Nearly four in five people in Nottingham, Newark and Lincoln support upgrades to the speed of the line that connects them, according to consumer research conducted by Midlands Connect.

Earlier this year, Midlands Connect submitted a Strategic Outline Business Case, developed with the support of Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, Lincolnshire County Council and the Local Enterprise Partnerships, to The Department for Transport,  asking for £18m to improve journey times, with the aim of reducing car dependence and benefiting the local economy.

Network Rail and train operator East Midlands Railway (EMR) are also involved in the process. Midlands Connect is proposing that the work starts in April 2026 and is completed in summer 2028.

The plan involves relocating a signal unit, minor re-alignment of the track, and repairs to culverts, and will enable trains to travel at around 75mph, and fifty per cent increase on the current 50mph to 75mph.

At the moment, only one in ten journeys between Nottingham and Lincoln are made by train.

The survey of one thousand people showed that:

• 83% said they would expect to see a boost to the economy as a result of this project
• 70% of the participants said increasing the speed between Nottingham and Lincoln would encourage them to my the trip by train
• respondents identified the top three benefits of the plan to be reduced road congestion, local economic growth and decreased traffic emissions.

Tawhida Yaacoub, Midlands Connect’s Integrated Transport Programme Lead,  said: “Support for these much-needed improvements is overwhelming. We know very few people are travelling between these major urban areas by train.

“We need to argue the case for investment to attract more passengers, and people clearly support the plans. These results show they will choose to travel by train if this project gets the go-ahead.

“The economic benefits also stood out in the survey responses, with a large majority of people recognising our plan to upgrade this rail route will create growth in the area. They know it will be good for residents and businesses.”

Robert Jenrick, MP for Newark: “I recognise the importance of strong transport links to the community in Newark, and beyond. It’s clear to see the strong support for this project and for its potential to bring economic growth.

“These plans to improve train travel will inevitably bring a boost to the local area and beyond, and help to attract more people to the trains in the future.”