Proposal to cut Leeds-Leicester journey time from two hours to 46 minutes

Plans submitted to the Government and the HS2 review by transport project champion Midlands Connect argue that a 46-minute Leeds-Leicester rail link is possible.

The proposals form part of a business case submitted by Midlands Connect to the Department for Transport, which has commissioned HS2 Ltd to investigate the feasibility of changes. And the case will be presented to the HS2 Oakervee review.

Midlands Connect says there is a strong argument for high speed trains to directly connect the city centres of Leeds and Leicester and Birmingham and Nottingham via the East Midlands Hub station at Toton, more than halving journey times and boosting the economy by at least £1.4bn. The Leeds-Leicester journey currently takes two hours.

Under current plans, passengers would have to use the existing network to travel to Toton before changing on to an HS2 train, or vice versa.

Midlands Connect’s recommended alternative make direct services possible using new conventional-compatible trains that can travel along both high speed and electrified tracks, allowing them to call at both new HS2 and existing stations.

The body says the capital cost of implementing the new services is estimated at £170m, including the Toton junction and infrastructure upgrades to the Midland Main Line to enable an extra hourly service from Bedford to Leeds, via Leicester.

But its report says the estimated economic benefit of the new services is at least £1.4bn, derived from journey time savings and the benefits to businesses of improving the economic relationship between towns and cities. The plans will also encourage fewer car journeys on our congested roads.

There is currently no regular direct rail service between Leicester and Leeds, with passengers having to change at Derby, Chesterfield or Sheffield. As a result, just 15% of journeys between Leicester and Leeds are taken by rail, compared with 32% between Derby and Leeds, where there is a regular direct service.

Midlands Connect says there is a technically feasible, financially viable and environmentally sustainable case for an hourly direct service between Bedford, Leicester and Leeds via the HS2 East Midlands Hub, with additional stops at Wellingborough, Kettering, Loughborough and Market Harborough.

Councillor Judith Blake, Leader of Leeds City Council and Chairman of Core Cities, said: “HS2 is about much more than travelling to and from London.

“It will help connect cities such as Leeds and Sheffield with towns and cities all across the East Midlands and beyond, providing links by rail that are vastly under used at the moment because of how long journeys take.

“This will really help maximise the economic benefits of HS2 for the Leeds City Region and the East Midlands.

“Done right, HS2 can be a real catalyst for growth across the country. We are working together with Midlands Connect,  HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport to put the case for the delivery of HS2 in full given how vitally important it is to the future economic success of the UK.”

Sir Peter Soulsby, Leicester City Mayor and Chairman of Transport for the East Midlands (TfEM), said: “Bringing HS2 trains into Leicester city centre will mean a direct link to Leeds that would boost the economy by tens of millions of pounds every year and encourage more people to get off the M1 and out of their cars.

“If we get the conventional-compatible HS2 services Midlands Connect is looking for, we can look forward to reigniting our productive dealings with the north.”

Sir John Peace, Chairman of Midlands Connect and Midlands Engine, said: “Now we have more clarity over the costs and timescales of HS2, is it time the true benefits of high speed rail are also fully understood to make sure the project goes ahead in its entirety.

“Our proposals are a genuine game changer for connections between the East Midlands and West Midlands and on to the north of England, revolutionising the way regions do business with each other and demonstrating that HS2 will spread the economic benefits far beyond the cities with a dedicated station.

“We are working closely with HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport to develop our compelling business cases, and submitting our findings to the HS2 Oakervee review.

“We are sending a strong message to the government that delivering HS2 in its entirety is absolutely essential to the future economic success of the whole of the UK.”