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Friday 4 Mar 2011

TRAVEL TRANSFORMATION IN NOTTINGHAM BEGINS

Region & Route:

Rail passengers in Nottingham are set for new station facilities, a more reliable service, improved parking and better and more tram connections as work begins at Nottingham railway station.

Work has now started on the striking new 950-space car park with office and retail premises at ground level. Today, representatives from Network Rail, East Midlands Trains and the council met at the site to mark construction beginning.

This is the first significant phase of the railway station redevelopment. Future works to the main station buildings will provide new and better facilities, including a new ticket office, waiting rooms, shops and cafes.

A new concourse will also be built to give passengers better interchange with lines two and three of the tram extension proposals (NET Phase Two). Network Rail will also complete the full resignalling of the line which will help improve reliability of rail services.

Martin Frobisher, route director for Network Rail, said: “These are the first physical works for what is a significant and important investment for rail passengers in Nottingham. After many months of planning it is great to see work begin. We will be working closely with East Midlands Trains to make sure that passengers are kept informed and that any inconvenience is kept to a minimum.”

Paul Hanley, station manager Nottingham for East Midlands Trains, said: “It’s exciting to see the start of this significant phase of work which will deliver a much improved car parking facility for our passengers.

“We are extremely pleased to be working with Nottingham City Council, Network Rail and other partners in delivering the Nottingham Hub scheme which will offer better facilities for existing station users, and provide us with an opportunity to attract even more people onto public transport”.

Councillor Jane Urqhuart, Nottingham City Council’s portfolio holder for transport and area working, added: “These are very exciting times for Nottingham as we can now see the first phase of the railway station redevelopment taking shape. In the next few years Nottingham will boast a state of the art transport interchange linking train with tram. This development will also boost the regeneration of this area of the city.”

The new car park is being built on the western end of the existing surface station car parking area on Queen’s Road. During construction, Sovereign House car park off Sheriff’s Way is available for rail passengers.

Keith Shivers, regional director for VINCI Construction UK Limited, said; "We are delighted to have been awarded the contract for the construction of the new multi-storey car park at Nottingham Railway Station. The new facilities will provide a more secure, well lit parking experience for rail passengers and visitors alike. VINCI’s involvement in this prestigious project is further evidence of our drive for growth in the Nottingham area."

All the works are scheduled to be complete by the end of 2014.