News: Improving rail access to Rotherham
Plans are being drawn up to improve the rail acces to Rotherham. After being identified as a priority in the draft Yorkshire & Humber Rail Utilisation Strategy, a study was carried out for SYPTE by consultants Arup to examine the possible ways of delivering increased services into the town centre. The main inhibitor is the length of single track known as Holmes Chord. Three variations were examined to double up access to Rotherham - using a new route via Blackburn Meadows and routes via Holmes Chord as well as a hybrid option. The option picked utilises Holmes Chord creating a route parallel to the existing chord but calculations still need to be done to refine the work package, in particular a level crossing that accesses a lock keepers cottage and the engineering of the connection onto the Rotherham line. Network Rail and the PTE will continue to develop the project with an intention of delivery between 2014 and 2019. This could see the current Sheffield - Hull service also serving Rotherham station and attract further long distance routes. The plans are set to be endorsed by South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority this week.
South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority website
RotherhamImage: aplatformforchange.co.uk
2 comments:
Typical of Rotherham ,spend multi millions modernising central station,which when completed will still be next to useless wnen trying to get to any destination other than Sheffield/Doncaster/Leeds.Why on earth have they not had the sense to get a new station built on the main lines or even open a modernised Masborough station which would give the town accsess to nationwide services without a massive engineering project to double track accsess on the holmes cord,which with possible cutbacks will never happen.Quite simply ,welcome to the bizzare world that is Rotherham Council!!
Thanks for your post CHRISA. Rotherham does need a new station and better rail linkages. They are both long term projects though and I can't see the Holmes Chord work happening any time soon.
I guess Central Station was more always more likely to attract funding as it links massively with the town centre regeneration.
More frequent services to Sheff, Donny and Leeds would be better than what we've got now!
A couple of other points, both projects are being led by SYPTE and not Rotherham Council and the money for the station redevlopment is coming from Europe (ERDF), Yorkshire Forward, SYPTE and Network Rail.
Plus, what would happen to the Orient Express if Masbrough Station re-opened?!
Cheers,
Tom
Post a Comment