June 2014 marks five years since the publication of the Connecting Communities report into potential opportunities to expand the rail network. This blog will be publishing a set of posts during June to review the progress that has been made to date. This is the eighth post in the “Five Years On” series.
This post reviews the progress of two of the railway stations in the East Midlands.
Clay Cross
The report advised that this would sit on the Erewash line and would achieve a BCR of 1.9.
Clay Cross does not appear to have progressed with the proposed station having a less strong case than the proposal at Ilkeston. North East Derbyshire Council have the following comments about the proposal.
The Council has no plans in the short or medium term to actually construct a station for Clay Cross; however we do hold the following information. The Council agreed with the original owners of the former Biwater site that part of that site would be reserved for a station building. The site has now been acquired by St Modwens, so the Council intends to seek the same agreed reservations with St Modwens. It is unlikely that any construction of a station would happen before the majority of the Biwater site is developed out – which could take up to 20 years.
Ilkeston Railway Station
Ilkeston Railway Station is one of the projects suggested in the Connecting Communities report that has been funded for delivery and is on course to be opened during December 2014. The report advised that it would achieve a BCR of 4.3.
Ilkeston Railway Station has had issues with sourcing the necessary funding. It failed to gain funding from Round 2 of the Regional Growth Fund and the Network Rail Station Commercial Facility Fund.
In late 2012 it received funding from Derbyshire CC and Greater Nottingham Joint Planning Advisory Board. This was then followed by a successful bid to the New Stations Fund, which was announced in May 2013.
The planning process has been lengthened by the railway station sitting on a border between two borough councils. As a result, the plans have had to be authorised by both councils before proceeding.
Work is getting underway and the station is expected to be opened in December 2014.
Why can’t the station be built on the original site as it is were both lines meet and is mid way between clay cross and avenue site were house building is starting
Hi Robert,
I understand that the station will be built on the former Ilkeston Junction site.
Peter