Building links with business

Representatives from the Rail Central team were pleased to join meetings hosted by Semlep (South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership) and NEP (Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership) during January and February, introducing the scheme and highlighting the business benefits it could deliver.

Since November 2015, the Rail Central team has been actively contacting and introducing the emerging proposals to a wide range of stakeholders across the area, from MPs and local councils to parish councils and business groups.

The meetings with Semlep and NEP are part of this wider programme to ensure that people with a potential interest in the scheme know about it, what it could deliver, how they can get involved and how the planning process works.

James Digby from Rail Central said: “Supporting UK business is one of the core principles of the Government’s policy backing for investment into more Strategic Rail Freight capacity. Rail Central has the potential to become a UK leading logistics hub and really contribute to Northamptonshire’s premier position in the national logistics marketplace. Engaging the voice of business in the project will contribute to how we develop our proposals and we’re looking forward to expanding our relationships with Semlep, NEP and business across the region.”

Rail Central has the potential to provide approximately 7.5 million sq foot of employment space and create approximately 8,000 new jobs.