Disruption warning over major rail engineering work

Major engineering works are to be carried out to the south of Leicester to replace parts of a heavily-used railway line.

Network Rail said key switchings and crossings on the track, used by trains to change tracks at Knighton Junction, would be replaced.

The £5m project will be carried out on Saturday and Sunday when there will be no services between Leicester and Kettering, the company said.

Buses will replace trains for passengers travelling between Leicester, Market Harborough, and Kettering.

Network Rail said Knighton Junction was a key interchange on the Midland Mainline for passenger services and freight trains.

The firm said engineers regularly visited the junction because it was heavily-used and it had already carried out strengthening measures to better protect rail components there.

Additional engineering work is also scheduled over the weekend to power up newly installed overhead cables between Kettering and Wigston.

Tara Scott, infrastructure director for Network Rail's East Midlands route, said: "The work we are carrying out at Knighton Junction is a major investment to make the rail network in that area more resilient and reliable.

"I know that carrying out engineering work can be disruptive for passengers, and I want to thank passengers, in advance, for their patience and understanding while we carry out this work."

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