News: Rotherham Gateway Station part of plan to fix Yorkshire’s broken railways
A phased plan to fix Yorkshire’s broken railways, published by Lord Blunkett, could deliver a multi-billion pound boost to the government’s growth mission.
The peer’s review of rail connectivity has identified how constrained and creaking Victorian-era infrastructure is holding the region back, with train services regularly failing to meet the needs of both passengers and businesses due to poor performance and an overall lack of reliability.
Yorkshire’s Plan for Rail sets out a credible and affordable package of investment in new and accessible stations. Alongside modern rolling stock, improved services in the short term, upgrades to unlock capacity at key stations, development of strategic schemes to transform connectivity between the North’s major centres in the long term, will be investment for housing, jobs and growth. In addition, the report calls for increased powers as part of the devolution agenda to drive change.
It highlights the need for substantial government investment and support as part of the proposed 10-year infrastructure plan and spending review to be announced later this summer, with £2.4bn sought for the first phase of improvements between now and 2030 and approximately £14bn required over the next 15 years to deliver the plan in its entirety.
This is in addition to the £2.5bn funding needed to bring trams back to West Yorkshire and investment for tram extension and renewal in South Yorkshire.
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For Rotherham the plans reiterate that the borough is currently poorly connected to the rail network, with the town centre served via a loop off the main line, and only having two stopping trains an hour.
Rothbiz reported in March that Rotherham Gateway Station is the number one project in the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority's [SYMCA's] submission to the government's current spending review.
The project involves a new integrated station on the mainline and a tram-train stop on land at Forge Way, Parkgate and aims to transform the regional and national connectivity of Rotherham, catalysing a new Innovation Campus around the station.
Connecting Rotherham to faster regional and national services, the new Rotherham Gateway station will include a main line rail station on the Sheffield–Leeds / Doncaster route, a tram-train stop on the Sheffield Cathedral–Rotherham Parkgate line, and associated station facilities, including a new commercial development between the rail and tram-train stops.
Yorkshire's Plan for Rail explains: "This major transport investment will support a key advanced manufacturing regeneration opportunity while being strategically located next to the borough’s largest housing development site. It will help unlock the delivery of 33,000 square meters of commercial space and 2,750 new homes, providing a sustainable transport option for future residents."
Lord Blunkett described the plan as "credible and affordable" which "presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to improve rail connectivity, and unlock economic growth and opportunities for all."
South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: "David Blunkett has, for the first time, made clear the problems created by decades of underinvestment across the whole of Yorkshire and given us a Plan for fixing them, working together across the whole of God’s Own Country. This is the White Rose Agreement in action.
"The Plan we are launching today would address the fundamental issues we face as a region. Here in South Yorkshire we need more trains, investment in our stations, and better connections to Leeds, York, Manchester, London and elsewhere.
"Ultimately, we simply want reliable, effective rail services, so we can get to work, see friends and family or just go for a night out.
"Through this Plan, there is a pathway with a phased approach to fix our broken rail system. I want to see Sheffield fully electrified, a new station at Rotherham, more capacity at Doncaster and new services between Barnsley and London. Thanks to the work of Lord Blunkett, as the three White Rose Yorkshire Mayors, we will work with the government and rail industry partners to turn this Plan into action. We’re getting Rail in Yorkshire back on track."
Images: RMBC / SYMCA
The peer’s review of rail connectivity has identified how constrained and creaking Victorian-era infrastructure is holding the region back, with train services regularly failing to meet the needs of both passengers and businesses due to poor performance and an overall lack of reliability.
Yorkshire’s Plan for Rail sets out a credible and affordable package of investment in new and accessible stations. Alongside modern rolling stock, improved services in the short term, upgrades to unlock capacity at key stations, development of strategic schemes to transform connectivity between the North’s major centres in the long term, will be investment for housing, jobs and growth. In addition, the report calls for increased powers as part of the devolution agenda to drive change.
It highlights the need for substantial government investment and support as part of the proposed 10-year infrastructure plan and spending review to be announced later this summer, with £2.4bn sought for the first phase of improvements between now and 2030 and approximately £14bn required over the next 15 years to deliver the plan in its entirety.
This is in addition to the £2.5bn funding needed to bring trams back to West Yorkshire and investment for tram extension and renewal in South Yorkshire.
Advertisement
For Rotherham the plans reiterate that the borough is currently poorly connected to the rail network, with the town centre served via a loop off the main line, and only having two stopping trains an hour.
Rothbiz reported in March that Rotherham Gateway Station is the number one project in the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority's [SYMCA's] submission to the government's current spending review.
The project involves a new integrated station on the mainline and a tram-train stop on land at Forge Way, Parkgate and aims to transform the regional and national connectivity of Rotherham, catalysing a new Innovation Campus around the station.
Connecting Rotherham to faster regional and national services, the new Rotherham Gateway station will include a main line rail station on the Sheffield–Leeds / Doncaster route, a tram-train stop on the Sheffield Cathedral–Rotherham Parkgate line, and associated station facilities, including a new commercial development between the rail and tram-train stops.
Yorkshire's Plan for Rail explains: "This major transport investment will support a key advanced manufacturing regeneration opportunity while being strategically located next to the borough’s largest housing development site. It will help unlock the delivery of 33,000 square meters of commercial space and 2,750 new homes, providing a sustainable transport option for future residents."
South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: "David Blunkett has, for the first time, made clear the problems created by decades of underinvestment across the whole of Yorkshire and given us a Plan for fixing them, working together across the whole of God’s Own Country. This is the White Rose Agreement in action.
"The Plan we are launching today would address the fundamental issues we face as a region. Here in South Yorkshire we need more trains, investment in our stations, and better connections to Leeds, York, Manchester, London and elsewhere.
"Ultimately, we simply want reliable, effective rail services, so we can get to work, see friends and family or just go for a night out.
"Through this Plan, there is a pathway with a phased approach to fix our broken rail system. I want to see Sheffield fully electrified, a new station at Rotherham, more capacity at Doncaster and new services between Barnsley and London. Thanks to the work of Lord Blunkett, as the three White Rose Yorkshire Mayors, we will work with the government and rail industry partners to turn this Plan into action. We’re getting Rail in Yorkshire back on track."
Images: RMBC / SYMCA
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