NOTTINGHAM | The Transport Thread (Exc The Tram)

[duane]

I believe the line will avoid Leicester some how. As we all know Leicester won't get any transport infrastructure investment. London, to Peteborough through Grantham to Nottingham and then Sheffield?

[Lears City]

Imagine that, being avoided at the expense of Peterborough and Grantham! I went to Peterborough recently and it is a thoroughly dull place. Nice Cathedral, but the rest of it is very average indeed. Thatcher came from Grantham. Enough said...

[BeestonLad]

Originally Posted by Lears City

Imagine that, being avoided at the expense of Peterborough and Grantham! I went to Peterborough recently and it is a thoroughly dull place. Nice Cathedral, but the rest of it is very average indeed. Thatcher came from Grantham. Enough said...

Try working there!! You are right though, I class is as the worst city in England - the Cathedral is wasted on it.

[MattN]

He's said the Midland Main Line will be upgraded, not the Grantham-Nottingham line! Given how reluctant we've been as a country to electrify, I can hardly see that being given priority, the benefits would be far lower. The Midland line also runs to Sheffield, the main route being through Derby as current services go, or up the Erewash Valley Line. Running through Nottingham requires reversing back through the over-subscribed junction to the west which hasn't been upgraded yet. Running via Grantham would remove all the patronage from intermediate stops and be a longer way round to Sheffield and Nottingham. The ECML itself has been electrified for ages.

You Leicester lot really have a complex, don't you? You seriously expect the government to pursue such a ridiculous option just so you can carry on believing they have it in for you?

[duane]

Lets just wait and see where the line is electrified.

[oats]

Originally Posted by duane

I believe the line will avoid Leicester some how. As we all know Leicester won't get any transport infrastructure investment. London, to Peteborough through Grantham to Nottingham and then Sheffield?

This is the Midland Mainline. It already exists and runs from London to Luton, Bedford, Leicester and then to Derby, Sheffield, Leeds and Nottingham. There's no new line being built, just putting electric wires above the rails like on the ECML between Kings Cross and Edinburgh. There is absolutely no way that Leicester could be missed off the route, it's on the line. With electrification all of the line has to be electrified for the trains to run because new electric trains would be bought. If there are no wires to power them, then they stop!

[PerfectDark]

Originally Posted by oats

This is the Midland Mainline. It already exists and runs from London to Luton, Bedford, Leicester and then to Derby, Sheffield, Leeds and Nottingham. There's no new line being built, just putting electric wires above the rails like on the ECML between Kings Cross and Edinburgh. There is absolutely no way that Leicester could be missed off the route, it's on the line. With electrification all of the line has to be electrified for the trains to run because new electric trains would be bought. If there are no wires to power them, then they stop!

Maybe the developers will come up with a money saving scheme to miss out Leicester and have the trains run on just momentum through the city. Of course the trains would no longer be able to stop, which should keep those in Leicester from getting out.

[duane]

Originally Posted by PerfectDark

Maybe the developers will come up with a money saving scheme to miss out Leicester and have the trains run on just momentum through the city. Of course the trains would no longer be able to stop, which should keep those in Leicester from getting out.

I believe this may happen. :P I still reckon Leicester will some how get shafted here. As Leicester only has 4 platforms, (one of the smallest in the country in relation to passenger usage) some trains might not be able to stop and will go round past the station. Down the line, Nottingham with its larger station, will get an extra 4 platforms to deal with the trains.

[PerfectDark]

