‘Access to Toton’ transport plan has been published today.
Darren Henry MP Broxtowe commented, “I appreciate that many of you may have legitimate concerns about HS2 as there are impassioned arguments on both sides. I will work hard to mitigate local residents concerns. I truly believe that HS2 will increase the opportunities that are brought to Broxtowe - especially with the East Midlands Hub being in our very own Toton.”
HS2’s East Midlands Hub station at Toton is part of phase 2b of the high-speed railway .
HS2 will form the backbone of the UK’s transport network, delivering a significant increase in rail capacity, with hundreds of thousands of extra seats. It will cut journey times, bring our biggest towns and cities closer together, enhance North-South connectivity, boost productivity in the East Midlands, and crucially it will help to spread prosperity more evenly across the country.
More than 20 villages, towns and cities in the East Midlands would have direct access to HS2 services under a £2.7 billion plan for new bus, rail and tram links.
Regional transport lobby group Midlands Connect said its proposal would create “fast, frequent connections” to the high-speed railway’s planned East Midlands Hub station at Toton.
Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Newark, Matlock, Mansfield and Long Eaton are among the locations which would benefit from the project.
The programme is split into three phases, with the first aimed at stimulating development within 10 years, before HS2 trains begin serving the region.
This would include extending Nottingham’s tram network, increasing bus and train services and improving the A6005 road.
The second phase would feature a new railway station at East Midlands Airport, while the final raft of improvements would see new rail links to the South Derby Growth Zone and a tram-train serving Long Eaton.
Midlands Connect is a partnership made up of 22 local authorities, enterprise groups, chambers of commerce and regional airports.
It claims the East Midlands has the lowest transport spend per head of anywhere in the UK at £245, compared with a nationwide average of £483.
Midlands Connect is seeking an initial £4.5 million from the Government to allow phase one of its plan to enter the next stage of development.
Completing the whole programme would cost an estimated £2.7 billion at 2018 prices.
Chairman Sir John Peace described the arrival of HS2 as “a watershed moment” for the East Midlands and “an opportunity that we must grasp with both hands”.
He went on: “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 transformational regeneration and link some of our most deprived communities to nationally important assets across the East Midlands.
“It means spreading the benefits of high-speed rail to businesses and workers across the region, from our great cities of Derby, Leicester and Nottingham, to bustling towns like Mansfield and Loughborough and smaller communities that may otherwise feel HS2 won’t benefit them.