By Mollie Hinds
The Conservative MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston is continuing to campaign for improvements to East Midlands Railway (EMR) services, having raised concerns about delays, maintenance issues and rising fares.
Neil O’Brien said he has been raising the issue for a long time and “will continue to do so.”
Mr O’Brien said: “EMR must take better care of the windows, doors and toilets on its trains.”
He has scheduled a meeting with the rail minister for the upcoming weeks.
He also confirmed that the company plans to replace the car parking equipment at Market Harborough station with an ANPR system, allowing passengers to pay through an app.
Existing ticket machines will remain for those who prefer them, but the MP said the upgrade should prevent passengers from “regularly queuing in the cold and dark” to pay.
While some fares are set directly by EMR, Mr O’Brien said: “Most of the most expensive tickets are controlled by the Government – including season tickets and peak returns.”
He noted that an annual season ticket from Market Harborough to London now costs more than £10,000, about £3,500 more than the Northampton to London equivalent “despite being a similar distance and journey time.”
Despite limited progress on fare changes, EMR has got two new trains which were introduced in December, five more new trains in spring, and a further 26 in summer 2026, bringing its total to 33 new trains.
Frequent passenger Mark Ellison, 46, of Market Harborough, said: “I don’t think people mind paying for the train if the service works. Right now it feels like we’re paying more and getting nothing in return.
“The delays, broken toilets, the upkeep of the carriages themselves, it adds up. It’s simple. If new trains are coming, that’s great, but we need real changes now, not in a few months.”
Mr O’Brien said the vacant Butterwick coffee shop, at Market Harborough station, has attracted “a lot of interest from potential operators,” meaning it is likely to reopen soon.
Mr O’Brien began his rail campaign in September 2024. On October 17 he met with EMR representatives to discuss fare pressures and to request that a later train leaves London at 23.35 to stop at Market Harborough. EMR has approved the proposal, and the new late-night stop was due to begin operating on December 15.
