An interesting evening with colleagues from Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire in the House of Lords to hear about the latest plans and updates from Great Central Railway for their Reunification project. Thanks to Baroness Morgan for hosting us all.
📈 The Reunification project has been making steady progress in the background for years, but it is now reaching a critical point.
🗺️ The goal is to bridge the 500-meter gap between the two existing railways in Loughborough. Doing so creates an 18-mile link from Birstall to Ruddington, running through Quorn, Rothley, and Loughborough.
🏗️ This isn't just about heritage rail; it is a strategic infrastructure move for our local tourism economy.
🚂 During my time as an MP and my subsequent work on economic development boards, I have seen the data on how much of a driver the GCR is for regional tourism. Bringing these two lines together would significantly scale that impact.
It was encouraging to sit around the table recently with so many leaders committed to seeing this through.
☑️ We also had a productive discussion with Will Rogers from East Midlands Railway about the broader transport picture for the East Midlands—specifically the rollout of the new Aurora trains, electrification, and the push for increased capacity.
If we want to see long-term economic success, both regionally and nationally, getting our transport links right remains the priority.
