Midlands Connect in Leicester and Leicestershire
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Midlands Connect in Leicester and Leicestershire About Midlands Connect Midlands Connect is a partnership of Local Authories, Local Enterprise Partnerships, two airports, the Chambers of Commerce, Highways England, HS Ltd, Network Rail and the Department for Transport. Our transport network serves several markets, commuters and freight, visitors and business, local, regional, and naonal traffic traverses our roads and rails. For man ears the region has been underfunded in terms of transport development and we need to act now to ensure that we don’t become a blockage for not just the region – but the whole of the U%. Midlands Connect has developed a Strateg which iden'es transport connecvit improvements across the region to resolve ke issues and ma(imise long-term economic growth in the Midlands. Two main objecves underpin the Strateg : Naonal Space Centre, Leicester 1. -e are speaking together with 'One )oice* to ensure the Leicester and Leicestershire, Home to- Midlands reaches a uni'ed posion on strategic transport investment. and • The largest logiscs park in Europe, Magna 2. 0ll potenal investments have been reached b an 'evidenced Park in Lu5erworth, which nestles in the approach* focused on clearl arculang the transport needs, centre of the 6olden Triangle for Logiscs in opportunies, and investment priories for the region. This technical anal sis enables us to shape our priories for the Midlands investment over the ne(t 11-20 ears. • East Midlands 0irport, a ke internaonal connecvit gatewa and the U%’s second largest air freight hub • MI80 Technolog Park Enterprise 9one which hosts leading companies such as 0ston Marn, Connental and :osch, is prime to become a global centre for transport 8esearch and Development Our Strateg , published in March 2017, includes our full programme for investment in transport iniaves and infrastructure to accelerate economic growth and to improve the .uality of /ourneys for residents, visitors, and businesses in the Midlands and beyond. 1 of 4 Midlands Connect in Leicester and Leicestershire: 6rowth and Schemes 0rowth in the Region The Leicester and Leicestershire LEP area is captured in the Leicester and Coventr Strategic Economic Hub and sits on two of the corridors Midlands Connect have iden'ed likel to e(perience ?intensive growth’. These corridors - developed from work with regional businesses and the LEPs recognised growth sites - connect our economic hubs, both to each other and to other hubs outside our region. If we improve transport links in these corridors our investment will be doubled in business growth and returns. Throughout the Strateg , we stress the importance of improving East--est Connecvit . nowhere is this more required than between Coventr and Leicester. two growing cies with ver poor rail connecons and a road link that is oAen congested with traffic. Further to this, Midlands Connect, with the support of Local 0uthorit , LEP and airport partners, as well as the DfT, will aspire to achieve a step-change in travel speed, reliabilit , convenience, and cost. -orking closel with our partners to progress the Strateg will ensure the investment in our strategic network runs in tandem with appropriate local investment, to ma(imise the bene'ts . E2isng Commitments 1ey Components of the Midlands Connect Strategy in Leicester and Leicestershire Commi5ed developments through NUC%LE will increase rail capacit between Leamington and E2isng Commitments Coventr , a ke component to improving access • Increased rail capacit between Coventr and Nuneaton between Leicester and Coventr . -e also ancipate in • Midland Mainline upgrade and electri'caon this me an upgrade to the Midland Mainline will take • M1 CD1E-23a) Smart Motorwa place including electri'caon on the route. The M1, between juncons 1E and 23a is currentl being HS upgraded to Smart Motorwa standard. • Developing plans for HS2 8eleased Capacit • HS Integraon between e(isng rail and HS2 in the Toton area The implementaon of HS2 will unlock addional • Ensuring 0ccess to Toton – 042 mul modal stud capacit with the proposed interchange at Toton Early Priories located close to the region. : 2030, it is ancipated • Development of enhanced business case for rail between that growth in ?highl sensive’ HS2 sectors will be Leamington and Leicester captured across the Midlands. 