Leaders across the East Midlands have come together to call for a long-term plan to improve regional rail services.
This comes following a report from Transport for the East Midlands (TfEM) which highlights some of the opportunities available to improve rail services in the region.
The report, called “A Platform for Growth”, identifies the need to provide a more competitive rail offer in the East Midlands and improve performance standards.
Around 75% of stations in the East Midlands are served by one train per hour at most, with lower levels of service on Sundays and overcrowding, particularly on Saturdays. Analysis by TfEM indicates that if a fully planned franchise timetable were implemented and run on time, it would generate half a million more trail journeys a year and unlock £3m of extra revenue and £11m of direct economic benefits.
The report also highlights that only three new stations have opened in the East Midlands in the last 20 years, and only one (Ilkeston) since 2009.
Sir Peter Soulsby, City Mayor of Leicester and Chair of TfEM said: “Our evidence suggests that regional rail services in the East Midlands are directly worth around £356 million per year to our regional economy. We have major population growth forecast and exciting local plans for many more new jobs and homes.
“Due to years of underinvestment, the East Midlands rail network is sparse and infrequent compared to other regions. This inevitably impacts on punctuality and the ability to run the level of services the region requires.
Analysis by TfEM suggests that reducing delays in the East Midlands by half could attract an extra 600,000 passengers onto the local rail network each year, an 8% increase and a significant step towards the region’s climate targets.
Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands, said: “Our regional rail network doesn’t yet match the ambition of our towns and cities. Commuters, local communities and business can see what rail investment has done elsewhere and rightly expect the same standards here.”
“If we’re going to reduce the number of car journeys and meet our climate goals, we need to boost sustainable travel by investing in our rail network and making sure commuters are getting a fair deal. If we get this right, we could unlock tens of millions of pounds of direct economic benefits.”
Image credit: East Midlands Railway
