£1.8M PEDESTRIAN LINK

A £1.8m pedestrian link from Derby railway station to Pride Park has been set up in a partnership between Derby City Council, Railtrack and Midland Mainline. It will see the existing footbridge at Derby Station extended to link with Pride Park. There will be 200 new car parking spaces at Pride Park, plus a drop off zone, cycle parking, taxi stand and bus stops. Lifts will be put in to help access onto the bridge for the disabled, and closed circuit TV cameras will also be put up.

Councillor Robert Jones, leader of Derby City Council, said, “This will help to encourage people to travel by train, which is good for Derby and for the environment.” Richard Fearn, Railtrack Midlands director, said, “The partnership will provide Derby station with much-needed additional car parking spaces and a direct link to Pride Park from the station.” Mr Fearn said the scheme will also benefit Derby by providing a quicker route to the station for drivers who could avoid traffic queues on the A52.

He added, “And we need the extra capacity that the car park will bring if we are to carry on growing as fast as we have in the last few years.” Brian Burdsall, managing director of Midland Mainline, said: “This shows how the public and private sectors can work together to take more cars off the roads and improve the prosperity of Derby.” The scheme has also been supported by Sustrans, the cycling route charity, which is working with the council to provide new cycle lanes in the city.