Nottingham tram extension plan

A four-mile double-track extension of the Nottingham tram network from Phoenix Park to Kimberley and Giltbrook Retail Park “appears technically feasible to construct” at around £150 million, according to a report prepared for Broxtowe Borough Council and Nottingham City Council by Mott MacDonald.

The report was considered by Broxtowe Council’s Strategic Planning and Economic Development Committee on September 7. Six possible alignments were considered, of which two were rejected, with no preferred option emerging from the study.

The Phoenix Park to Kimberley journey time would be approximately 12 minutes, with the report stating that the main obstacle is bridging the A610 road. For part of its length the tramway could follow the alignment of former railways.

The four options still to be studied in more depth range from 5.98km (3.7 miles) to 6.31km (3.9 miles). Each would have five new stops, and are estimated to cost (at this very early stage and without contingency) between £129m and £157m.

If the councils were to press ahead now with studies to determine a preferred option, the report indicates that it would take some seven years before the line was operational - allowing for the Transport and Works Act Order process, contract letting and construction.

The neighbouring Amber Valley Borough Council has expressed an interest in extending the line from Kimberley through Eastwood to Heanor and Ripley. The Mott MacDonald report includes a possible alignment for this further extension and notes that construction “appears technically feasible but would require land acquisitions and demolitions”.