A new strategy to make the most of the recently downgraded plans for HS2 in the East Midlands is being drawn up.
Last autumn it was announced the eastern leg of the high speed track coming out of Birmingham would only go as far as East Midlands Parkway station.
It was also announced that the updated plans would also see the full electrification of the existing Midland Main Line north of Market Harborough to Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield.
Spiralling costs and the changing demands of commuters prompted the Government to drop plans for the eastern part of HS2 to go to a big new station at Toton in Notts, then on to Leeds.
Instead it will run to the existing East Midlands Parkway Station – near East Midlands Airport and within the East Midlands Freeport area – where trains will continue on the electrified Midland Main Line track into Nottingham and Derby.
The government has given the region £1 million to come up with detailed plans to make the most of the proposals.
Rail Minister Andrew Stephenson has asked the East Midlands Development Company (EM DevCo) to oversee the planning.
The DevCo was set up by five local councils to plan three big development zones –around the airport, Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station and the Toton-Chetwynd corridor – which include the area around Parkway.
Andrew Stephenson said: “I’m delighted to announce £1 million of grant funding in this financial year for the East Midlands’ HS2 Growth Strategy.
“This work will be vital in ensuring that the East Midlands maximises the benefits the region receives from HS2 and the Integrated Rail Plan.”
The HS2 Growth Strategy will look at the best ways to make high-speed trains accessible to people across the region, and look at the opportunities for economic growth it offers.
It will also look at the potential for other rail connections to be linked up to high-speed train services, including the proposed Maid Marian Line in Nottinghamshire.
Nottinghamshire County Council leader Ben Bradley MP, who chairs the HS2 executive board in the East Midlands, said: “This is really positive news and crucial to the region’s ambitious transport plans.
“The funding will help us look at ways we can drive forward wider plans for investment projects at Toton, which include better connectivity to the site such as the Maid Marian Line – which I’m delighted to say has not been scrapped and will now be pursued via this other funding route.
“Government is in fact actively talking about a Mansfield, Ashfield, Toton direct-to-London rail link, which will play a vital role in our future by unlocking jobs, housing and investment opportunities in the years to come.
“It is also a sign of trust that government has given this funding and wants local planning organisations such as the DevCo to lead on coming up with a structured plan.”
The DevCo will work with partners including councils and Midlands Connect – the government-backed body that develops transport projects across the Midlands. It is expected to take two years to complete.
EM DevCo managing director Richard Carr said: “This is a welcome investment by government which will enable our transport specialists to develop detailed plans aimed at maximising the connectivity of high-speed rail.
“We will be looking at how HS2 can integrate with both existing transport networks and new projects planned for the future, and the potential for development around the proposed station at East Midlands Parkway.”
