A regional daily has demanded the government improves rail services between its patch and London.

The Nottingham Post has launched its Fast Track to Notts campaign, in association with Nottinghamshire County Council, to urge the government to upgrade the Midland Main Line which runs from the East Midlands to the capital.

The Post wants Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin to agree a £200m upgrade of the line which would cut journey times from Nottingham to London by up to 13 minutes.

The campaign comes ahead of the publication of a review by Network Rail, which the government will use to decide whether or not to invest in the East Midlands.

It also wants the government to prioritise future electrification of the line.

The Post launched the campaign on its front page on Wednesday, pictured below.

Alan Rhodes, leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “The £200 million investment and electrification are crucial to Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. We cannot afford to be left behind by other major cities and regions.

“George Osborne came to this region recently and spoke about the East Midlands being a powerhouse in the economy. But without electrification, and without a strong transport infrastructure, you cannot possibly have growth.

“Both schemes will bring millions of pounds, potentially hundreds of jobs and trade, to Nottinghamshire because they upgrade the line to a point where we can seriously compete with other big cities.

“The Government has identified this area because of its growth potential, but it has to be more than words now.”

Last month, both the Manchester Evening News and the Yorkshire Post launched campaigns calling on Chancellor George Osborne to reverse the decision to pause electrification work on a key rail route in the North of England.

In December last year both the Shropshire Star and The Gazette, Blackpool, were successful in their bids to return direct rail links between their respective patches and London.