East Midlands Parkway railway station
Encyclopedia
East Midlands Parkway is a railway station
located north of Ratcliffe-on-Soar
on the Midland Main Line
in the East Midlands
of England
. It provides park and ride
facilities for rail passengers on the routes from Leicester
to Derby and Nottingham. It is also the closest station to East Midlands Airport, some four miles away.
The site of the station is in southwest Nottinghamshire
, about 500 metre (0.310686368324903 mi) from the border with Leicestershire
and 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) from that with Derbyshire
, between the existing stations at Loughborough
, Long Eaton
and Attenborough
. The initial shuttle bus service linking the station and the airport has ceased but it is possible to take a taxi at a reduced fare providing the booking is made at least 12 hours in advance. The main station building and the 850 vehicle car park are to the west of the line, opposite Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station
. Road access is via the A453
, which provides a link to the nearby (three minute drive) M1 motorway
.
The TOC (Train Operating Company
) Midland Mainline
was, until October 2006, responsible for the project, which was in the planning stages for several years due to a small piece of land needed for the project. The responsibility then transferred to Network Rail
which anticipated expenditure of £5m in 2006/07 and £8m in 2007/08.
In its first year of operation the station was used by over 250,000 passengers.
the land for the station. However, private agreements with the relevant landowners were agreed for the land required and the compulsory purchase order powers not utilised in this way. Objections against the station were received during the planning and T&WA process from E.ON UK
(the owners of some of the land), Friends of the Earth
, Nottinghamshire County Council, and the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
Concerns from the people of the nearby towns notably Loughborough
were raised that the opening of the station could lead to the reduction in the number of trains stopping there, although this was denied by former operator Midland Mainline. Another concern was the possible withdrawal of the existing bus service from Loughborough station to the airport, however this service is still operating extending from Loughborough to Leicester.
Since 25 April 2010, this service has not served Loughborough railway station
; the effect being that there are now no direct late night or early hour bus services between the railway station and town centre, with a limited [forty-minute frequency] service operating on Sundays.
East Midlands Parkway is one of the greenest stations built in the United Kingdom. It uses a ground-source heating system was built using locally-sourced and recycled materials.
As of late 2009 East Midlands Parkway is a Penalty fare
station, a valid ticket or Permit to travel
must be shown when requested.
Donington Park
motor racing circuit is close by and the owners have expressed their desire for spectators to use the station and coaches to the circuit. The owners are also in support of any future light rail transport to East Midlands Airport itself.
All trains serving the station are operated by EMT using InterCity 125 (HST)
, Class 222 Meridian
, or sprinters (classes 153
/156
/158
) rolling stock. The current service pattern from London sees two trains per hour, both leaving within 7 minutes of each other.
-branded services run by Stagecoach (the operators of both East Midlands Trains and of Megabus). The MegabusPlus services transport passengers from cities in the north of England to East Midlands Parkway, where passengers transfer to rail for the service to London.
Routes operated under the MegabusPlus brand are to/from:
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
located north of Ratcliffe-on-Soar
Ratcliffe-on-Soar
Ratcliffe-on-Soar is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire on the River Soar. It is part of the Rushcliffe district, and is the site of Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station. Nearby places are Kingston on Soar and Trentlock. With a population of around 100, the parish is too small to have a...
on the Midland Main Line
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway route in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The present-day line links London St...
in the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It provides park and ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
facilities for rail passengers on the routes from Leicester
Leicester railway station
Leicester railway station serves the City of Leicester in Leicestershire, England.As of late 2009 Leicester is a Penalty fare station, a valid ticket or Permit to travel must be shown when requested.-Background:...
to Derby and Nottingham. It is also the closest station to East Midlands Airport, some four miles away.
The site of the station is in southwest Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, about 500 metre (0.310686368324903 mi) from the border with Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
and 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) from that with Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, between the existing stations at Loughborough
Loughborough railway station
Loughborough railway station serves the town of Loughborough in Leicestershire, England. Situated on the Midland Main Line, 20 km north of Leicester, the station lies to the north-east of the town centre....
