New £10m cycle route planned past East Midlands Airport
Region’s cities are allocated almost £200m for transport links
CITIES across the East Midlands have been allocated almost £200 million in the Budget to implement greener transport links.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said Leicester, Derby and Nottingham will receive a share of the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund to support a range of schemes by 2022-23.
Derby and Nottingham have been allocated £161 million, which includes more than £25 million for buses in Derby and more than £10 million for a new cycle route between Nottingham, Derby and East Midlands Airport.
Leicester has been allocated £33 million, including £8 million – announced a year ago – for the development of a sustainable transport corridor from St Margaret’s Bus Station in the city centre to Birstall on its northern outskirts.
It is understood that those plans include two major projects, focusing on creating an extensive cycling network and bike hire scheme and bringing in a fleet of electric buses on one of the city’s three park and ride routes.
Derby and Nottingham submitted its joint submission to the Department for Transport for the Transforming Cities Fund cash last month.
The fund is designed to improve connections between major employment sites and promote active travel and public transport.
Plans by Derby City Council involve creating a dedicated mass transit link, with an electric rapid transit route running directly across the city centre, linking key intra-city destinations and public areas.
Three new “smart” park-and-ride hubs are also proposed, along with improved cycling and public transport links.
A demand-responsive transport service, which would link the city centre and rail station to key employment sites including Rolls-Royce, Bombardier and Pride Park, is also proposed.
Other improvements included in the bid include more bus priority corridors, cycle lane improvements and continued funding to offer small grants to Derby businesses to make improvements, which encourage staff to travel sustainably to and from work.
Meanwhile Midlands Connect’s Midlands Rail Hub plans have gained £20 million of development funding in the Chancellor’s Budget, the next step in its £2 billion wishlist of improvements to rail services which will benefit on the back of HS2.
The transport group’s proposals include 24 extra train services every hour on commuter and inter-regional services between towns and cities including Coventry, Birmingham,
Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Lincoln, Worcester, Hereford and beyond.
Six million more passenger journeys every year will be made possible.
The £20 million government investment means an outline business case can now be drawn up for the hub, which will include detailed design, planning and costings.
Pending further funding, some of the proposed improvements could start to be delivered from 2024, including reopening platform four at Birmingham Snow Hill station, and improvements to line speeds between Leicester and Birmingham.
Midlands Connect chairman Sir John Peace said: “This funding pledge is a firm vote of confidence from the Government that it is committed to delivering the Midlands Rail Hub, an investment that will spearhead an infrastructure revolution and level up the economy.
“We believe in the potential of our proposals to revolutionise the region’s rail network; it means more services, faster journeys and less overcrowding for passengers across the Midlands and beyond.
“We must now work at pace with the government to make sure that passengers begin to see improvements to their rail journeys as soon as possible.
“This Budget is a positive step towards the government’s commitment to levelling up the economy, ensuring the Midlands Engine is at the heart of the UK’s future prosperity.”