Bid for regular daily trains between Rushcliffe and Leicester via GCR(N)

RUSHLIFFE MP Ruth Edwards and Loughborough MP Jane Hunt are supporting the Reconnect Ruddington bid from the East Midlands Railway Trust to upgrade the Great Central Railway (Nottingham), to be used for passenger services from Ruddington to Leicester, and also freight via the spur to the Midland Main Line at Loughborough.

The scheme proposes two return trains in each direction daily between Ruddington and Leicester, connecting housing and services with Ruddington village, Rushcliffe Country and Business Parks, East Leake, and the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre.

The trust’s first priority is the Bridging The Gap project linking the line to the Great Central Railway at Nottingham. It would also investigate plans to link up with transport systems that provide commuting links between Nottingham and Leicester.

A key aim is to lay a new south chord from the GCR(N) over a realigned Asher Lane level crossing into Ruddington Heritage Centre to save trains having to reverse at Fifty Steps Bridge, just south of the original Ruddington station – in advance of the completion of the proposed 18mile heritage route to Leicester North.

There is also the prospect of connecting with the Nottingham Express Transit (NET2) route to central Nottingham, which currently finishes 1½ miles short of Ruddington.

New trust patron Ruth Edwards commented: “This scheme would provide fantastic benefits at a time when our region seeks to recover after the pandemic.

“It will attract employment and apprenticeship training in building and rail maintenance, centred on the scheme’s proposed new terminal station at Ruddington.”