Calls for certainty on major Nottinghamshire transport projects after HS2 U-turn

The A46 Cattle Market roundabout at Newark.

Calls have been made for the Government to sign off several major transport projects in Nottinghamshire to provide certainty after much of the HS2 project was scrapped. The high speed rail line was originally set to travel through Nottinghamshire but in what was dubbed a “bitter blow”, the Government announced the project was being heavily curtailed and would only go between London and Birmingham.

The uncertainty caused by the U-turn has now led leaders to call for more certainty on major planned projects including a £500 million upgrade to the A46 Newark Bypass. The lack of certainty was discussed at a meeting in Westminster on Tuesday (February 20), where East Midlands MPs and transport leaders also called for an update on the electrification of the Midland Mainline.

Alex Norris, Labour’s MP for Nottingham North and co-chair of the East Midlands all-party parliamentary group, said: “We have been concerned for some time about the lack of investment in the East Midlands and what this means for our communities and businesses. Whilst our region has a resilient economy and a rapidly growing population, we also have falling productivity, low graduate retention and poor social mobility.

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“We believe there is a clear link between investment in economic infrastructure like transport, energy, water, waste treatment, flood defences and digital, and the wider social and economic challenges facing the East Midlands.” The Midland Mainline carries 3.75 million passenger journeys a year between Chesterfield, Derby, Nottingham, Leicester and London.

The section of the line between London and Bedford was switched to electric power in the 1980s, but the final section into the East Midlands still involves trains having to travel on diesel power. A recent report claimed electrifying the line through the East Midlands would boost local jobs, given that trains would be faster and more reliable.

In terms of the A46 project, the £500 million scheme would widen the Newark Bypass and create a flyover junction to ease congestion. National Highways says it intends to submit a planning application for the scheme to the Government this year.

Sir Peter Soulsby, chair of Transport for the East Midlands, said: “Our region is full of great businesses and ambitious communities, ready to respond to the important challenge of raising growth in the UK. However, we need the tools to deliver that growth. The Government needs to unleash our potential by signing off a series of major projects, ready to go, that we know will transform our transport infrastructure and deliver strong returns not just for the East Midlands, but for the UK.”