Leicester

Leicester is a major city in the United Kingdom, and the administrative centre and county town of Leicestershire. For most purposes, Leicester is considered to be in the East Midlands region of England. Leicester is the home of the British National Space Centre (BNSC) and Leicester University. Leicester, excluding Birmingham, is the largest city and urban area between Nottingham and London.

Layout and Services

Leicester's city centre is surrounded by its dual carriageway inner ring road. Within this area, building is at a high density. There is a mixture of undercover shopping areas and traditional high streets in the city core. The River Soar passes close to the city centre, providing some relief to the urban environment. The western side of Leicester's centre is dominated by several sections of viaduct which once carried the Great Central Railway. Parts of this formation have been demolished while others have not, leaving sections of arched viaduct standing alone.

Transport

Leicester's roads are laid out on the common (in Britain) radial pattern, with eight main radial roads and two ring roads. The M1 motorway passes the western side of the town on its way from London to Leeds, while the A46 road leaves the M1 and passes the north of the city before turning towards Nottinghamshire.

Leicester is located between Loughborough and Market Harborough on the Midland Main Line railway. East Midlands Trains operate high-speed services to London, Sheffield and Nottingham on this route. As mentioned above, Leicester was formerly served by the Great Central Railway. In 1991, the modern Great Central Railway, a volunteer society of railway enthusiasts, reopened the GCR into the northern fringes of Leicester. This line now offers steam and heritage diesel services to Loughborough. Leicester is also the start of railway branches to the West Coast Main Line at Nuneaton and to the East Coast Main Line at Peterborough. Leicester is the first place north of London where both the West and East Coast Main Lines can be reached in a single train journey.