Hello again,
Parliament has now risen for the Easter recess though I shall be continuing to work in the constituency. I confess I am relishing a break from Brexit and Westminster and hope to see you out and about in the next 10 days.
Have a great weekend.
As ever, Anna
Stagecoach lose East Midlands Trains franchise
In a surprise announcement by the Department for Transport, Stagecoach have lost the franchise to run rail services in our area. The contract has instead been awarded to Abellio. They will run train services across the East Midlands and notably the service to London, for the next 8 years. Abellio have promised a new fleet of trains, free Wi-Fi and “significant investment” in stations. However, there is concern that there will be no new trains on the London route for at least 3 years and I am not aware of any commitment from Abellio to continue improvements at both Beeston and Attenborough stations. I raised these issues with the Transport Minister in Parliament which you can read here or watch here. I have also requested a meeting with Abellio. I will of course keep you updated.
As these before and after shots show, the Tin Bridge at Beeston Station needed restoration and cleaning. The Friends of Beeston Station worked with Nottinghamshire County Council and Network rail to transform the bridge on the southern end of the platform. A huge thank you to everyone involved. To join FOBS and support their work please contact my office.
Tram accident
A young boy was taken to the QMC last weekend after he was struck by a tram near the Eskdale Lane stop in Chilwell. I am monitoring the situation especially as there have been concerns about safety on this part of the tram route for some time. I will keep you updated.
My work in Parliament
Brexit has completely dominated Parliament this week. I spoke in Tuesday’s debate when Parliament voted to seek an extension of our leaving the EU (please read my speech here or watch it here).
As you will know the EU has agreed to a six month extension. I asked a question of the Prime Minister when she returned to the House of Commons on Thursday which you can read here or watch here.
