£2 billion for new road, rail and bus connection between Nottingham and Derby | West Bridgford Wire

The Chancellor will announce today that working people in the East Midlands will benefit from a ?2bn investment in local transport.

This forms part of the biggest ever investment in buses, trams and local train infrastructure in city regions as she promises the renewal of Britain to make all parts of the country better off.  

Funding will drive the design of a new mass transit system to connect Derby and Nottingham[1], encompassing road, rail and bus improvements.

This investment will also support connections across the Trent Arc Corridor, encompassing the Infinity Park Investment Zone site and East Midlands Freeport, with sites including Ratcliffe-on-Soar clean energy and advanced manufacturing, and East Midlands Intermodal Park, the home of Toyota in the East Midlands. And it will be used on road projects, including the Chesterfield-Staveley Regeneration Route and the A614/A6097 improvements. 

In a speech in Greater Manchester, Reeves is expected to say "a Britain that is better off cannot rely on a handful of places forging ahead of the rest of the country," adding the "result of such thinking has been growth created in too few places, felt by too few people and wide gaps between regions, and between our cities and towns".

Reeves will say the Spending Review next week will take different choices, with investment in a "new economic model - driven by investment in all parts of the country, not just a few".

She will unveil the first investment announcements from the Spending Review, with a ?15.6 billion of funding for local transport projects in England's city regions - including the East Midlands, South Yorkshire, North East and Tees Valley. The funding - a more than double real-terms increase in capital spending on local transport in city regions by 2029/30 compared with 2024/25 - will empower local leaders to invest in transport projects that will make a difference to their local area. 

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, said:

"Today marks a watershed moment on our journey to improving transport across the North and Midlands - opening up access to jobs, growing the economy and driving up quality of life as we deliver our Plan for Change.

"For too long, people in the North and Midlands have been locked out of the investment they deserve.

With ?15.6bn of Government investment, we're giving local leaders the means to drive cities, towns and communities forward, investing in Britain's renewal so you and your family are better off."

Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, said:

"This is the largest transport investment our region has seen in a generation.

"As Mayor of the East Midlands, one of my most important responsibilities is to ensure that Government sees this region through the eyes of those who live, work, and travel here - and to make sure we are treated as a national priority. Today's announcement - up to ?2 billion of investment into our transport network over the next three years -  is the clearest sign yet that this approach is working.

"This is the moment we begin to put right decades of underinvestment. From everyday frustrations to major barriers to growth, poor transport has held our region back for too long.

Whether you're a student weighing up college options, a small business struggling to recruit, or a visitor-facing venue trying to grow footfall. I know what happens when transport doesn't work. Fixing it is central to my Mayor's Transport Plan, and now we have the resources to deliver real, tangible change.

"We're getting to work straight away.

That means strengthening the rail, road and bus links between Derby and Nottingham, the vital Trent Arc.

"I look forward to working with partners across the East Midlands to deliver these improvements.

Better transport doesn't just move people.

It powers opportunity, unlocks growth, and connects us to a better future."

This long-overdue investment outside of London and the South East will also see projects like the Metro extension linking Washington to Newcastle and Sunderland and ?530m to renew South Yorkshire's tram network, linking employment and housing areas in Sheffield and Rotheram - creating jobs, better commutes, bigger labour markets and more opportunity.

The game-changing funding comes ahead of next week's Spending Review when the Chancellor will set out how this government is investing in the country's future and the priorities of working people to make every part of Britain better off.

The five-year settlements will mean the Mayor of West Yorkshire can commit to delivering the West Yorkshire Mass Transit, which will be fully integrated with cycling, walking, bus and rail, making journeys quicker, more accessible and more reliable across the region.

The funding will also mean the Mayor of the West Midlands can build a metro extension to Birmingham's sports quarter, making a start on his ambitions to deliver mass transit from East Birmingham to North Solihull.

It will also allow the Mayor of Greater Manchester to transform the Metrolink tram network, with new stops in Bury, north Manchester and Oldham, and a Metrolink extension to Stockport town centre.

The Chancellor is also expected to confirm "a step change in how government approaches and evaluates the case for investing in our regions" following a review of the Treasury's Green Book and how it is used "to make sure that this government gives every region a fair hearing when it comes to investments".

The full conclusions of the Green Book review will be published on June 11, alongside the wider Spending Review. 

References

1. ^ Nottingham (westbridgfordwire.com)