New £25m railway station to open

The station took 10 years to plan and £25m to build

A new £25m railway station near East Midlands Airport will now open in January, it has been confirmed.

East Midlands Parkway station at Ratcliffe on Soar was due to open on 14 December but will now open on 26 January, owners Network Rail said.

It was hit by delays after residents called for a 300m access road to be formally adopted as public highway.

It is hoped the station, managed by East Midlands Trains, will encourage more people to use public transport.

Green station

The station will be served by 100 train services a day with trains to and from London every 15-20 minutes at peak times.

The station will also include a park-and-ride terminal for Leicester, Derby and Nottingham.

East Midlands Trains' managing director Tim Shovellar said: "I am sure we'll attract more passengers to rail from the surrounding roads.

"Perhaps more importantly in the current economic climate, the station will offer businesses in the region an invaluable link to attract new business to the region from London."

The new station has four platforms, step-free access and 850 parking spaces. It also uses a ground-heat system as well as locally sourced and recycled materials.

Dyan Crowther, Network Rail route director, added: "It is a great facility which provides new choices for passengers and will tempt motorists from the nearby M1 to use a greener form of travel and aims to reduce congestion in city centres."