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Bullwell Forest tram stop, adjacent a street level crossing with St. Albans Road. This is a passing point for trams on the single track section between Bulwell and Hucknall. |
The Midland Main Line passenger train company want to build a parkway station at Ratcliffe-on-Trent, called East Midlands Parkway (EMP). It will mostly cater for long-distance intercity traffic, especially London-bound. It will have limited value for park-and-ride in the opposite direction to Nottingham and Derby, since short-distance travellers - less than 20 miles - want a p&r site as close as possible to the urban fringe, and a frequent public transport link.
The CW tram terminus at Barton Green passes the test with flying colours, but rail-based Ratcliffe flunks on both counts. Adapting the present timetable, gaps between the 3 uneven-timed trains per hour to Nottingham would range up to 40 minutes, whilst for Derby the train frequency would be only hourly - quite uninviting to motorists. The current train service cannot be boosted, as with intensive EMP-Nottingham shuttles - there is no available track capacity between Trent junction and Nottingham station.
| Lace Market tram stop, with a southbound tram calling. New appartments are being constructed as the tramline opens to public service. |  |
Finally, p&r traffic will only be 15 per cent of total CW tram patronage. The bulk of the tram traffic will be from Clifton estate residents, a very important role in relieving Clifton bridge.
The CW tram is an essential component in relieving traffic on the A453 and over the Trent!