news: Going Green at East Midlands Gateway
Friday 20th September 2019
As you may have read in one of our previous blogs, ITP has taken on the role of Site Wide Travel Plan Coordinator for the SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway (SLPEMG) site. Our role is to work alongside the developer, local authorities, transport operators and nearby employers, to make sustainable transport solutions a more attractive alternative for the commute to work.
As part of this, we have recently overseen the introduction of a new electric shuttle bus service called the Gateway Shuttle which provides free travel between the SLPEMG bus interchange (at the entrance to the site) and each of the employment units. This new service will make commuting to and from the site by public transport a more viable commuting option for the thousands of people who will work there.
The service could save up to 15 minutes per journey (compared to walking) and makes navigating the 700-acre site easier, particularly for those with reduced mobility. The Gateway Shuttle will become increasingly important in making the site more accessible for those employees that do not have access to a private car and for offering more choice in transport, especially since it is anticipated that the workforce could rise from 300 in April 2019 to almost 3,000 by September 2020.
From Nottingham, Derby, Loughborough and Leicester, employees can commute directly to the site on one of trentbarton’s Skylink bus services and upon arrival at the SLPEMG bus interchange, they can then board the free Gateway Shuttle bus and be dropped right outside their workplace. Kate Bedson, Senior Development Director at SEGRO, said:
“One of the things that makes SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway a great place for business is its location, both for moving goods around the country and being easily accessible for employees living in the surrounding towns and cities. The new electric bus service will make travelling to and from work using public transport much easier and more practical for many people who work there already or who will do so in the future.”
SEGRO has a strong commitment to environmental sustainability and has opted to use an electric vehicle for the Gateway Shuttle to reduce the carbon footprint at the site. Working alongside Nottingham City Council, SEGRO secured funding to install an electric bus charging facility at the site and is now working in partnership with Nottingham-based bus company CT4N, one of the largest operators of battery powered electric buses in the UK, to run the service.
CT4N’s Managing Director Ian Combellack said:
“I am delighted that CT4N has been chosen to operate the new Gateway Shuttle service and that it will be operated with electric buses, providing a valuable link around the 700-acre site. I look forward to working in partnership with SEGRO, as the service grows and develops in the future.”
The commencement of the Gateway Shuttle forms part of SEGRO’s long-term commitment to improving transport connections to site over the next ten years. During this period investments will be made to strategic bus services and for promoting sustainable transport options. For more information on transport options to SLPEMG, please visit: slp-emg-travel.com.