News: Tram-train trial on track for 2014
Passengers in Rotherham have moved a step closer to getting a continental-style tram-train thanks to a £150,000 government grant to further develop the project.
Passengers could see tram-trains running between Sheffield and Rotherham on the current freight route from Rotherham and then joining the Sheffield Supertram network at Meadowhall South. Three trams an hour would run all day from Sheffield city centre through Rotherham Central to Parkgate retail park.
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, Northern Rail and Network Rail will use the funding to carry out further work on the business and project case for the pilot project, first announced in 2009.
Transport Minister Norman Baker said: "Tram-trains offer passengers travelling from rural and suburban areas into city centres a viable, environmentally sound alternative to short and medium car commuting that can cut congestion and reduce overcrowding at railway stations.
"These sorts of rail fleets are already in use on the continent, but this is a first for the UK. The funding we are providing for this exciting project represents a real chance for us to test whether they can be adapted successfully for South Yorkshire and the rest of the UK."
The business and project case that the Government is funding will look at a range of issues such as the economic and environmental benefits and could lead to tram-trains being introduced in South Yorkshire in 2014.
The city of Karlsruhe in Germany (pictured) was the first to link its street tramway and the main-line railway by running urban trams on both networks, creating the Stadtbahn Karlsruhe.
Images: avg.info
Passengers could see tram-trains running between Sheffield and Rotherham on the current freight route from Rotherham and then joining the Sheffield Supertram network at Meadowhall South. Three trams an hour would run all day from Sheffield city centre through Rotherham Central to Parkgate retail park.
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, Northern Rail and Network Rail will use the funding to carry out further work on the business and project case for the pilot project, first announced in 2009.
Transport Minister Norman Baker said: "Tram-trains offer passengers travelling from rural and suburban areas into city centres a viable, environmentally sound alternative to short and medium car commuting that can cut congestion and reduce overcrowding at railway stations."These sorts of rail fleets are already in use on the continent, but this is a first for the UK. The funding we are providing for this exciting project represents a real chance for us to test whether they can be adapted successfully for South Yorkshire and the rest of the UK."
The business and project case that the Government is funding will look at a range of issues such as the economic and environmental benefits and could lead to tram-trains being introduced in South Yorkshire in 2014.
The city of Karlsruhe in Germany (pictured) was the first to link its street tramway and the main-line railway by running urban trams on both networks, creating the Stadtbahn Karlsruhe.
Images: avg.info
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