Our proposals would see high speed trains directly connect the city centres of Leicester and Leeds and Birmingham and Nottingham via the East Midlands Hub station at Toton.

Under the plans, high speed trains would utilise both HS2 and the existing Midland Main Line, more than halve journey times and boost the economy by an estimated £1.4 billion.

Bringing some of the country's biggest cities closer than ever before has huge implications for businesses looking to reach new markets, employees seeking out new job opportunities and individuals keen to explore new leisure and cultural experiences.

The Department for Transport commissioned HS2 to investigate the feasibility of the proposals, which have the potential to reduce costs, improve connectivity and bring more flexibility to the network.