The prospect of the biggest investment in the Midland Main Line for 30 years promises an end to the city's reputation of having the slowest trains to and from the capital.

It comes after persistent campaigning by MPs, councils and transport and business groups the length of the line.

Sheffield MP Clive Betts, who chairs an all-party parliamentary group on the Midland Mainline, announced the "psychologically important" two hour breakthrough in the Commons on Wednesday.

He said: "By 2011 we should have a two hour regular train service to London. What has always seemed a distant prospect now looks like being delivered within a set period of time."

Most services operated by East Midlands Trains currently take around two hours 25 minutes between Sheffield and the capital.

This is to due to come down by 17 minutes by the end of the year as a result of new, faster trains and fewer stops. Services will usually be non-stop between London and Leicester.

The investment programme by Network Rail, which is responsible for the track, should see a journey time of two hours through a combination of measures including straightening curves, which currently demand speed restrictions, strengthening bridges to take faster trains and removing one or two level crossings.

Collectively, it will make a big difference for a relatively small amount of money, with work expected to start next year and the job completed by December 2011.

Since it was built in the 1850s, the Midland Main Line has always been the slowest main line to London, and Sheffield has always had the lowest average speeds to London of any of England's main cities.
The situation should change to an extent that, for the first time, the standard journey time from Sheffield to London will be shorter than from Leeds to London.

The Government announced last week that the Midland Mainline was one of the routes it is examining for high speed trains on new track - but this is a long-term ambition, likely to take at least several years.
Praising the way Network Rail has driven the short-term improvements, Mr Betts said they represented "extremely good value for money" and would boost the local economy.

"When people look at redevelopment or growing a business, they look at how long it takes to get to London because senior managers often have to make trips to London."

A campaign for investment along the whole of the line was launched two-and-a-half years ago by Nottinghamshire County Council, which has worked closely with Mr Betts.

MPs, Euro-MPs, councils and transport and business organisations have jumped on board to create a formidable lobby. They include Sheffield City Council and South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive.

Once standard journey times have been reduced to two hours - the daily Master Cutler should be faster - Mr Betts believes passenger demand will increase, with many passengers no longer tempted to switch to Doncaster and the East Coast Line.

Then pressure can be stepped up for two trains an hour to London instead of one. "That's the next campaign."

A Network Rail spokesman said: "Network Rail is ambitious for the railway and we are hopeful that over the next few years we will be able to reduce the journey time between London and Sheffield to less than two hours.

"We continue to work with train operators and other industry partners to seek further improvements for passengers wherever possible."

Tim Shoveller, managing director for East Midlands Trains said: "We are committed to reducing journey times across the whole of our route, and Sheffield is a key priority for East Midlands Trains.

"We are already planning to reduce journey times between Sheffield and London this December making the fastest journey time just 2 hours and 8 minutes, and the further improvements in 2011 will give Sheffield a truly deserved boost".

Although journey times to and from London are due to come down from December, they will temporarily go up because of track renewal and essential work on Bradway Tunnel.

East Midlands Trains said that from September 8 until December 13 times will be extended "by a few minutes".

Clive Betts says he is continuing to press for solutions to the traffic problems at Sheffield rail station. "At peak times it is absolute chaos, and it is especially unfair on taxis."



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