Midland Main Line Electrification
Plans to electrify the Midland Mainline, which will pass through the East Midlands, have been announced by the Government.
Latest ITV News reports
Announcement on electrification of the Midland Mainline
Midland Main Line reaction: 'an extra reason to come to Derby'
Derby City Council Leader, Paul Bayliss, has given his reaction to today's announcement over the electrification of Midland Main Line.
Map of the three Midlands rail routes being electrified
This map shows the three rail routes which will be electrified in the Midlands as part of the investment.
The Midland Mainline route between London St Pancras and Bedford can already run electric trains, and the new investment will mean older diesel engines will be replaced with electric services to Kettering, Corby, Leicester, Nottingham and Derby before heading north to Sheffield.
Lines from Nuneaton South through Coventry to Leamington Spa and onto Oxford will also be electrified, as will the route from Walsall through Cannock to Rugeley.
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Cameron: 'We should be working together to understand our needs for the future'
Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg spoke on a joint visit to Birmingham where they announced a £9.4bn investment in the electrification of Britain’s railways.
Midland Main Line Electrification: 'I'm sure in the end we're going to end up paying for it'
People in the Midlands respond to today's news that the government will electrify the Midland Main Line.
East Midlands Trains: electrification is good news for passengers
David Horne, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains today welcomed the announcement by the Government to fund the electrification of the Midland Main Line and upgrade key sections of the route. It is hoped the investment will:
- Cut journey times and provide more capacity for future growth
- Deliver wider economic benefits
– David Horne, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains“Not only will it be good for the environment, the project will create hundreds of jobs during the construction period, providing an estimated £450m of wider economic benefits to the cities and towns we serve.”
Update on Midland Main Line electrification
The Department for Transport have released further details regarding the proposed £9 billion rail investment.
- Electrification of the Cannock Line between Walsall and Rugeley - hoped to deliver faster local journeys into Birmingham
- Electrification of the Nuneaton-Oxford route - aiming to create high capacity electric freight route from Southampton
- Extra 3,900 daily peak-time commutes into Birmingham
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Business Secretary: 'Bombardier is in an excellent position to bid for contracts'
On his visit to Leicester Railway Station today, Business Secretary Vince Cable said the Derby train-maker Bombardier is in an excellent position to bid for contracts.
A £9.4bn package of investment across the rail network has been announced today by the Government.
Plans include the electrification of the Midland Mainline in what was hailed by Prime Minister David Cameron as the "biggest modernisation of our railways since the Victorian era".
RMT union criticises Government rail announcement
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) have reacted to the Government's rail investment announcement.
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said an investment in rail today is what's needed not a 'political promise of jam' tomorrow.
– Bob Crow, RMT General Secretary"All of the rail projects on this shopping list have been talked about for years and with the surge in passenger demand we cannot afford further delays like the ongoing Thameslink fleet replacement fiasco.
"We have the chance to create thousands of rail jobs if the politicians wake up and get these projects moving."
"The truth that the Government choose to ignore is that all of these investments could be funded overnight without costing taxpayers or passengers a penny if they called a halt to the multi-billion pound rip off of rail privatisation."
Cameron: "This is the biggest modernisation of our railways since the Victorian era"
Prime Minister David Cameron has announced the £9.4bn package of investment across the rail network, including the electrification of the Midland Mainline.
He hailed it as the "biggest modernisation of our railways since the Victorian era".
Green light for Midland Main Line electrification
by Alison Mackenzie
Alison Mackenzie analyses the Government's decision to electrify the Midland Main Line as part of a nine billion pound rail investment.
Read the full story