THE site of Nottingham's old Victoria Station was considered as a potential stop on the high-speed rail line from London to Leeds, the Post can reveal.
The station, which closed 46 years ago, was one of 31 sites explored for a possible East Midlands station, according to a report by High Speed Two Limited, the company setting up the new line.
But the idea of using the old station site, now occupied by the Victoria Centre, was ditched early into the process owing to "construction costs and impact".
As well as exploring the possibility of rebuilding the Victoria Station, HS2 Limited also looked at sites in Clifton, Nottingham Airport, in Tollerton, and East Midlands Airport.
Sites in Nuthall, Stanton and Kegworth were also being considered before this week's announcement that the station would be built at Toton Sidings.
Steve Barber, Beeston Rylands councillor and keen advocate of the new high-speed line, said: "It's interesting that Victoria was considered, given that it was on the old Manchester to Marylebone line which was a big development at the time, as High Speed 2 is today.
"But having the high-speed train stop at Victoria would have caused massive upheaval so I can see why it wasn't considered for very long.
"First of all, the Victoria flats would have had to come down for the station, and going north there would have been too many problems with the construction. I'm delighted with the plan to build the station at Toton – if it had been in Derby or Nottingham, one or the other wouldn't have been happy.
"Toton Sidings is just off the M1 so has great access from the north of the county, as well as the A52."
Broxtowe MP Anna Soubry said: "I am very pleased that Broxtowe Borough Council has welcomed Monday's announcement to create a station/hub at Toton Sidings. I think it is important for all three political parties to work together to make the most of this great opportunity."
A High Speed 2 Limited spokesman added: "We looked at several route options to serve Nottingham, with a spur into the city centre being the most feasible."
He added that extending the new line into Nottingham Midland Station or into Victoria would have been costly and disruptive.
More than three million passengers are expected to use the new high-speed route to London every year. Work is due to start in 2017.
The route, which will see trains travelling at 250mph, is expected to take 83 per cent of the Nottingham to London traffic.
