Nottingham City Council wants Nottingham to be on the fast-track to success – and has mounted a campaign to prevent the city being shunted into the sidings.

The authority is imploring East Midlands Trains, who take over the London – Nottingham service next month, to reconsider its planned new timetable from December 2008, as it doesn’t go far enough to improve rail links with the capital.

The City Council, supported by partners and the business community, has a long-standing aim for an improved and faster service between London and Nottingham, by working in partnership with the relevant rail franchisees. Improved rail links with the capital and, through St Pancras, mainland Europe, is crucial for economic growth in Nottingham and the wider region.

But the East Midlands Trains timetable which has been issued for initial consultation would provide a worse service rather than an improvement, both in terms of frequency of service and journey lengths. Commuters hoping to attend a 9am meeting in central London would have to catch the 6.28am train from Nottingham. And evening trains to Nottingham will be slower than at present – the fastest will take just under two hours and make six stops.

"This proposed timetable seems to fly in the face of the Government’s recognition of the importance of cities – and Core Cities like Nottingham in particular – as drivers of economic development in regions,” said Nottingham City Council Leader Councillor Jon Collins.

"Rail services should be supporting the sustainable economic development of cities and city-regions by prioritising inter-city routes but the current proposals undermine rather than advance Nottingham’s position. Why can’t it be a 90 minute journey – it was in the 1970s! We believe this timetable is not good enough for local business and not good enough for Nottingham."

Councillor Collins has written to the Minister of State for Transport and Ian Dobbs of Stagecoach, owners of East Midlands Trains, expressing the City Council’s concerns. Postcards have also been produced asking ‘who wants fewer, slower trains to London?’ for commuters, other members of the public and local businesses to fill in and send to Stagecoach.