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A new skylink for Nottingham

Here are full details of the changes

Service details

  • The new Nottingham skylink route will be run by trent barton and will start on 25 March 2012.

    view the timetable here

  • The new Nottingham skylink will continue to run 24-hours a day, half hourly from 4am to midnight and hourly through the night, 7 days a week, and will take 55 minutes to reach the Airport. Buses will continue to leave Friar Lane at 00 and 30 past each hour during the day.
  • We will stop at Friar Lane, Broadmarsh, Queens Medical Centre, University Dunkirk South Entrance, Beeston Queens Road, Beeston Station Road, Retail Park, Long Eaton Green, and via all stops serving Long Eaton Train Station, Castle Donington Bus Station, East Midlands Airport DHL to East Midlands Airport Terminal.
  • indigo will no longer serve the Airport, however skylink will run to Loughborough every hour, also serving Kegworth, Sutton Bonington and Hathern.  Pegasus Business Park will also be served on demand in the alternating half hour.

New skylink ticket options

  • The new skylink ticket options from Nottingham to East Midlands Airport are £2.25 a trip with MANGO, £3 single, or £6 anytime return.  Also available is a family anytime return ticket at £12 for up to 2 adults and 3 children. 
  • We will continue to accept the half-price family return ticket on production of a valid taxi receipt for departures from Friar Lane.
  • Normal concessionary fares continue to apply.
  • There will no longer be a £1.50 day return add-on when you show an Easyrider card.  This is because trent barton ticket machines are not able to read Easyrider cards and drivers will not know whether these cards are valid or not. 
  • A Nottingham skylink 10-trip ticket will be available for £18 to buy from the driver.
  • The MANGO smartcard will be available to pay for travel, along with zigzag at £5, which offers unlimited travel across trent barton

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City-centre connections

The majority of existing customers walk to Friar Lane and therefore many will see very little change to skylink.   Unfortunately through tickets from NCT routes will no longer be available, but some customers will be able to use trent barton services instead.

  •  A52 Derby Road – served by the rainbow 4 every 10 minutes, providing connections to Sandiacre, Stapleford and Bramcote
  • A609 Ilkeston Road – served by the two every 12 minutes providing connections to Wollaton and Ilkeston
  • A610 Alfreton Road – served by rainbow 1 every 10 minutes providing connections to Eastwood/Kimberley, Cinderhill, Nuthall Road and Alfreton Road
  • A611 Hucknall Road – served by rainbow 3 every 10 minutes
  • A60 Mansfield Road – served by calverton connection every 15 minutes
  • A60 Trent Bridge and West Bridgford – served by radcliffe line every 15 minutes and cotgrave connection every 20 minutes.
  • A60 Trent Bridge and Melton Road – served by keyworth connection every 15 minutes.

For people travelling between Clifton, Wilford or Trent Bridge and the Airport there will no longer be a direct bus.

Here are some options for stops that will no longer being served by the new route:

Nottingham train station

The new stop at Broadmarsh bus station is less than a five minute walk from Nottingham train station.  The Broadmarsh stop provides better connection for both bus and coach, improving access to the service from other destinations, including through-tickets onto the National Express coach network. 

Customers currently travelling from the Meadows and County Hall

A number of trent barton buses run along this route, thereby providing good connections to skylink at Broadmarsh and Friar Lane within the saver zone C ticket options.  These services include cotgrave connection – every 20 minutes, keyworth connection – every 20 minutes, radcliffe line & xprss – every 15 minutes.

Customers currently travelling from Wilford Lane

The ruddington connection runs every half hour along this route, providing connections to skylink at Broadmarsh and Friar Lane within the saver zone C ticket options. 

The route is also served by NCT services 1, 2, 3 and 4 (4 during term time only) offering a minimum of a 10-minute frequency into the city.

Customers currently travelling from Clifton Lane:

Clifton is predominantly served by NCT and there are unfortunately no trent barton connecting buses for this area.

Most affected Clifton residents are currently using skylink to access the city centre rather than East Midlands Airport.  For these residents the primary effect is the loss of the four hourly services between midnight and 5am between Sunday and Thursday.  While this is a regrettable loss, there are only a very small number of people making use of these services.

Current customers using skylink to access East Midlands Airport from Clifton are unfortunately unable to take advantage of the saver zone C ticket type to connect with another service in the city centre. 

The main bus service for Clifton is the NCT 48 which operates along Fabis Drive and Noble Road to Crusader Island every 8 minutes and goes to the Station and Market Square between 5am and midnight.

Clifton Lane is also served by NCT service 1 every half hour and service 4 every 12 minutes during term time.

Need more info?

If you would like to find out more information about routes, fares and connections just get in touch with us via email - skylink@trentbarton.co.uk

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