0s such, it is imperave • Development of the 046 corridor – inial work between that such areas are well connected to HS2 and the M40 and S ston Midlands Mainline in the Toton area to ma(imise the • Midlands 8ail Hub economic bene'ts. 8eleased capacit on the e(isng • Major 8oad Network Development network will also will also impact on this region. • Midlands Motorwa Hub • 0cve role in technolog and smart ckeng • Development of the 01 Corridor from 03I to M1 Longer Term Intervenons • 046 – further corridor development • Further support for access to Feli(stowe • Trials for connected passenger and freight autonomous vehicles • Improved direct rail connecons from East Midlands to the Thames Valle 2 of 4 Midlands Connect in Leicester and Leicestershire: Schemes, Hubs and Corridors Midlands Connect Strategic Economic Hubs and Corridors Early Priories The 8ail Hub will enable an addional 10 trains an hour across the Midlands, our immediate work will look at where these services should serve. Mone from the DfT has alread been ring-fenced to develop this work. 6oing forward, Midlands Connect will idenf a preferred opon for a direct rail service between Coventr and Leicester to build and accommodate growth on this corridor. To achieve e(tra services to the Thames Valle addional track capacit between %enilworth and Coventr is required. The Motorwa Hub work will look at the resilience of our network and our dependence upon the M42/M1/M6 bo(. The work will look at the best wa to use this network and how to strengthen alternave routes. The 046 route which stretches from Lincolnshire to 6loucestershire is a road which up ll now has been ignored in its role as a strategic corridor. : looking at the route in its enret , there are tremendous opportunies to remove traffic from the alread congested motorwa networks. The link between the M40 and S ston will be looked at as a priorit . 0longside this further work will be undertaken in the development of a business case to upgrade the 01 from the 03I to the M1. Longer Term Intervenons -e have iden'ed longer-term investment priories for the LEP region in view of constraints on what can be taken forward within the industr and, for some, the potenal scale, comple(it , and cost of the intervenons. Further work will be undertaken to have direct rail services from the East Midlands to the Thames Valle , as well as improved access through our region to Feli(stowe. 0s part of the long term proposals we look to double service frequenc and enhance journe mes between :irmingham and Leicester, from two trains per hour to four and to just 40 minutes. 3 of 4 Midlands Connect in Leicester and Leicestershire: 6oing Forward The Supporng Evidence The Midlands 8egion is worth over 4 0 billion to the 61 economy and is home to several naonal strengths. including advanced manufacturing, food technolog and freight. Leicestershire is known for its logiscs 'rms with Magna Park in Lu5erworth, providing an addional 11,000 jobs. The LEP is also well-posioned in the educaon sector, hosng the second largest science park in the countr , not to menon the MI80 Technolog Park Enterprise 9one, which is ancipated to become a global centre for transport research and development. 0s such, it is a good locaon for investment. The Strateg is supported b a signi'cant technical evidence base which is available on the website www.midlandsconnect.uk. -e have worked with Highwa s England, HS2 Ltd and Network 8ail to ensure that our mescales work in line with theirs and that the we act together to ensure that the Midlands is in a prime posion to boost economic growth. Ne2t Steps Midlands Connect has been awarded L17 million to connue our work from 2017 – 2020. This is a huge vote of con'dence for Midlands Connect from the 6overnment, and will allow us to pursue development of the intervenons iden'ed within the Strateg . Further details on this plan will be made available later in 2017. 8ight: Forward Planning with Highwa s England, HS2 Ltd and Network 8ail Contact Details For an further informaon about Midlands Connect please contact the team on mcadminMmidlandsconnect.uk or 01 1 18 70 3 Key contacts within the Leicester and Leicestershire LEP area include; Phil Crossland CLeicestershire Count Council) 0 full suite of documents is 0arry Sco; CLeicester Cit Council) available on our website: Andrew Pritchard CEast Midlands Council) www.midlandsconnect.uk 4 of 4 .