Masterplan lays out the future of Midlands transport network

Published by

Nicky Godding

NOTTINGHAM, UK - AUGUST 23, 2016. An aerial view of the busy M1 Motorway in UK with speeding traffic including cars and lorries with copy space.

Regional Transport body Midlands Connect is launching its strategic transport plan for the Midlands entitled ‘Greener, Fairer, Stronger’ at its annual conference in Birmingham.

The plan lays out the key challenges facing transport in the Midlands, including how a lack of mobility is holding back economic growth and productivity and the need to slash carbon emissions. The plan sets out where the region can tackle some of these challenges.

The plan identifies requirements for major investment needed, from both public and private sectors, in programmes for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, alternative fuels, including natural gas and hydrogen for HGVs, boosting rural area mobility, more passengers and freight on the rail network and a ‘tap and cap’ smart ticketing solution for passengers using buses, trams, bike hire and the rail network across the Midlands (similar to the system used in London).

The document outlines the importance of new technologies in transport, with Midlands Connect committing to publish a ‘Transport Technology Route Map’ later this year which will provide guidance to local authorities and businesses on which technologies to invest in to provide the greatest benefits, while minimising risks.

The needs of the freight industry are a vital component of the plan, with an emphasis placed on both improving infrastructure to support the transport and logistics sector, as well as a focus on how public and private sectors can work together to ensure that the impacts of HGVs on our roads are best managed.

Midlands Connect has also highlighted key projects for investment in the next 10-15 years on the road and rail networks. These include

Birmingham-Derby-Nottingham rail journey time improvement
M1 junction 28 improvements
A50/A500 Corridor Central Section (around Uttoxeter)
Nottingham-Lincoln rail journey time improvements
A1/A52 junction upgrade at Grantham
Coventry-Leicester-Nottingham new direct rail services and journey time improvements
A46 improvements at Syston
M1 improvements including Leicester Western Access and North Leicestershire extra capacity
A5/A426 Gibbet Hill Junction
A46 improvements between Stratford and Warwick
A46 improvements in Evesham area
Kings Norton area rail capacity improvements
Reinstatement of Snow Hill Station platform number 4 in Birmingham
Birmingham Motorway Box – safety and reliability improvements
A5 improvements between Hinckley and Tamworth
Birmingham-Black Country-Shrewsbury rail journey time improvement
M6 J15 improvements
Birmingham – Leicester rail journey time improvements

These projects, if delivered in full, will help provide up to £1.9bn more in regional economic output per year by 2040 in the Midlands, rising to £4.1bn per year by 2061 and support ambitions for 334,000 additional jobs to be created in the Midlands, says Midlands Connect.

Midlands Connect Chair Sir John Peace said: “We will gather evidence to make plans and bring forward their delivery. Most of all, we will not forget the people behind these plans, this grand vision is about giving the Midlands, its businesses and its' communities the future they deserve.

Midlands Connect CEO Maria Machancoses added: “Our research has analysed how people travel, why they travel and where to, both now, and how this needs to change in future. These insights have led us to this plan, one that seeks investment and innovation in the places that need it most."

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.