Monday 12 Jan 2009
EAST MIDLANDS’ GREENEST STATION TO OPEN ON 26 JANUARY
- Region & Route:
Network Rail and East Midlands Trains are pleased to announce today the opening of the East Midlands’ newest and greenest rail station on 26 January – East Midlands Parkway. The multi million pound station, owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains, will give hundreds of thousands of people across the East Midlands easier and better access to train services. The station aims to get people off the M1, out of their cars, and on to trains.
Network Rail’s new station is one of the greenest ever built, and will be served by over 100 East Midlands Trains services per day, with trains to and from London every 15-20 minutes at peak times. The journey time to London will be around 1 hour and 30 minutes. It will serve as a park and ride station for Leicester, Derby and Nottingham, reducing car use into the major cities and taking traffic off the M1.
Dyan Crowther, Network Rail route director said: "East Midlands Parkway signifies our commitment to improving the rail network and providing high quality accessible stations.
“It is a great facility which provides new choices for passengers and will tempt motorists from the nearby M1 to use a greener form of travel and aims to reduce congestion in nearby city centres."
East Midlands Parkway is one of the greenest stations ever, using new technology to minimise its impact on the local environment. It uses a ground-heat heating system as well as locally sourced and recycled materials.
East Midlands Parkway is situated just off the A453 at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, 1 mile from the M1. It comprises of four platforms, step free access, a station building with ticket office and other facilities, and will be staffed and managed by East Midlands Trains as well as having 850 car parking spaces.
East Midlands Trains Managing Director, Tim Shoveller said:
”We are now only a matter of days away from the exciting opening of the first new station in our region for many years. I am sure we’ll attract more passengers to rail from the surrounding roads. Perhaps more importantly in the current economic climate, the station will offer businesses in the region an invaluable link to attract new business to the region from London. With journey times to London of around 90 minutes and prices to London starting at just £8 we expect it to be a very busy station for us.”
East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is one of the funders of East Midlands Parkway. Commenting on the new station, Steve Brown, emda’s Deputy Chairman, said: “Good transport connectivity is important to create a successful economy and flourishing region, which is why emda has invested in East Midlands Parkway. The new station is an excellent example of what can be achieved through sustainable design and high environmental standards and will help support regional growth.”
Notes to editors
• East Midlands Parkway provides direct rail links to Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Lincoln, London, a number of smaller stations and continental Europe via London St Pancras International. • Peak time departures to London; 0701, 0725, 0734, 0801, 0832, 0839. Peak time departures from London St. Pancras to East Midlands Parkway; 1615, 1625, 1700, 1715, 1730, 1745, 1815. Throughout the rest of the day there are at least two departures every hour to and from London. Advance purchase tickets to London will be available from eastmidlandstrains.co.uk starting at just £8. • The opening of the new station is being communicated to the public through a marketing campaign coordinated by East Midlands Trains. This includes advertising on the internet, television, radio, poster sites, newspapers and also direct marketing. The Highways Agency is also placing messages on the electronic motorway signs to announce when the station is open. • About emda emda is one of nine Regional Development Agencies in England, set up in 1999 to bring a regional focus to economic development. Working in partnership with public, private and voluntary organisations the aim is to deliver the 2006 Regional Economic Strategy (RES) ‘A Flourishing Region’, which sets out regional priorities until 2020. The RES, coordinated by emda, highlights the themes of productivity, sustainability and equality and builds on the previous two strategies; ‘Prosperity Through People’ and ‘Destination 2010’. In early 2007 the National Audit Office announced emda had received the highest possible grade of 'performing strongly' in an independent assessment of our work - scoring 22 out of 24. For more details visit www.emda.org.uk • Contacts: For media enquiries about passengers services and facilities at East Midlands Parkway, call East Midlands Trains press office 01332 867060. For further press information on emda, please contact Victoria Dyson on 0115 947 1778 or email victoriadyson@emd.org.uk For more information about the A453 please contact Lucy Rees at the East Midlands Highways Agency Press Office on 0115 855 2051/ 07881 665393 or lucy.rees@highways.gsi.gov.uk
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