‘Light metro’ plan mooted for region
TRAM TRAIN NETWORK WOULD EXTEND TO LEICESTER
A TRAM network could be extended from Nottingham to Leicester, Loughborough and East Midlands Airport.
The Light Rail Transit Association, a leading tram body, has said it is in favour of extending the Nottingham Express Transit NET network to Loughborough and Leicester, via “tram trains”.
The organisation has said it also supports proposed extensions to East Midlands Airport, Derby, and the Giltbrook Retail Park.
“Tram trains” are designed to run on regular train lines as well as inner-city tram lines. Coincidentally, the technology was first pioneered in Nottingham’s twin city, Karlsruhe, in Southern Germany.
Nottingham City Council has said it welcomes the recognition of its scheme. Four extensions are in the pipeline although still at an early stage, reports sister paper Nottingham Post.
Two involve relatively short extensions at first, which could then be built on later. One of these would go from Clifton Park and Ride to the huge development known as Fairham Pastures, but could then be built to East Midlands Airport.
The other would go to the proposed HS2 station at Toton and then potentially to Long Eaton, although doubt has been cast on this due to a report which recommended the new HS2 line should not stop at Toton.
The other two larger extensions under consideration are from the Phoenix Park station to Kimberley, and another through the soon-tobe-developed Waterside development and up towards Gedling.
However, significant external funding will still need to be required for any of these, and the city council has recently said progressing plans was not a priority last year, due to emergency measures to encourage safer travel during Covid.
Now, the Light Rail Transit Association, which describes itself as the world’s leading organisation campaigning for better public transport in urban areas through light rail, tramway and metro systems and has been in existence for more than 80 years, has said it supports the extensions, as well as using tram trains to connect to a new tram system in Leicester.
It said it is: “Campaigning for using the very successful NET as a ‘seed’ to produce a light metro for the East Midlands.
“Tram trains could be used to connect EMA with Loughborough and Leicester, with Leicester also having an internal tram system.
“All of this would greatly assist mobility and the economy within the Derby-Leicester-Nottingham region, and do a lot to reduce the high levels of pollution due to road traffic, and also reduce energy use, and help the region reduce CO2 emissions.”
David Gibson, LRTA regional officer for the East Midlands, said: “This would start to provide a transport system worthy of a region of three cities and many sizeable towns, with a population of over two million”.
Councillor Adele Williams is Nottingham council’s head of transport, and represents the Sherwood ward for Labour.
She said: “Extensions to the existing network are an aspiration for the council, but would rely on significant external funding.
“We’re continuing to work with our regional partners and Midlands Connect on longer-term options identified in the Access to Toton study, to ensure all our communities have access to a well-connected, green, transport network.
“We hope to progress this vision of integrated transport for the region once the government has announced its Integrated Rail Plan in the spring.”