By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
A transport minister says the new Labour Government will “look very carefully” at the decision to cancel HS2’s Nottinghamshire leg as it plans how to best improve the area’s rail links.
Construction on the first part of HS2 between London and Birmingham is currently under way and will still be delivered in full.
There had been plans for the high speed rail network to then branch off in two directions, including a high-speed line to Leeds via the East Midlands.
An East Midlands hub had originally been planned at Toton, but former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson scaled this back in 2021 in favour of a station at East Midlands Parkway.
This too was scrapped under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in October last year, when he confirmed the high-speed rail line would no longer travel further north than Birmingham.
Under the new Labour Government, HS2 in the Midlands and the North will not be revived.
Instead the Government says it will re-purpose the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill to improve rail links from east to west across the North of England.
Local transport minister Simon Lightwood visited Nottingham on Thursday, July 18, to see how Nottingham City Transport (NCT) operates under public ownership.
During his visit the Local Democracy Reporting Service asked whether the East Midlands was again being short-changed in regards to better rail links.
Mr Lightwood said: “I think transport is a really critical way in which we can achieve our ambition, our mission, to rebuild Britain, delivering infrastructure that benefits the whole country.
“We are going to look very carefully at the decisions made by the previous Government and will look at plans and announce further details in due course.”
The East Midlands Chamber, an organisation which independently represents businesses across the region, launched its Manifesto for Growth UK earlier this year to provide a blueprint on how best the Government can support the East Midlands.
It says the Government should “ensure East Midlands schemes within the proposed Midlands Rail Hub scheme are prioritised following the cancellation of HS2 East to address emerging East-West infrastructure divide”.
Chief executive, Scott Knowles, said of the new Government’s plans: “The East Midlands has immense potential but has been continually overlooked when it comes to investment from the centre and getting the region where it needs to be to enable growth.
“Enhancing infrastructure, rolling out high speed broadband and upgrading
connectivity of the rail network are all essential components for East Midlands sustainable growth.
“The ingredients for success in the East Midlands are already set out in the Manifesto for Growth launched in Westminster earlier this year. We ask the new government to engage with us so we can get the asks of the Manifesto implemented.”
