Transformer deliveries mark major milestone for Braybrooke Substation project and the Midland Main Line Upgrade
Since early 2021 National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) has been building a new electricity substation near Braybrooke, on the outskirts of Market Harborough in Leicestershire.
The new substation, once complete, will form a vital part of electrical infrastructure to support Network Rail’s electrification of the Midland Main Line.
Following months of hard work, the project has reached a major milestone, as the engineering team have taken delivery of two new transformers.
The transformers arrived during November and were delivered via an access road off Kettering Road built to ensure construction traffic avoids the areas of Market Harborough and Braybrooke. Weighing an impressive 100 tonnes, they will now be installed at the substation over the coming months.
Braybrooke Substation will provide an interface between the railway and National Grid. It will take electricity from National Grid at 400kV to a transformer which will then reduce the voltage to 25kV. Network Rail will then take the electricity and distribute it up and down the railway line via a track side feeder station to electric trains running between London St Pancras and Market Harborough.
Electrifying the line is expected to bring significant benefits for rail passengers and people living nearby – enabling faster, more efficient, quieter and cleaner trains to operate on the line.
With the transformers now on site we are well on track for the new substation to be complete and operational by late next year.
Luke Sewell, Project Engineer for National Grid, said: “This latest milestone is a huge step forward to both meeting our customer’s needs by providing a safe, secure and reliable supply of electricity and delivering on our commitment to decarbonisation.
“With the transformers now on site we are well on track for the new substation to be complete and operational by late next year.”
Gavin Crook, principal programme sponsor for Network Rail, added: “We are pleased at the progress towards the next phase of electrification of the Midland Main Line, this power connection is a key part of the network and will enable improved resilience for electric operation providing a cleaner, greener service for our passengers”.
The National Grid project team is now focused on completing all the electrical works on site and to allow the energisation of the new substation by Winter 2022.
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Helen Blake
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