Nottingham-to-Derby tram link backed by councils

The tram would connect Nottingham and Derby and would include stops at Toton and East Midlands airport

A multi-million pound project to extend the Nottingham tram system to Derby is being treated as a "priority", the BBC has learned.

The tram, which currently serves the Nottingham area, would also run to East Midlands Airport and the proposed HS2 station at Toton.

The 19 councils in the region described the scheme as one of several "priority projects" in devolution negotiations.

The timetable and costs of the project are not discussed in the document.

The information was revealed in a document detailing requests to be made from the government as part of a deal to devolve power.

Andrew Braddock, chairman of the Light Rail Transit Association, which supports the project, said the trams would be an efficient and effective way of moving passengers from the HS2 station to the cities of Derby and Nottingham.

Updates on this story and more from Derbyshire

He said: "I am not surprised by the move… as they start to look at it… they will realise that creating an East Midlands light metro network… is a good idea.

"There have been a rash of modern new tramways across France as city mayors say... it's time we took the streets back for the people.

"In Germany, they've had trams since the 1880s and were sensible and kept them."

A transport review in 2013 estimated the cost of a new tram line at £20m for each mile of track, putting the cost of a link from Toton to Derby at about £200m.

Another cost estimate for a tram line from Nottingham to Ripley in Derbyshire via Eastwood, Kimberley and Langley Mill was put at £180m.

The document said the East Midlands councils are determined to "reach a unified position on the strategic transport interventions required to maximise the growth potential of the region".

Other projects backed by the local enterprise partnership include:

• A University of Derby low-tax enterprise zone

• A fourth road crossing over the River Trent in Nottingham

• Road improvements to the A1 and A46 near Newark and changes to the East Coast mainline

You also can read more about this story on our Nottinghamshire live page.