Visitors to our hospitals will enjoy much improved journeys in the future when significant improvements to Nottingham's transport infrastructure are complete.
Nottingham and the surrounding area will benefit from more than a billion pounds worth of improvements to roads, rail and light rail from 2015.
The QMC site will be the only hospital in the country linked to a tram network. As part of the Phase Two development of Nottingham Express Transit (NET) QMC will be served by a new line linking Nottingham's railway station to a park and ride site near junction 25 of the M1.
In addition to QMC, it will also connect some of Nottingham's other large employers including the University of Nottingham, Nottingham Science Park and the ng2 Business Park to major residential areas in Beeston and the Meadows.
Visitors coming to QMC from the west of Nottingham will be able to park near junction 25 of the M1, just off the A52 and, within 15 minutes of getting on board a tram, will arrive at the heart of QMC.
The ambitious project will see a new tram stop integrated into the bridge connecting QMC's South Block and the Nottingham Treatment Centre. A new bridge will be built over the A52, from which the tram will descend to ground level as it enters the University of Nottingham campus.
The tram line to the hospital will link into the newly I ('developed Nottingham Railway Station. The multi-million pound station project will see a new tram stop and interchange built above the existing platforms, and a refurbishment of the iconic station buildings. The green light has also been given to electrify the Midland Mainline making train journeys to and from Nottingham faster.
In parallel to this, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire's road network is undergoing a facelift which will also benefit NUH.
Last year work began to widen the A453 - one of the UK's busiest trunk roads - which links Nottingham and its suburbs to the M1. The widened A453 will also benefit from the extended tram network, as another park and ride will serve the most southern terminus of the tram off the A453 in Clifton.
The A453 is most likely the preferred route for NUH visitors arriving by car from the south of the region. Not only will they benefit from a widened A453, or an extended tram network, but improvements to Nottingham's ring road, which links to the A453, will improve their journeys further.
In Spring 2013, work will begin on key junctions along the ring road which will help improve traffic flow and reduce congestion, starting with Aspley Lane junction. NUH staff that regularly makes the journey between QMC and City Hospital will benefit from this improvement work.
John Simpson, E & FM director and NUH lead for the tram project: “The trust attracts more than a million patients a year, and then there are the relatives and friends who come to visit.
"If you're making regular journeys to and from NUH premises the last thing you want is to be stuck in traffic for hours on end.
"As one of the region's largest organisations, good local transport links are key to our future success.
"Having better transport connectivity also makes NUH a more attractive employer. We already have a good track record of innovative transport solutions and our free Medilink bus service has won numerous awards.
"Hopefully, we can take advantage of improved transport links and work with local bus and tram operators to make it even easier for people to get to and from our sites."
Nottingham University Hospitals News
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