Reconfiguring new stations and fully electrifying the Midland Mainline could increase the benefits of HS2 to the Midlands, according to the body tasked with boosting transport links in the region.
Leicester, Nottingham, Birmingham and Leeds could benefit more from the multi-billion pound high speed rail scheme if the changes are made, according to Midlands Connect.
It has written to the Department for Transport saying adapting the plans could cut journey times between Nottingham and Birmingham to 33 minutes 鈥 from 72 minutes 鈥 and Leicester to Leeds in 46 minutes, compared to the current 2 hours.
The are no plans for HS2 to stop in Leicester, Derby or Nottingham.
Instead the East Midlands would be served by a new station at Toton, near Long Eaton, with passengers changing trains to travel between the cities.
Midlands Connect said direct services would be possible if new trains were brought in that could travel along both high speed and electrified tracks.
That would mean extending plans to electrify the existing mainline out of St Pancras, which will currently only go as far at Market Harborough.
The existing line west of Nottingham would also have to be electrified.
As well as linking with HS2, the changes, Midlands Connect says, would provide 鈥渟ignificant financial and environmental benefits to the existing network鈥.
A spokesman for Midlands Connect said: 鈥淭here is currently no regular direct rail service between Leicester and Leeds, with passengers having to change at Derby, Chesterfield or Sheffield.
鈥淎s a result, just 15 per cent of journeys between Leicester and Leeds are taken by rail, compared with 32 per cent between Derby and Leeds, where there is a regular direct service.鈥
He said a direct Birmingham to Nottingham service was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to 鈥渞evolutionise the relationship between the Midlands鈥 two core cities鈥.
He said: 鈥淭he hourly direct service would travel on the new high speed line between Birmingham Curzon Street and the East Midlands Hub at Toton, transferring to the conventional network between Toton and Nottingham city centre.鈥
The organisation estimates it would cost 拢170 million for the changes to Toton junction and the infrastructure upgrades to the Midland mainline, which would also enable an extra hourly service from Bedford to Leeds, via Leicester.
Leicester Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: 鈥淏ringing HS2 trains in to 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.
鈥淚f we get the conventional-compatible HS2 services Midlands Connect is looking for, we can look forward to reigniting our productive dealings with the north.鈥
How can HS2 be adapted to benefit the Midlands more
Sir John Peace, who chairs Midlands Connect and the Midlands Engine, said: 鈥淣ow we have more clarity over the costs and timescales of HS2, is it time that the true benefits of high speed rail are also fully understood to make sure the project goes ahead in its entirety.
鈥淥ur 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.
鈥淲e 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.
鈥淲e 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 海角视频.鈥
Richard Butler, CBI regional chairman, said: 鈥淔or too long connectivity within the Midlands has been beleaguered by congestion on roads and by slow and infrequent services by rail.
鈥淏etter connecting communities across the Midlands and to cities in the North will open up investment and employment opportunities, boosting local economies and people鈥檚 job prospects.
鈥淧ublic transport needs to be convenient and accessible to all; enhancing existing HS2 plans to link more cities and towns will encourage more people to leave their cars at home 鈥 reducing congestion and the impact on the environment.鈥
It comes in the wake of an announcement that the first phase of HS2, between London Euston and Birmingham, could be delayed by five years to 2031 while the overall cost could hit up to 拢88 billion.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has also said the full northern link to Manchester and Leeds would probably be delayed by seven years to 2040.
Midlands Connect said a business case for its suggestions had been submitted to the Department for Transport, which has commissioned HS2 Ltd to investigate the feasibility of the alternative junction.
The findings will also be submitted to the government鈥檚 independent review into whether HS2 goes ahead.
Nottingham City Council leader David Mellen said: 鈥淭he current rail service between Nottingham and Birmingham is not up to scratch, it鈥檚 a distance of just 50 miles yet trains take over an hour and are frequently overcrowded.
鈥淔aster trains between Nottingham and Birmingham is key to the growth of both cities, we welcome a high speed connection which will cut journey times in half.鈥
Midlands Connect is part of the Midlands Engine, and is a partnership of 22 councils, nine local enterprise partnerships, East Midlands and Birmingham airports and chambers of commerce. It was created to improve access to, from and within the Midlands.
