Plan for Coventry and Leicester to get direct rail link once again

[dutchman]

Rail link will slash commuting time between Coventry and Leicester and end the need to change at Nuneaton



Coventry could get a direct rail link to Leicester under a multi-million pound plan to restore a disused line which was scrapped in 2004.

Currently, anyone wanting to travel between the two cities must change at Nuneaton and the line would cut the 25-mile journey time from around 70 minutes to 48.

According to council, business and industry chiefs the reinstated route would provide an economic benefit of between £25million and £65million a year.

As well as increasing connectivity regionally the line would unlock further trading potential to the south and north east and support the arrival of HS2.

The document entitled Prospectus for Growth features the rail plan, nicknamed LE NUCKLE, as well as other transport aspirations such as dualling of the A5 at Hinckley - a £20 million plan already sanctioned by Government and due to start in 2020.

Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, Leicestershire County Council, Leicester City Council, Midlands Connect and rail strategists SLC Rail are all involved in promoting the proposals.

LE NUCKLE could cost upwards of £51 million.

Late last year the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership and their counterparts the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership worked up a bid - both seeking £15 million each with the remainder sought from Network Rail.

The aim is to lobby Government to release the funds to further the scheme, although there is no guarantee cash will be forthcoming and bids are in competition with others across the country.

Mr Major said the old line was severed when a 19th Century ‘dive under’ – essentially an underpass passing beneath another rail line – was filled in.

He said: “In layman’s terms it’s a bit like an underpass where trains from Coventry used to go under the West Coast Main Line up to Leicester.

“When they remodelled the line to improve the line speed through Coventry, which was a benefit to Coventry in terms of high-speed trains to London and to Birmingham, they eliminated this underpass which went under the main line.

“Simply put one line went under and they had to strengthen the mainline above it by filling in the underpass to run heavier, faster trains.

“It’s a restoration of an old route.”

Pure speculation!

[rebbonk]

It is speculation, and I fail to see why such effort is being made to remove 1 change.

I worry about the wide 'benefit' of between £25 and £65 million per year. That's one heck of a spread. I'd have thought a reasoned business case would have a spread of less than £5 million.

[dutchman]

Fresh hope for £50million rail tunnel to link Coventry and Leicester



A £50million project to provide faster rail links between Coventry and Leicester could be back on track after initial funding bids were derailed.

The multi-million pound plan would see a 'dive under' created at Nuneaton Railway Station which would pave the way for an hourly service from Coventry to Leicester.

Initially it was hoped that this would be available from 2021 as a joint bid for government cash was going to be made between the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the Leicester and Leicestershire LEP for the £50m to help create the tunnel at Nuneaton station.

It has now been announced that this bid failed but a spokesperson for Warwickshire County Council has confirmed that other funding options are being explored and new body was taking responsibility for finding the cash needed.

The scheme is now being championed by Midlands Connect, the transport arm of the Midlands Engine which brings together local authorities and local enterprise partnerships from across the Midlands.

"Originally, the four local authorities, Warwickshire County Council, Coventry City Council, Leicestershire County Council and Leicester City Council, were going to work together to further develop the project in order to better understand the financial viability, opportunities and constraints," the Shire Hall spokesperson said.

"However given the pan regional significance of the project Midlands Connect are now leading on this piece of work and the relevant Local Authorities are providing input as appropriate."