Yesterday transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin blamed Network Rail’s performance and spiralling costs for the reason’s behind the Tory Governments reasons to freeze the electrification of the Midlands mainline.
What is also worrying is that the phrase “vital upgrades” is included. Could this mean our station development has been cancelled?
The £38.5bn 5 year plan to turn the midlands into a “northern powerhouse” connected by rail is at the mercy of the political blame game. Business as usual then.
You can read the piece reporting yesterday’s news from the Friday 26th June edition of the Guardian: Government freezes rail upgrades and replaces Network Rail boss.
However, today McLoughlin said the government WERE committed to the electrification of the Great Western mainline, and that work on the midlands mainline had been paused.
David Cameron remarked electrification of the Great Western mainline is the top priority but that planning consent has been slow from local authorities.
The Daily Mail has called the situation a train wreck.
Are we being lied to? Is the station going to be built in Ilkeston? We’ve been without one for nearly 50 years and it’s ridiculous.