09.10.14
HS2 hub in East Midlands to be relocated
The hub for HS2 in the East Midlands could be relocated from Toton Sidings in Nottinghamshire to an area near Breaston in Derbyshire, RTM understands.
Last year Toton Sidings was picked as the location for a station in the East Midlands, a site seven miles from Nottingham and 10 miles from Derby. While Nottingham was happy with the decision, bosses in Derby launched a campaign to get the station moved to its own city centre.
Sources are now saying that while the new station will not be in the city they have succeeded in getting the site moved to Derbyshire.
It is believed the move is being made to link HS2 into existing rail lines to Nottingham and Derby. It could also remove the need for an expensive tunnel underneath East Midlands Airport, which forms part of the original route proposal.
The change will not be revealed until 27 October, when HS2 bosses are due to release a report into the second phase of the £42bn project.
A spokeswoman for HS2 said: “A report by our chairman will be announced on 27 October, when there will be an update about the second phase of HS2. That report is still in draft form so it would be pure speculation to say what it might contain.”
Business bosses in the area say that when the decision is made on the new site politicians need to back it immediately.
George Cowcher, chief executive of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce, told the Nottingham Post: “If we don't get our act together then we risk not having HS2 in the East Midlands.
“We have seen other parts of the country get behind their proposals. We need to put differences aside and do the same, otherwise government will conclude the eastern leg is too difficult to deliver.”
If HS2 makes a decision to move on from Toton rail campaigners would welcome the move. Bruce Williamson from Railfuture said: “We welcome the news of a rethink on Toton. Out of town stations are unsatisfactory - passengers want to get to city centres, not to an out of town car park - and we believe that one of the weaknesses of HS2's plans is the poor integration with existing lines.
“We await the details of the rethink, but we would like to see classic compatible HS2 trains joining the MML in the East Midlands and running into the centres of Nottingham and Derby, to maximise connectivity with existing regional and local services.”
Last week RTM reported that HS2 had altered the route in Staffordshire, scrapping plans for viaducts after environmental concerns were raised.
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