£2.7bn East Mids transport plan published

A £2.7bn transport plan which aims to guarantee fast, frequent connections to the HS2 East Midlands Hub station at Toton has been published.The plan – published by a group of councils, transport bodies and East Midlands Airport – includes new and improved rail, bus and tram networks and enhanced road infrastructure.Under the proposals, more than 20 villages, towns and cities across the East Midlands will have direct access to the HS2 station, including Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Newark, Matlock, Mansfield and Long Eaton.The vision is split into three phases, with the first earmarked for completion by 2030, to stimulate development before HS2 trains first arrive in the region.These improvements are fully integrated with the work of the East Midlands Development Corporation, which has government backing to deliver 84,000 highly skilled jobs and 4,500 homes at key growth sites close to the HS2 station at Toton, including East Midlands Airport, Chetwynd Barracks and Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station.The first phase of the scheme, which could be implemented and operational within the next ten years, includes plans for:An extension of the Nottingham Express Transit system from Long Eaton to Toton Lane via two new stops at the planned Innovation Campus Development and HS2 East Midlands HubNew bus services from the HS2 East Midlands Hub to Amber Valley, West Bridgford and CliftonFour rail services per hour to the HS2 East Midlands Hub from Leicester, Derby and NottinghamEnhanced road access to the HS2 East Midlands Hub via improvements to the A6005New rail services between Mansfield, Derby and Leicester, with stops at Ilkeston, Langley Mill, Kirkby in Ashfield, Sutton Parkway and the HS2 East Midlands Hub, made possible by reopening the Maid Marian line to passenger services.The second phase, which could be up and running within 20 years, includes:A new railway station at East Midlands Airport and connections from the East Midlands Hub to Derby by tram or Bus Rapid Transit. The new station at East Midlands Airport would allow a direct journey to Leicester in 15 minutes, to Derby in 18 minutes, and to Nottingham in 26 minutes, vastly improving sustainable transport access for passengers and staff.The final raft of improvements in phase three, which would be completed within 25 years, include: New rail links to the South Derby Growth Zone and Rolls Royce site, as well as a tram-train serving Long Eaton, a planned housing development to the west of East Midlands Airport, Ratcliffe-on-Soar-Power Station and the East Midlands Gateway logistics site.A business case for the access to the HS2 East Midlands Hub project was funded by local partners and submitted to the Department for Transport recently.The findings will be submitted as evidence to the National Infrastructure Commission’s Rail Needs Assessment, which will inform the government’s High Speed North Integrated Rail Plan to maximise the benefits of HS2 Phase 2b.The partnership is now seeking an initial £4.5m in funding from Government to allow phase one of this scheme to be brought forward to the next stage of development, including the production of more detailed project designs, engineering solutions and costings.