Nottinghamshire County Council Calling for Improvements to Rail Travel

Nottinghamshire County Council has called for the Government to take action to improve rail travel in Nottinghamshire. These calls are in response to a consultation by the Department of Transport to help shape long-term improvements to the East Midlands rail franchise, one of the four franchises which serve Nottinghamshire.

The Council has already funded £200,000 towards an initial feasibility study into the reopening of the Shirebrook-Ollerton line for passengers. This line is already used as a freight line and a test track, and already connects to the existing passenger railway on the Robin Hood line between Nottingham and Worksop. Improvements to rail links in this part of Nottinghamshire could help boost the local economy by creating better access to jobs and local tourism sites.

Councillors also reiterated their disappointment in the Government’s decision to cancel the electrification of the Midland Main Line. Councillor John Cottee, committee chairman for the Community and Place Committee said: “We think this is a short-sighted approach as the proposed replacement bi-mode trains – designed to run on both existing lines and electric lines - represent a poor replacement and are not environmentally friendly. The Government's decision to cancel electrification of the MML, while continuing to fund the £30 billion Crossrail two project in London, is particularly unfair to this region.”

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