No crime after car parks revamp

FRESH security measures have helped to stamp out crime at five popular city centre car parks.
There were no thefts from vehicles parked in the NCP-run car parks in the final three months of last year.
This compares to 54 recorded thefts over the same period in 2008.
It is believed to be the first time no offences have been recorded in the car parks over a three-month period.
The huge reduction in offences follows a major overhaul of security at the sites in Stoney Street, St James Street, Mount Street, Arndale Centre and Queensbridge Road.
Alan Given, chief executive at the Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership, said: "We spent a lot of time focusing on the biggest crime hotspots in the city, and one of these was NCP car parks.
"We got the NCP in for a couple of meetings six months ago and they have responded brilliantly. They have changed their patrol times so it is less easy to anticipate when they are taking place.
"More information is also being passed back and forth between staff at the different car parks and the police.
"The result is that residents of Nottingham can feel far safer in parking their vehicles in city centre car parks."
Rob Baker, regional managing director of NCP, said: "We have repainted all sites, got rid of graffiti, had mobile patrols, invested in excellent CCTV cameras picking up all activity, kept stairwells free from people loitering and made sure lighting is efficient.
"The team spends a lot of time patrolling the car parks and encouraging customers to remove all items from cars that would be of interest to thieves.
"NCP has rolled out a similar scheme in Leicester with amazing results as all seven car parks have been totally crime-free for the last 12 months.
"In Nottingham we're at the first stages of achieving crime-free parking and are working hard to create safe environments where people feel happy to leave their cars. "
City Centre Safer Neighbourhoods Inspector Andy Townsend said his officers had also worked closely with NCP to drive down offences.
He also stressed how the police's General Offender Management programme had played a significant role in reducing vehicle crime across the whole of the city centre.
He added: "We've looked at all aspects of these people, including their housing situation and lifestyles. In the case of two individuals, they have ended up with good prison sentences. City centre vehicle crime is far down from what it was in 2008."
The Post reported last month how vehicle crime across Nottingham had fallen by more than 25% in the past eight months.
There were 2,772 thefts of and from vehicles in the city between April 1 and November 30, 2009, compared with 3,873 in the same period in 2008.
guy.woodford@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/ho...l/article.html

[PerfectDark]

£67m station revamp deal is 'close'
Monday, January 18, 2010, 07:00Comment on this story

WORK could start on a £67m transformation of Nottingham railway station this year, the Post can reveal.
The key partners in the development are "close" to reaching an agreement for the work to begin later in the year – starting with the construction of a striking new multi-storey car park off Queens Road.
Paving works have already started in Station Street and a new cycle compound is being created, as part of the first phase of major enhancements to the public spaces around the station.
But the wider plan to revamp the station to become a world-class integrated transport system – known as The Hub – is now moving nearer.
WATCH FLY-THROUGH OF STATION RE-VAMP:

The station redevelopment will also include a new ticket office and improved passenger facilities, along with the transformation of the existing taxi waiting area into an enclosed passenger arrival hall with new shops.
A new concourse will be built to make it easier for passengers to connect between the train and the proposed tram lines two and three. The design will place emphasis on blending the station's historic features with a new modern look.
Users of the station will also benefit from upgraded transport links in and out of the station and enhanced cycle facilities, car parking and drop-off and pick-up facilities.
Coun Jane Urquhart, Nottingham City Council's transport spokesman, said: "We are very encouraged with the progress made to realise the Hub project.
"The station is an important gateway to the city. A new modern 21st century station will not only benefit passengers and visitors to Nottingham, but it will be a major boost for the economic wellbeing of the city.
"Businesses have been calling for the station to be improved for years.
"Together with the proposals for lines two and three of the tram, Nottingham would boast a state-of-the-art transport interchange allowing passengers to move freely between tram and train."
The station redevelopment is a key part of the wider regeneration of the Southside area of Nottingham. It will also provide a useful transport link for Nottingham City Council employees, who are due to move to a new headquarters at the nearby Loxley House – the former Capital One building.
The Hub will free up four key development sites that are projected to bring about 2,000 new jobs to the city, and another 7,500 as a result of the regeneration of Eastside and Southside.
Coun Urquhart added: "A modernised train station surrounded by new development will make this part of the city very attractive. Visitors to Nottingham will know they have arrived at a very dynamic forward thinking, modern city. And this is a great first impression to have."
The Hub project is part of the workplace parking levy (WPL) package of benefits.
The WPL, which is to be introduced in April 2012, will also help pay for NET Phase Two and maintaining the city council's Link bus network.
The key partners in the Hub project are Network Rail, East Midlands Trains, Nottingham City Council and East Midlands Development Agency (emda).
Diana Gilhespy, emda's executive director of regeneration, said: "Improving transport connectivity in this key area of the city will have an important economic impact.
"Not only will it mean better access for all communities both within Nottingham, across the region and beyond, it will also unlock development sites within the station complex and surrounding areas for further investment. This will create substantial employment opportunities which will be critical as we come out of recession and strive to achieve the long-term goal of a flourishing region. Our investment of £9.5m is set to make an important contribution to realising this vision."
To see a video "fly-through" of how the revamped station will look, go to www.thisisnottingham.co.uk.

