Train services on the line between Nottingham and Skegness could be set for a major overhaul under plans being put forward by the recently-elected Conservative MP for Rushcliffe.
It is hoped Radcliffe-on-Trent station will be upgraded - currently people who require step free access can only go in on one direction - before the frequency of trains to and from the city is increased.
MP Ruth Edwards is submitting a bid for a share of a £500 million fund to improve rail services and connectivity in more rural areas.
She said: "At the moment, residents in Radcliffe have come to me and said we've got this station which is a great link to Nottingham, but the problem is the trains don't go regularly enough.
"At rush hour the trains are nowhere near as often as they need to be and they don't run early enough or late enough.
"The last one out (from Nottingham to Radcliffe) is at 5.45, pretty early in the evening, so it's not ideal for people commuting, and it could be a great way to get into Nottingham to spend the evening there, but if the trains stop coming back really early that's no good either.
"So what we want to do is have more trains on the line so we have a half hourly service in peak periods and an hourly service for the rest of the day until about 10pm, and then to have station improvements to match."
She said the current situation with step free access, which means people can go in one direction but not the other, was ‘ridiculous’.
“That will be one of the things we bid for.”
The bid, which is being submitted in conjunction with other Conservative MPs along the route, is expected to be submitted to the Government this month, before a final decision later this year.
The exact cost of the project will not be known until the detailed business case is drawn up - this will form part of the bid.
The line travels from Nottingham to Skegness, also stopping at: Netherfield; Bingham; Aslockton; Bottesford; Grantham; Sleaford; Heckington; Boston and Wainfleet.
