UK rail infrastructure operator Network Rail has announced that a major £103m project has entered the next phase, which will pave the way for more passenger services between Corby, Kettering and London.
Since September last year, engineers have been working to reinstate a second track between Kettering and Corby in order to meet the growing demand for passenger and freight services.
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The project is expected to allow start of additional passenger and freight services from the end of 2017.
Piling work to widen and strengthen the existing railway embankment which will allow the existing line to be realigned, and the second line to be installed has been initiated in the Kettering area and it will be carried out until 20 July.
Network Rail area director Steve Hughes said: "This vital work will double capacity on this stretch of the network boosting rail travel for thousands of passengers on this route.
"This investment we are making in the region will take a Victorian railway into the 21st century paving the way for smoother and better journeys for passengers. We thank our neighbours for their patience."
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By GlobalDataWork will be carried out overnight at weekends and on some midweek nights, while the piling work inevitably involves some noise, which may cause lineside residents some disturbance.
An hourly service currently runs on a single line between Corby and Kettering.
According to Network Rail, the second track on the line between Corby and Kettering was removed in 1986 when traffic decreased with the closure of steelmaking in the town.
Image: Improvement work on the railway. Photo: courtesy of Network Rail.