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/ho...l/article.html

[danz013]

What do you guys think of the fly through?

[ben77]

Was good (although i think my laptop has an issue with speed). Be interesting to see some actual plans though as you generally only see what people want you to see with fly throughs! Still don't like the tram bridge across the top of the platforms (that white finish looks seriously 90's).

[Stefan88]

I'm in agreement with Ben about the bridge. It has no wow factor about it, although that's probably so it doesn't take any attention away from the actual station. I think a glass tube like structure would look nice.
I like the fly through down Queens Road and I think the car park and offices along there will look great. That area needs some investment to tidy it up a bit as it currently looks a bit shabby.

[duane]

I really like it. It is a great idea to have all the transport infrastructure together. Great to see transport investment for that matter.

[Ranwolf]

I never thought i'd see this level of investment promised.

The Birmingham line will be constructed first and then either of the other extensions.

£30bn high-speed rail network gets go-ahead

Lord Adonis said the Government supported a y-network of lines, with HSR lines north of Birmingham running either side of the Pennines to Manchester, the East Midlands, Sheffield and Leeds as well as to Liverpool, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...d-1919672.html

Of course other than a basic outline of a route we don't know where the lines will go north of Birmingham, so it could go anywhere in the East Midlands and 2017 seems an age away to even begin thet, I doubt I will be living in the UK.
On the downside, it seems a bit of a detour going to Birmingham, then East Mids, Sheffield, Leeds rather than London, Leicester, onwards so this will add some time, but the plus will be a better connection to Birmingham.

[BeestonLad]

UK cities greet HS2 report and White Paper as first step to a high speed future for Britain

http://rail-news.com/2010/03/11/uk-c...e-for-britain/

March 11, 2010 | News, Rail News UK
HSR\\UK, a campaign coalition of Britain’s 11 leading cities has said the publication today of the HS2 Report and the Government’s High Speed Rail Command Paper was a welcome start to developing a high speed rail (HSR) network in the country.

The cross-party campaign, which is building political and community support for a high speed rail network across Britain welcomed the commitment to the first stage of such a network and the detail of the plans outlined in HS2.

Leaders from Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield, stressed the need for cross-party consensus to ensure the momentum for creating a high-speed rail network is not dissipated.

The importance of high speed rail to our cities is widely supported – and today’s announcement underlines that. The eleven cities, which generate more than a quarter of Britain’s wealth, pointed to the major economic benefits a high speed rail network will bring in terms of economic growth and employment, spreading prosperity throughout the country. We are pleased to see that high speed rail going into the heart of cities is a key part of the plans.

The campaign pointed to the recent report from Greengauge 21, which showed that a high speed rail network could boost annual economic output in 2040 by between £17bn and £29bn and create between 25,000 and 42,000 additional jobs in Britain.

Cllr Sir Richard Leese, HSR\\UK campaign chair and leader of Manchester City council, welcomed the report saying:

“This is a historic first step towards a high speed rail network connecting all of our major city regions. The HS2 report and the White Paper outlines a route in commendable detail – this is a proper blueprint, not just a line on the map. It is also important that Government has recognised the potential for the future high speed network to be capable of being integrated with the existing rail network allowing trains to run beyond the new lines to more cities.

“We all recognise the key benefits high speed rail would bring: connectivity and economic development, an increase in rail capacity for both passengers and freight, and, of course, modal shift from domestic aviation to a much greener form of transport.

“We have put aside our party differences and regional rivalries to campaign together for a high speed network which links all of our city regions, as well as connecting with London and thus the rest of Europe. This line must be the first part of such a network – the beginning, not a one-off.

“There are only 68 miles of high speed rail line in Britain, compared with 3,500 miles in mainland Europe. We urgently need to redress this balance; today’s report is a good way to begin, but we must not delay any further.”

[Bingethink]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdRZmP9qLY8

[PerfectDark]

You watch Big Train? Awesome.

What about Armando Iannucci or Jam?

[4ward4notts]

I don't think that this high speed line will come into nottingham. I get the feeling it will go to parkway instead (hence east midlands). I think that is a shame but logistically I don't think it is possible. However Nottingham should really invest in sending the tram to Parkway....

[Ranwolf]

As I said recently on another thread, I would personally advocate a tram link between Nottingham, Derby and EMA (via EM Parkway) allowing the fast trains to concentrate on serving the cities.