News: Government to study South Yorkshire parkway station
The Government will commission a study into a potential station on the main HS2 line in South Yorkshire after new proposals would mean that areas would "take all the disruption but receive none of the benefits."
The new option proposes that HS2 services between London and Sheffield would take a spur off the new north-south high speed line and travel directly to the existing Sheffield Midland station using the existing railway line. Instead of travelling into a new station at Meadowhall, the HS2 line to Leeds would travel east of Rotherham following the M1 and M18 before heading through the Dearne Valley.
The new recommendations would cut journey times on services heading to Leeds, York and Newcastle, and would also reduce the cost of the project by around £1 billion.
Local MP, John Healey, whose constituency includes affected areas of Bramley and Ravenfield, has discussed the matter of a parkway station directly with Sir David Higgins of HS2 but any study would need to be commissioned by the Government.
The Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling has now told John that he will ask HS2 to study possible sites and report back to him by early next year.
The response said: "My officials are currently working up the remit for the study on an HS2 station on the M18 route.
"We will formally commission HS2 Ltd to start the work in the coming weeks and I expect the work to be completed in the spring of next year."
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Mr Healey said: "I oppose a change of route for HS2 away from plans for a Meadowhall station which could bring benefits widely across South Yorkshire, and I've said this directly to HS2 boss Sir David Higgins and the Transport Secretary.
"This new HS2 route risks the worst of all worlds, with the HS2 running right through but not stopping in South Yorkshire. So if Ministers are going to consider this new route then I want to make sure an HS2 station in Rotherham or the Dearne is part of the plan."
Five high speed trains per hour were initially planned to stop at Meadowhall but only one or two high speed trains per hour are planned to stop at Sheffield Midland from the spur at Chesterfield.
HS2 Ltd believe that the new route would create the possibility of classic compatible services running through Sheffield Midland to other destinations, including Barnsley, Meadowhall and Rotherham. However, a link North from Sheffield Midland and back onto the HS2 line has not been confirmed but may be included in proposals for HS3 / Northern Powerhouse Rail which aims to link Sheffield with Leeds and Manchester in under 30 minutes.
The Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is seeking "a clear and unequivocal commitment to constructing the loop north of Sheffield to the main HS2 line."
Images: PriestmanGoode
The new option proposes that HS2 services between London and Sheffield would take a spur off the new north-south high speed line and travel directly to the existing Sheffield Midland station using the existing railway line. Instead of travelling into a new station at Meadowhall, the HS2 line to Leeds would travel east of Rotherham following the M1 and M18 before heading through the Dearne Valley.
The new recommendations would cut journey times on services heading to Leeds, York and Newcastle, and would also reduce the cost of the project by around £1 billion.
Local MP, John Healey, whose constituency includes affected areas of Bramley and Ravenfield, has discussed the matter of a parkway station directly with Sir David Higgins of HS2 but any study would need to be commissioned by the Government.
The Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling has now told John that he will ask HS2 to study possible sites and report back to him by early next year.
The response said: "My officials are currently working up the remit for the study on an HS2 station on the M18 route.
"We will formally commission HS2 Ltd to start the work in the coming weeks and I expect the work to be completed in the spring of next year."
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Mr Healey said: "I oppose a change of route for HS2 away from plans for a Meadowhall station which could bring benefits widely across South Yorkshire, and I've said this directly to HS2 boss Sir David Higgins and the Transport Secretary.
"This new HS2 route risks the worst of all worlds, with the HS2 running right through but not stopping in South Yorkshire. So if Ministers are going to consider this new route then I want to make sure an HS2 station in Rotherham or the Dearne is part of the plan."
Five high speed trains per hour were initially planned to stop at Meadowhall but only one or two high speed trains per hour are planned to stop at Sheffield Midland from the spur at Chesterfield.
HS2 Ltd believe that the new route would create the possibility of classic compatible services running through Sheffield Midland to other destinations, including Barnsley, Meadowhall and Rotherham. However, a link North from Sheffield Midland and back onto the HS2 line has not been confirmed but may be included in proposals for HS3 / Northern Powerhouse Rail which aims to link Sheffield with Leeds and Manchester in under 30 minutes.
The Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is seeking "a clear and unequivocal commitment to constructing the loop north of Sheffield to the main HS2 line."
Images: PriestmanGoode
1 comments:
Just how many times are HS2 and Grayling going to do this job.
Arup did a study in 2012 that ruled out stations on this M18 route at Thurcroft, Bramley, Hellaby, Wath upon Dearne and Conisbrough as being:
"remote from centres of demand"
"remote from Sheffield city region"
"have poor connectivity"
"only viable means of access would be by car"
And as late as March 2015, Sir David Higgins was emphasising how a station at Meadowhall was "the right answer for the South Yorkshire hub"
Also, given that Smuggins is touting great cost savings for this latest route change, er, cos' they don't have to build a station at Meadowhall - exactly what is the point of building a station that's still going to cost a bomb and located where nobody can use it!!
It strikes me that Sheffield City Council is plucking the strings of their puppet that goes by the name of Sir David Higgins.
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