The Government has announced a further £1 billion of local'growth' deals, as promised by the Chancellor in his Autumn Statement.The deals follow bids from the 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in England. Rail projects receiving funding included: 1. Realignment of the track and station improvement works at Market Harborough station on the Midland main line, improving the journey time for non-stop passenger and freight services. This was a joint bid between Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham & Nottinghamshire LEP and Leicester and Leicestershire and Sheffield City Region LEPs; 2. £4.5 million towards the creation of a Light Rail Innovation Centre in Dudley, West Midlands, which will specialise in prototype vehicle design and construction, as well as providing education, and research and development facilities to local businesses. It is planned to be built on the site of the former Dudley rail station and would be connected to Dudley Port station in Sandwell by a Very Light Rail (VLR) line;
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