Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin today marked the first day of East Midlands Trains’ extended franchise, joining Neil Micklethwaite, EMT Customer Experience and Commercial Director and the team at Derby station to despatch the 08:01 hours service to London.

Mr McLoughlin said: I want to see passengers put at the heart of our railway system. The franchise that starts today will mean better journeys and a better deal for passengers on East Midlands Trains. Strengthening our transport infrastructure, locally and nationally, is a key part of the government’s long term economic plan, and the £38 billion spent on the UK’s rail network between 2014 and 2019 will help boost jobs and growth.

Under the deal announced on 16 September 2015, East Midlands Trains – which already has a strong track record for performance – will not only continue to run services between London, the East Midlands and parts of the north of England until March 2018, but will also deliver a host of improvements or passengers, backed by £13 million of investment.

Source: gov.uk