East Midlands Trains says electrification is good news for passengers
16 Jul 2012
- Electrification will cut journey times and provide more capacity for future growth
- Delivery of wider economic benefits
- Intense lobbying with the rail industry by MPs and local politicians
David Horne, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains today (16 July) welcomed the announcement by the Government to fund the £800m electrification of the Midland Main Line and upgrade key sections of the route.
Mr Horne said: “We welcome the news that the Government has today given the go-ahead to fund both the electrification and the upgrading of the Midland Main Line. This is a significant announcement which benefits our passengers and the communities we serve. Electrification will provide a smoother, quieter and quicker ride for passengers, cutting journey times while crucially delivering more capacity to cater for future growth.
"Not only will it be good for the environment, the project will create hundreds of jobs during the construction period, providing an estimated £450m of wider economic benefits to the cities and towns we serve."
He added: "Today's announcement is a particular credit to the combined efforts of MPs and councillors from all parties, East Midlands Councils, South Yorkshire PTE, local authorities and the LEPs throughout the East Midlands and South Yorkshire who have all worked together with the rail industry to argue the need for this investment to Government.
"Electrification will significantly reduce the costs of rolling stock, energy, track access and maintenance. It is estimated that electrifying the line from Bedford to Sheffield will save up to £60m every year in industry costs. That means within ten years of completion, the electrification of the line will have paid for itself and will continue to reduce the cost of rail to the taxpayer year on year."
Ends
Notes to Editors
For media enquiries, please contact East Midlands Trains on 01738 442111. Out of office hours: An on-call service operates for urgent media enquiries out of hours. To access this service, please call 08448 222888 and quote MEDIA1. Please leave a short message, including your name, media organisation, phone number and the nature of your enquiry. The on call press officer will then return your call.
East Midlands Trains
- East Midlands Trains, part of the Stagecoach Group, runs fast, frequent trains from and to London St Pancras International and key UK destinations throughout the East Midlands, including Leicester, Derby, Sheffield, Nottingham, Manchester and Liverpool.
- East Midlands Trains is currently investing over £40 million to improve stations across its network and every single passenger train within its fleet.
- East Midlands Trains is committed to offering great value fares. Use the Best Fare Finder to search for cheap train tickets and book cheap train tickets to London and on more than 400 routes across the UK.
- Looking for inspiration on top things to do on the East Midlands Trains' network? Visit Top Things To Do in UK for a range of ideas. Save money on your rail journey with the latest train deals and special offers and discount online.
Stagecoach Group
- Stagecoach Group is a leading international public transport group, with extensive operations in the UK, United States and Canada. The company employs 35,000 people and operates bus, coach, rail, and tram services.
- Stagecoach is one of UK’s biggest bus and coach operators. Around 2.5 million passengers travel on Stagecoach's 7,700 buses every day on a network stretching from south-west England to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The company's business includes major city bus operations in London, Liverpool, Newcastle, Hull, Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield and Cambridge.
- Stagecoach is a major UK rail operator, running the South West Trains, Island Line and East Midlands Trains networks. It has a 49% shareholding in Virgin Rail Group, which operates the West Coast inter-city rail franchise.
- Stagecoach also operates the Sheffield tram network.
- In North America, Stagecoach operates around 1,900 buses and coaches in the United States and Canada. Budget coach service megabus.com links around 80 key locations in North America. Stagecoach is also involved in operating commuter and transit services, as well as tours, charters, sightseeing tours and a small number of school bus services.
East Midlands Trains, 1 Prospect Place, Millennium Way, Pride Park, Derby DE24 8HG
eastmidlandstrains.co.uk
For more information about East Midlands Trains, visit www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk