Railfuture campaigners in Corby have been cheered by the news that extra train services are to be introduced at their newly opened station.

The new service will allow people from Corby to get to East Midlands Airport as well as to Oakham, Melton Mowbray and Derby, in addition to the existing service to Kettering and London.

The improvements, starting on 24 May, follow pressure from Railfuture, Corby Council and local MP Phil Hope.

Railfuture’s David Fursdon said: “I’m sure it will be popular because the most common comment from passengers is that they want to travel north as well.”

Councillor Mark Pengelly said: “This is great news.”

Corby council chief executive Chris Mallender said: “It will hopefully result in a significant reduction in road traffic and help improve our carbon footprint.”

East Midlands Trains said: “The service will run from Monday to Friday, departing from Corby at 09.30. The return service will depart from Derby at 16.34.

“We will also be making a number of other improvements to our timetable in May, which will have some great benefits for passengers from Corby, including faster journey times and improved frequency of services to and from London.”

Information from David Fursdon and Corby Evening Telegraph.