core Cities Group....
via
Old DalbyOld Dalby is a village in the English county of Leicestershire. It is located to the north-west of Melton Mowbray. It was originally known as "Wold Dalby" or "Dalby on the Wolds".-Village:...
.
Passenger services were withdrawn from this line in the 1960s, though it remains open for freight. In 1987 Network South East experimentally introduced a shuttle service between Kettering and a
new stationCorby is a railway station owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains . It serves the town of Corby in Northamptonshire, England...
in the nearby town of Corby. The service was however withdrawn a few years later. Corby is often quoted as being the largest town in western Europe with no rail station. East Midlands Trains, and
Midland MainlineMidland Mainline was a British train operating company owned by the National Express Group and based in Derby. It was created after the privatisation of British Rail. Midland Mainline services operated from April 1996 to November 2007....
before them, are committed through their franchise to run a shuttle bus from Corby to Kettering station. Occasionally the line is used as a diversionary route when the route between Kettering and
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England. It is the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
is closed for whatever reason.
The new station at Corby was originally planned to open in December 2008, however this has been put back until extra trains have been acquired. opened on 23 February 2009, initially served by one return train to
London St PancrasSt Pancras railway station is a major railway station situated in the United Kingdom that is celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London, between the British Library, King's Cross station and the...
per day, operated by
East Midlands TrainsEast Midlands Trains is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands and surrounding areas, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire...
. Full service, with 13 daily returns to London, started on 27 April 2009. The service provides one train each hour calling at Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough, Bedford, Luton and St Pancras; with a minimum journey time from Corby to London of 1 hour and 14 minutes. One of the train pairs is extended North of Corby to
OakhamOakham railway station serves the town of Oakham in Rutland, England. The station is situated almost halfway between Leicester – 43 km to the west – and Peterborough – 41 km eastward on the Syston and Peterborough Railway.Oakham is Rutland's only surviving passenger railway...
.
Facilities
Kettering is a staffed station, who are present during operational hours (05:00-00:30), and is locked and inaccessible during non operational times (01:00-04:30). The station is monitored via CCTV cameras which are monitored locally and at the town council offices.
- Lifts to all platforms.
- Large pay and display car park (currently 2007 - £6.50 per day).
- Waiting rooms on all platforms.
- Pumpkin Cafe.
- Accessible toilet and Baby change.
- Corby bus link (connecting with all arrivals).
- FastTicket machine
The Shere FASTticket system is a passenger-operated, self-service railway ticket issuing system, developed by the Guildford-based company Shere Ltd and first introduced on a trial basis in Britain in 1996, shortly after privatisation...
- Food Vending machines.
- Payphones.
- Taxis.
The station has the
PlusBusPLUSBUS is an add-on ticket, which can be purchased with rail tickets in Great Britain. It allows unlimited travel on participating bus operators' services in the area around selected railway stations.-History:...
scheme where train and bus tickets can be bought together at a saving.
Major urban centres
Many of the UK's major cities can be reached with one or two changes. Many continental cities can be reached via one change at St Pancras International.
The following places can be reached directly from Kettering (Journey times approximate)
- London
[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
(St Pancras InternationalSt Pancras railway station is a major railway station situated in the United Kingdom that is celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London, between the British Library, King's Cross station and the...
) - 50-65 minutes
- Derby
Derby is a city in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
- 55 mins
- Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England and is one of only eight members of the English Core Cities Group....
- 55 mins
- Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base...
- 1 hour 25 mins
- Luton
Luton is a town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 32 miles north of London. Luton, along with its near neighbours of Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of over 230,000.Luton is home to non-league Luton Town Football Club, whose...
- 40 mins
The following places are only reached directly from Kettering at certain times:
- Doncaster
Doncaster is a large town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is located about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
- 1 hour 45 mins (Evenings)
- Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement of the City of Wakefield metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder, it had a population of 76,886 in 2001.Wakefield was dubbed the "Merrie City" in the Middle Ages.-Toponymy:...
- 1 hour 55 mins (Evenings)
- Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. The historic core at the heart of Leeds in 2001 had an estimated subdivision population of 443,247, whilst the entire city, that includes the urban and suburban areas incorporated into the city in 1974, had an estimated...
- 2 hours 15 mins (Peak times)
- York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence....
- 2 hours 30 mins (1 journey each way - weekends only)
The following places can be reached from Kettering by changing once (Journey times approximate)
- Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Kidsgrove, Stoke forms the The Potteries Urban Area...
, CreweCrewe is a town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
- Change at Derby
- Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the second largest Scottish city, after Glasgow, and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas....
, NewcastleNewcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England...
- Change at Sheffield or Derby
- Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
, LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
- Change at Nottingham
- Inverness
Inverness is a city in northern Scotland. The city is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is promoted as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
- Change at York
Passengers are able to travel to
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and
BrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium...
by changing at St Pancras Int.
East Midlands TrainsEast Midlands Trains is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands and surrounding areas, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire...
,have said they will introduce earlier journeys to London to allow passengers to arrive in Paris or Brussels before 9am.
Local important centres
The following places can be reached directly from Kettering (Journey times approximate)
- Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town of Kempston...
- 32 mins
- Corby
Corby is a borough of Northamptonshire, and an industrial town located 13 km north of Kettering in the East Midlands of England. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure. Corby is in a triangle formed by Leicester,...
- 8 mins
- Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It had a population of 57,600 in 2004. It is the second largest settlement in Leicestershire after Leicester, is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council, and the home of Loughborough University.In 1841 Loughborough was...
- 36 mins
- Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town in Leicestershire, England and in the district of Harborough. It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council. Although it is in Leicestershire, its surrounding villages which form its natural hinterland are half...
- 10 mins
- Wellingborough
Wellingborough is a town in Northamptonshire, England situated some eleven miles from the county town of Northampton and eight miles south of Kettering. It dates from the 6th century and is mentioned in the Domesday Book under the name of Wendelburie, and was granted a royal market charter in 1201....
- 7/9 mins
The following places can be reached from Kettering by changing once (Journey times approximate)
- Bradford
Bradford is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, HalifaxHalifax is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England, with an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece Hall...
- change at Leeds
- Norwich
Norwich is a city in Norfolk, East Anglia which is in Eastern England. It is the regional administrative centre and county city of Norfolk...
- Change at Nottingham
- Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city.Huddersfield is near the confluence of the River Colne and the River Holme...
, RotherhamRotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, HullKingston upon Hull , almost invariably referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located 25 miles from the North Sea on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary...
, GrimsbyGrimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996. According to legend, Grimsby was first founded by Grim, a Danish fisherman. 'By' means 'village' in Old Norse and 'city'...
- Change at Sheffield
- Grantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It stands athwart the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of...
, SkegnessSkegness is a seaside town and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910...
, BostonBoston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England"...
, Lincoln CentralLincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of around 101,000 - the 2001 census gave the entire urban area of Lincoln a population of 120,779...
- Change at Nottingham
- Mansfield
Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the county, lying on the River Maun, from which the name of the town is derived. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district...
- Change at Nottingham
Tickets
The ticket office is open to retail all rail products for any journey from 06:00 until 20:30 Monday to Sunday, at all other times a vending machine is accessible to issue tickets for that day.