Plans To Spend £5.2billion On East Midlands Roads And Rail

12 February 2015, 17:48 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

Chancellor George Osborne has told Capital 300,000 jobs could be created in the Midlands with plans to spend £5.2 billion on road and rail projects here.

Improvements could include the electrification of rail lines linking Birmingham to Bristol and Derby, as well as the widening of sections of the M1.

Mr Osbourne and the Prime Minister David Cameron were at the Bombardier train factory in Derby to make the announcement.

In a speech the Chancellor said he wanted the average economic growth rate of the Midlands to at least match the rest of the country and set out places they'd spend money to make that happen.

Mr Osborne said the plan would include more apprenticeships, a new food enterprise zones in Leicestershire and they were considering a new national hub for energy research to boost science in the region.

There was also a big promise on transport - with £5.2 billion being promised to upgrade parts of the motorways and railways.