The Government must dig deep and deliver on its plans to electrify the entire Midland Mainline, says East Midlands Chamber, following news that Network Rail only expects an upgrade by 2050.
Last week the 海角视频鈥檚 railway operator put out a report saying it wants to have green trains running on an extra 4,800 miles of railway line by 2050.
East Midlands Mainline commuters were told back in 2017 that the Government was scrapping 拢1.1 billion plans to electrify the whole of the line from London St Pancras to Sheffield.
Then transport secretary Chris Grayling said the cuts were being done to save money.
Instead electrification will now only go as far as Market Harborough, and 鈥榖i-mode鈥 trains will run on electricity for part of the route before switching to less green diesel.
That decision came after millions of pounds had already been spent re-modelling a number railway bridges in Leicestershire to accommodate the overhead cabling required for electrification.
Politicians and business leaders have continued pushing the Government to reverse the decision which they said short-changed the East Midlands.
The chamber has joined calls from other bodies, including Midlands Connect, to reinstate the original scheme immediately and get on with work that is ready to go.
East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles said: 鈥淓lectrifying our railways is an ambitious strategy that should be welcomed across the board because it has both economic and environmental benefits that fit today鈥檚 and tomorrow鈥檚 demands.
鈥淓lectric trains are cleaner, lighter, more resilient and require less maintenance than diesel trains 鈥 which are often responsible for creating emissions hotspots around the railway stations that are supposed to signify sustainability in the transport sector.
鈥淣ot only are Network Rail鈥檚 plans consistent with the Government鈥檚 海角视频 net zero 2050 strategy, but it would bring closer integration with HS2, including the planned East Midlands hub at Toton that remains essential to the region鈥檚 growth.
鈥淧revious assessments have shown how improvements to the Midland Main Line deliver a fantastic benefit-cost ratio and would have a greater return on investment than similar schemes anywhere else in the country.
鈥淗owever, promises to electrify the entire line have not been met and the region has missed out on the economic prosperity this could bring.
鈥淚nfrastructure investment is now at the heart of the Government鈥檚 economic recovery strategy so we鈥檇 hope that this report will pave the way for the scheme to finally be delivered in full.
鈥淎ll the planning is in place to make this happen as soon as the green light is given so now is the time to get on with it in order to deliver its benefits as soon as possible.鈥
The Network Rail Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy was issued by Network Rail to the Treasury as a business case for making green improvements to rail infrastructure.
