East Midlands Parkway opens for business

Network Rail and East Midlands Trains opened East Midlands Parkway station on 29 January 2009. The multi million pound station, owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains, will give hundreds of thousands of people across the East Midlands easier and better access to train services. The station aims to get people off the M1, out of their cars, and on to trains.

Network Rail's new station is one of the greenest ever built, and will be served by over 100 East Midlands Trains services per day, with trains to nd from London every 15-20 minutes at peak times. The journey time to London will be around 1 hour and 30 minutes. It will serve as a park and ride station for Leicester, Derby and Nottingham, reducing car use into the major cities and taking traffic off the M1.

Dyan Crowther, Network Rail route director said: "East Midlands Parkway signifies our commitment to improving the rail network and providing high quality accessible stations. "It is a great facility which provides new choices for passengers and will tempt motorists from the nearby M1 to use a r form of travel and aims to reduce congestion in nearby city centres."

East Midlands Parkway is one of the greenest stations ever, using new technology to minimise its impact on the local environment. It uses a ground-heat heating system as well as locally sourced and recycled materials.

East Midlands Parkway is situated just off the A453 at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, 1 mile from the M1. It comprises of four platforms, step free access, a station building with ticket office and other facilities, and will be staffed and managed by East Midlands Trains as well as having 850 car parking spaces.