East Midlands unveils 25-year rail expansion plan for Toton HS2 hub
MORE than 20 villages, towns and cities across the East Midlands will gain fast, frequent links to the Toton High Speed 2 hub under ambitious proposals unveiled by Midlands Connect on May 28.
New rail, tram and bus links will feed into the HS2 interchange from Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Newark, Matlock, Mansfield and Long Eaton, among others, under the transport body's £2.7billion three-phase plan.
10years
Phase One of the scheme, priced at £455million, could be operational within 10 years, well before the expected opening of HS2's eastern leg from Birmingham to Leeds via Toton, and includes an extension of the Nottingham Express Transit (NET) light rail system from Toton Lane to Long Eaton via the HS2 East Midlands Hub,and four trains per hour to Toton from Leicester, Derby and Nottingham -the latter requiring a new £150m east-to-south curve at Trowell Junction.
The Kirkby to lronville Junction freight line would also reopen to passengers at an estimated cost of £85m, providing new services between Mansfield, Derby and Leicester, serving llkeston, Langley Mill, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Sutton Parkway and Toton.
Within 20 years, Phase Two would deliver a new terminal station at East Midlands Airport and the extension of NET from Toton to Derby city centre at a cost of £1.2bn.
The majority of that (£820m) would be spent on the new East Midlands Airport station and access lines, which would allow direct journeys to Leicester in 15 minutes, Derby in 18 minutes, and Nottingham in 26 minutes.
Looking forward to 2045, Phase Three envisages a new £620m heavy rail link continuing from East Midlands Airport to Derby via Chellaston and the Rolls Royce industrial area using the mothballed Sinfin branch and tram-trains running from Long Eaton to the East Midlands Gateway logistics park via East Midlands Airport.
'Watershed'
Sir John Peace, chairman of Midlands Connect and Midlands Engine, said:"The arrival of HS2 is a watershed moment for our region, and an opportunity that we must grasp with both hands. ''This truly integrated transport strategy isn't just about connecting more people to the HS2 station; it will also support the building of new homes, accelerate regeneration and link some of our most deprived communities to facilities across the East Midlands'.'
A Business Case for the Access to the HS2 East Midlands Hub project was funded by local authorities and submitted to the Department for Transport in the spring.
The partnership is now seeking £4.Sm to help develop more detailed project designs, engineering solutions and costings for the next stage of the planning process.
The East Midlands currently has the UK's lowest transport spend per head of population at £245, 49% below the UK average and less than a quarter of that spent in London (£1,019 per head).