The new HS2 rail line will have a station in Nottinghamshire, the Government has confirmed.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced the line will have a stop at Toton, between Long Eaton and Stapleford.
Tuesday morning’s confirmation of the £56 billion scheme ends two years of doubt over whether the East Midlands would get a station on the route – and where it will be.
But the Government also said it is still considering whether to tunnel the line under East Midlands airport, or go around it, and how exactly the line will cut through Long Eaton.
Journey times will reduce dramatically and inter-city services between Nottingham, London, Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester will double once the line is complete.
And supporters say passengers will still be able to get from Nottingham city centre to London and other centres in far less time – even though the HS2 station is out of town.
The Government’s report said: “The Secretary of State is considering two options for the route as it passes through Long Eaton. Both options follow the same route but pass through Long Eaton at different heights.
“The two options are to either lengthen the viaduct over the River Trent floodplain so that the line passes through Long Eaton at a high level, directly to the east of the existing rail lines.
“Or, an alternative option where, after crossing the River Trent floodplain on a shorter
viaduct the route passes through Long Eaton on a lower viaduct and embankment again
directly to the east of the existing rail lines.”
Tuesday’s announcement was welcomed by Nottinghamshire County and Nottingham City Councils’ which have both supported the project and rejected earlier plans for the station to be built closer to Derbyshire.
Developers of HS2 say even by travelling from the city to Toton by regular rail network and changing onto an HS2 train there, it will still take just 1 hour 8 minutes to get to London, instead of the current 1 hour 44 minutes from Nottigham Station.
Such journeys will be made possible by top speeds of up to 250mph on HS2, compared with around 125mph on today’s rail network.
Video: HS2 video of how the line will look once completed
Councillor Alan Rhodes, leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “Currently, the fastest rail journey time from Nottingham to Birmingham is 73 minutes, an average of around 41mph for a journey of just 50 miles, which is woefully inadequate.
“HS2 gives us an opportunity to reduce these journey times significantly and provide economic benefits to both businesses and residents through improved access to job opportunities across the Midlands.
“Furthermore, HS2 will vastly increase the capacity of our rail network to meet the growing demand for rail travel in the future.”
People are now being asked to comment on the plans before they progress further.
City Council Leader Councillor Jon Collins said: “Along with other councils in the region, we have been strong supporters of proposals for the eastern leg of HS2 with a station at Toton, so we’re pleased about the announcement.
“It provides some certainty and allows us to move forward positively with plans which will maximise HS2’s benefits for Nottingham and the wider region.
“As well as the obvious and overdue improvements in train journey times, HS2 will bring huge potential for new investment and jobs in the region. We can now develop our plans to make sure that local people, local businesses and the local economy gain as much as possible from this once-in-a-generation opportunity.”
Estimates from HS2 supporters indicate its construction would create 74,000 jobs directly and indirectly across the East Midlands and would grow the regional economy by £4 billion by 2042.
But opponents say it is not value for money and will only benefit construction businesses.
Joe Rukin, of the campaign group Stop HS2, said: “HS2 is being built for one reason only, because the multinationals who have been lobbying for this white elephant for ten years see HS2 as an opportunity to run their own gravy train.”
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “HS2 is an ambitious and exciting project and we must seize the opportunity it offers to transform our country for future generations.
“The route decision I have published today takes us an important step closer to realising the full potential of HS2.”
