Market Harborough Station

Built by the London and North Western Railway in 1850, Market Harborough was once Leicestershire’s largest station and served as a junction for trains from five different directions. Over time the site has undergone several renovation programmes, including restoration work on the Grade II listed buildings in the 1980s. However, when a major upgrade of the station and platforms in 2019 resulted in the closure of the public toilets (due to compromised accessibility), Everlast was invited to tender to demolish the existing building and construct a new amenities block.

Originally, CML (the principal contractor, working on behalf of Network Rail) awarded the project to another company, but within a few weeks of work commencing they contacted us with an urgent request to review and resubmit our bid. The major challenge was CML’s stipulation that we had just 10-days to survey the site, submit the new price and have our workforce assembled and ready to start. Passengers had been using temporary toilets for nearly three years and there was immense pressure to get the new amenities block completed.

Having met the 10-day deadline and been awarded the job, it was full speed ahead to try and make up for the six weeks that had been lost since the original contractor’s start date. Reliable, longstanding supply chain relationships and our ability to provide a workforce 24/7 (working 12-hour night/day shifts) enabled us to progress at an accelerated rate. Working to the plans provided by Network Rail we demolished the disused waiting room and office building and built the new waiting room, toilets and store in a new location, accessible from the northbound platform. External works included erection of the steel framework, insulation, breezeblock and brickwork ­– an additional challenge here was the change from the originally specified brick slips to real bricks to match the historic station buildings. We also removed old fencing and reinstated new, laid tarmac ramps to all access points and installed an entrance canopy. For the interior works, we appointed and managed specialist sub-contractors for the supply and installation of all M&E, sanitary ware fixtures, fittings and flooring.

The scope of works changed over the contract period, including additional M & E requirements, drainage and landscaping, but we were still tasked with completing the build within 10 weeks of breaking ground. Ultimately, we completed in 13 weeks – still significantly faster than the client’s original 16-week window.

The new nine-seat waiting room and toilet facilities came into service in July 2022. Speaking at the official opening, Gary Walsh, East Midlands Route Director for Network Rail said, “We’re committed to delivering better journeys, stations and experiences for our passengers. This work brings together the package of improvements we’ve implemented at Market Harborough in recent years to truly transform train travel in the town.”

Everlast Group has worked on a variety of refurbishment and new build across all sectors