, Long Eaton
Long Eaton railway station
Long Eaton railway station serves the town of Long Eaton in Derbyshire, in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Midland Main Line and the Derby - Nottingham line south east of Derby...
and Attenborough
Attenborough railway station
Attenborough railway station serves Attenborough in Nottinghamshire, England.As of late 2009 Attenborough is a Penalty fare station when travelling on East Midlands Trains services and the Pertis machine must be used which is located on the Derby bound platform.-History:Built as a halt known as...
. The initial shuttle bus service linking the station and the airport has ceased but it is possible to take a taxi at a reduced fare providing the booking is made at least 12 hours in advance. The main station building and the 850 vehicle car park are to the west of the line, opposite Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station
Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station
Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station is a coal-fired power station operated by E.ON UK at Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, England. Commissioned in 1968 by the then Central Electricity Generating Board, the station has a capacity of 2,000 MW...
. Road access is via the A453
A453 road
The A453 road was formerly the main trunk road connecting the English cities of Nottingham and Birmingham. However, the middle section of this mainly single-carriageway road has largely been downgraded to B roads or unclassified roads following the construction of the parallel M42-A42 link around...
, which provides a link to the nearby (three minute drive) M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
.
History
Building work commenced on the new £25.5m station on 19 December 2007, and was due to be completed by 14 December 2008, but the station finally opened on 26 January 2009.The TOC (Train Operating Company
Train operating company
The term train operating company is used in the United Kingdom to describe the various businesses operating passenger trains on the railway system of Great Britain under the collective National Rail brand...
) Midland Mainline
Midland Mainline
Midland Mainline was a British train operating company owned by the National Express Group and based in Derby. It was created after the privatisation of British Rail. Midland Mainline services operated from April 1996 to November 2007....
was, until October 2006, responsible for the project, which was in the planning stages for several years due to a small piece of land needed for the project. The responsibility then transferred to Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
which anticipated expenditure of £5m in 2006/07 and £8m in 2007/08.
In its first year of operation the station was used by over 250,000 passengers.
Controversy
The construction of the station has been controversial; Midland Mainline sought Transport and Works Act (T&WA) powers to compulsorily purchaseCompulsory purchase order
A compulsory purchase order is a legal function in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland that allows certain bodies which need to obtain land or property to do so without the consent of the owner. It may be enforced if a proposed development is considered one for public betterment - for...
the land for the station. However, private agreements with the relevant landowners were agreed for the land required and the compulsory purchase order powers not utilised in this way. Objections against the station were received during the planning and T&WA process from E.ON UK
E.ON UK
E.ON UK is an energy company in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of E.ON, the world's largest investor-owned power and gas company. As Powergen, it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but since 1 July 2002 has been owned by E.ON AG of...
(the owners of some of the land), Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...
, Nottinghamshire County Council, and the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
Concerns from the people of the nearby towns notably Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
were raised that the opening of the station could lead to the reduction in the number of trains stopping there, although this was denied by former operator Midland Mainline. Another concern was the possible withdrawal of the existing bus service from Loughborough station to the airport, however this service is still operating extending from Loughborough to Leicester.
Since 25 April 2010, this service has not served Loughborough railway station
Loughborough railway station
Loughborough railway station serves the town of Loughborough in Leicestershire, England. Situated on the Midland Main Line, 20 km north of Leicester, the station lies to the north-east of the town centre....
; the effect being that there are now no direct late night or early hour bus services between the railway station and town centre, with a limited [forty-minute frequency] service operating on Sundays.
