‘Positives’ in £96bn rail plan, says Midlands Connect chief
THE head of regional transport body Midlands Connect has welcomed the £96 billion Integrated Rail Plan from the Government, saying there are “a lot of positives” in it.
Chairman Sir John Peace was broadly upbeat about the scheme despite the fact HS2 will now no longer be built between the East Midlands and Yorkshire and a new HS2 station will not be constructed in Toton.
Among the measures are new services from the HS2 line into Derby and Nottingham while the Midlands Rail Hub plans was given backing.
But Toton will get a smaller station than planned while HS2 will travel into the existing East Midlands Parkway facility.
Sir John said: “The announcement gives businesses and local leaders the reassurance they’ve been waiting for that HS2 is coming to the East Midlands.
“Although these plans are different in some respects to what we’d expected, there are a lot of positives in here and lots of things to be excited about - a new high-speed connection between Birmingham and East Midlands Parkway, direct links on to HS2 for Derby, Nottingham, and Chesterfield and a commitment to the Midlands Rail Hub.
“Now that we have certainty, we must focus our efforts on delivery. Our challenge to Government is simple it should move as quickly as possible to get spades in the ground and bring benefits to local people sooner.”
On the new station for Toton, Sir John said: “These proposals mean that delivery of a new train station for Toton can start today. I believe this provides much-needed certainty to investors and will help kick-start the ambitious regeneration proposals in the area.
“The plans around Toton, the adjacent freeport and the wider Development Corporation could create 84,000 jobs and add billions in value to the regional economy the developments cover the size of three Olympic Parks.
And on the Midlands Rail Hub plans he said “We welcome the Government’s words and its commitment today to the Midlands Rail Hub. We now need to redouble our efforts and move this project from planning to delivery.
“During the last five years, Midlands Connect has worked tirelessly to support the Government in making our flagship project a reality and today’s news is another important milestone.
“These improvements will create space for millions more passenger seats on the railway every year and provide a step-change in connectivity to Birmingham Moor Street station, opening up access to HS2 for communities in Hereford, Worcester and Bristol via the new Curzon Street station being built next door.
“The Midlands Rail Hub will also increase capacity for rail freight, supporting our programme to create for over one million lorries’ worth of freight to be moved onto our railway every year.”