Rail plans see backing from all around
August 2023
- Nottingham support for Castle Line improvements
- Businesses champion Midlands Rail Hub proposals
- Hereford to Birmingham journey time improvements
- The cost of bridge strikes in Hinckley
- Richard tells the importance of collaboration
Support for rail plans in Nottingham
MP and local leaders show backing for Castle Line plans
On 25th July, Lilian Greenwood, Labour MP for Nottingham South, discussed our plans for Nottingham-Lincoln rail links with business representatives from Nottingham City Council and Network Rail.
Currently just 10 per cent of journeys between Nottingham and Lincoln are taken by rail, but if these plans get the go ahead, trains will increase from predominantly 50mph to 75mph throughout the route.
Lilian said:
“We must ensure our transport network is fit for the future, attracting more people to use our railways and bringing investment to boost our economies.
"I support these plans by Midlands Connect, as a first step in bringing more improvements to this route.“
Businesses back Midlands Rail Hub
Latest survey data shows businesses support rail plans
Our latest data reveals businesses consider there to be significant benefits to local rail improvements, with 69% firms thinking it would make it easier to meet new customers.
Evidence was collected from firms together employing over 16,000 people in a variety of industries.
More than 60% of businesses who responded agreed that if the regional rail network was improved as a result of the Midlands Rail Hub, employees would use it more.
Another Rail Hub win
Midlands Rail Hub will make journeys from Hereford quicker
Our latest analysis shows how Midlands Rail Hub will make rail quicker than the road for journeys from Hereford to Birmingham.
The plans will see the journey time cut from 85 minutes to 72 minutes, making the train quicker than the average road journey (80 minutes). Significant delays at peak times on the roads can mean driving can sometimes take up to twice as long as the typical journey.
We believe this will increase rail usage, which for this journey is currently at just 13%.
Cllr Philip Price, Cabinet Member for Transport and Infrastructure, added:
“It’s crucial for Hereford residents to have quick access to nearby urban centres such as Birmingham. The Midlands Rail Hub will make this easier by train, making connections across the West Midlands stronger.”
Hinckley's bashed bridge
Bridge strikes have had huge costs for businesses and residents
Our latest research has been dubbed 'strong evidence for upgrades on a road of national importance.'
Strikes to a bridge in Hinckley cost businesses, commuters, and residents over 4,400 hours of delays, and costs six figures to the economy, per year.
Between 2017 and September 2022, the bridge was struck 88 times, with 246 trains delayed for a total of 2,149 minutes.
Commenting on the analysis, Future of Roads Programme Lead Swati Mittal said:
“The bridge at Hinckley regularly tops lists of some of Britain’s most bashed bridges but our deeper analysis into the impact shows that thousands of passengers are delayed, the economy loses a significant amount and trains are severely impacted.
“This really is strong evidence for upgrades on a road of national importance.”
Midlands goes large on regional collaborations and consortiums
Head of Strategy, Richard Bradley, tells us about the role of collaborations in his latest blog:
"What is the role of a sub-national transport body like Midlands Connect? Well, we must deliver a Strategic Transport Plan. We must also help provide one voice to Government for the Midlands.
"But we’re now finding a new, high-value role to support local transport authorities in meeting urgent Government priorities to help decarbonise the transport system and to refresh local transport plans with quantifiable carbon reductions (QCR).
"This has catapulted us from delivering major infrastructure business cases, like Midlands Rail Hub, to also urgently delivering final business cases and supporting authorities in building contracts that deliver across all geographies and local policies that can help tackle local emissions."
Give your thoughts on freight
In the coming years the freight and logistics sector will have a number of challenges to respond to, particularly how it will make the successful transition to net zero operations and making use of data and technology to innovate.
The APPG for Freight and Logistics wants to hear from freight operators and customers. Where do you think government should be helping? Where are the opportunities we can build on? Where do we need to work together to respond to challenges?
If you have any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact us at mcadmin@midlandsconnect.uk or drop us a tweet @midsconnect
Further details of our work and news stories can be found at our website www.midlandsconnect.uk