First year
To mark the first year of operation of the station, East Midlands Trains offered unlimited travel from the station for the day on Saturday 30 January 2010 under the promotional 'Red Dot Day' banner. The 850 space car park was full for the first time since the station opened and 2,787 passengers travelled.Facilities
East Midlands Parkway is a staffed, four-platform station with a ticket office. The ticket office is open between 06:00–19:30 Mondays to Saturdays, and between 07:30–19:30 on Sundays. Other facilities include:- Ticket vending machineScheidt & Bachmann Ticket XPressThe Scheidt & Bachmann Ticket XPress system is a passenger-operated, self-service railway ticket issuing system developed and manufactured by the German systems development and production group Scheidt & Bachmann GmbH, based in the city of Mönchengladbach...
- Fast ticket machineShere FASTticketThe Shere FASTticket system is a passenger-operated, self-service railway ticket issuing system, developed by the Guildford-based company Shere Ltd and first introduced on a trial basis in Britain in 1996, shortly after privatisation...
- Cafe
- Lifts to all platforms
- Waiting room
- Pay phone
- Cycle storage
- Accessible toilets
- Taxi rank
- Business lounge
East Midlands Parkway is one of the greenest stations built in the United Kingdom. It uses a ground-source heating system was built using locally-sourced and recycled materials.
As of late 2009 East Midlands Parkway is a Penalty fare
Penalty fare
On the United Kingdom's public transport systems, a penalty fare is a special fare charged at a higher than normal price because the purchaser did not comply with the normal ticket purchasing rules...
station, a valid ticket or Permit to travel
Permit to travel
In the ticketing system of the British rail network, a Permit to Travel provisionally allows passengers to travel on a train when they have not purchased a ticket in advance and the ticket office of the station they are travelling from is closed, without incurring a penalty fare.Since a large...
must be shown when requested.
Services
Fears have been raised by various bodies, notably East Midlands Airport, about the service pattern proposed for the new station.Donington Park
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship...
motor racing circuit is close by and the owners have expressed their desire for spectators to use the station and coaches to the circuit. The owners are also in support of any future light rail transport to East Midlands Airport itself.
All trains serving the station are operated by EMT using InterCity 125 (HST)
InterCity 125
The InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rail's High Speed Train fleet. The InterCity 125 train is made up of two power cars, one at each end of a fixed formation of Mark 3 carriages, and is capable of , making the train the fastest diesel-powered locomotive in regular service in the...
, Class 222 Meridian
British Rail Class 222
The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation....
, or sprinters (classes 153
British Rail Class 153
The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinter is a single car diesel multiple unit converted from British Rail Class 155s.-Description:These units were originally built as two-car Class 155 units by British Leyland from 1987–88, but were converted by Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock from 1991-92...
/156
British Rail Class 156
The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train . 114 of these units were built from 1987 to 1989 by Metro-Cammell at its Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham...
/158
British Rail Class 158
British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs...
) rolling stock. The current service pattern from London sees two trains per hour, both leaving within 7 minutes of each other.
Multi-modal
From 30 March 2009, the station has been used as an interchange station for combined multi-modal journeys MegabusMegabus (United Kingdom)
Megabus is a UK coach service operated by Stagecoach Group. It started in 2003 and as of February 2010 operated 19 UK coach routes serving 41 destinations in England, Scotland and Wales. Some services link with Megatrain services which are also operated by Stagecoach...
-branded services run by Stagecoach (the operators of both East Midlands Trains and of Megabus). The MegabusPlus services transport passengers from cities in the north of England to East Midlands Parkway, where passengers transfer to rail for the service to London.
Routes operated under the MegabusPlus brand are to/from:
- London St Pancras International - HullKingston upon HullKingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
via DoncasterDoncasterDoncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
and ScunthorpeScunthorpeScunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,... - London St Pancras International - YorkYorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
via CastlefordCastlefordCastleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north...
and HarrogateHarrogateHarrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th... - London St Pancras International - HuddersfieldHuddersfieldHuddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
via BradfordBradfordBradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
and HalifaxHalifax, West YorkshireHalifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...