East Midlands Gateway Connectivity Study

The Challenge

Following the decision for Toton to be the location of the new HS2 station serving the East Midlands a consortium of stakeholders formed from local and county councils, Highways England and Network Rail was created with a view to deliver a multi modal transport strategy to connect a significant proportion of the East Midlands to this important Highspeed and Conventional rail hub.

The strategy aims to realise the potential for economic growth associated with HS2 arriving at the East Midlands. The vision for this strategy sees HS2 Toton not only as a gateway to wider network but acting as a local transport hub enabling increased mobility from areas outside of the main cities which historically have had limited transport connections.

SYSTRA’s Role

SYSTRA were appointed to build a multi modal variable demand model, the East Midlands Gateway Model, representing the core of the East Midlands region. The model was to be used to develop a business and economic case for a number of connectivity proposals.

The strategy focused on six main corridors surrounding HS2 Toton and sought to develop an integrated transport solution for each by the most appropriate means. Solutions considered involved Nottingham Express Transit metro extensions, rail service and infrastructure schemes, BRT and Tram-Train options as well improvement to the local and strategic highway network.

SYSTRA have worked closely with the stakeholder consortium to develop an integrated strategy that will maximise the economic growth potential provided by the High Speed Rail network from which we aim to produce a robust business case to enable funding and implementation over the coming decades.