News: Northern Powerhouse Rail commitment "represents real progress" for Rotherham and South Yorkshire
Although full funding is "not a done deal" the recent announcement on Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) represents the government's "commitment to support plans for Rotherham’s new mainline station," South Yorkshire's Mayor says.
Rotherham Gateway Station and the electrification of the Sheffield - Leeds line are included in the first phase of the scheme.
Documents show that transport investment will also support major development plans around the station, linking to the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District that includes a spine running through Sheffield and Rotherham.
The new NPR plan has been given an overall funding cap of £45 billion. £1.1 billion has been announced for the Spending Review period, "allowing progress on planning, development, and design work to be made which will unlock benefits for the people of the North from the 2030s."
Setting out the case for change for a Northern Growth Strategy, the Government says that "the first phase will prioritise the quickest wins via upgrades to lines east of the Pennines for delivery in the 2030s, focusing on electrification and upgrades in the Leeds-Bradford, Sheffield-Leeds and Leeds-York corridors, including the stations.
"The expectation is that many of the trains used would be extensions of longer distance services, meaning that this package should also improve links from the Yorkshire cities to the Midlands, London, and the North East. This phase aligns with the proposals for NPR delivery in the 2030s set out in Yorkshire’s Plan for Rail produced by Lord Blunkett with the White Rose Mayors."
The government says that it will work closely with local leaders "to align rail improvements with wider plans to modernise and unlock capacity at key stations." For South Yorkshire this includes: "Providing the additional station capacity needed at Sheffield and working together with local leaders to ensure tram-train interdependencies and options are fully explored as part of the forward joint development work. While more substantial work on Sheffield-Manchester connections will come in phase 3, this phase will consider opportunities for unlocking additional capacity on this corridor sooner.
"The government will also ensure that development work aligns with local plans for a new Rotherham station, for which final business case funding has been confirmed."
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South Yorkshire's Mayor, Oliver Coppard said that the NPR announcement is a commitment to improvements to Sheffield station, four fast trains an hour to Leeds (up from two) on electrified lines from Sheffield and through Rotherham Gateway Station, which the government has now committed to supporting plans for.
Coppard added that he is expecting "millions of pounds to kick-start our plans for extensions to the Supertram network" and added that plans for a Dearne Valley Parkway station could be back on the table as NPR is developed.
Mayor Coppard, said: “For South Yorkshire, Northern Powerhouse Rail represents real progress. Better connections between Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester mean quicker, more reliable journeys, opening up more choice around work, skills and opportunity for everyone across our region.
“This plan for Northern Powerhouse Rail isn’t just about faster trains. It’s about working with central government to build a transport system that matches the ambition we have for South Yorkshire over the next decade and beyond. There’s still a lot to do, but today's commitment from government gives us confidence we will see a step-change in transport across the North.”
Over £11m of local transport funding has been agreed to develop a full business case for Rotherham Gateway station at Parkgate. A 20-year programme of transformation includes more than 355,000 sq ft of advanced manufacturing and commercial space, around 250 new homes, and up to 132,000 sq ft of green spaces and public realm. It is a £300m regeneration project with proponents aiming to have the station open by late 2030.
Cllr. Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council, said that the commitment to Rotherham Gateway being at the heart of investment plans was "nothing less than Rotherham people deserve."
He added: "For the last forty years Rotherham has been off the mainline rail network. Our plan isn't just to put that right, but to maximise the opportunities that it presents; direct connection into the tram-train network, with thousands of jobs created, and facilitating further high-quality local housing.
"With likely train journey times of just half an hour to Leeds, and a little over an hour to Manchester and Birmingham - as well as potentially direct connections to London in the future - the station doesn't just widen commute and work opportunities for Rotherham people, but in turn creates new business opportunities to relocate here too. We see that as part of a whole package of exciting developments between Rotherham and Sheffield along the Don Valley corridor.
"It's especially heartening to see that the government is considering Rotherham Gateway as part of the first stage of Northern Powerhouse Rail development. There is still a huge amount of work to do, with development of the full business case required and funding certainty reached before the first spade goes in the ground. It's definitely not a done deal, and I'd urge everyone to sign up to our station campaign to help us maintain momentum for the project."
Rotherham Gateway website
Images: DfT / RMBC
Rotherham Gateway Station and the electrification of the Sheffield - Leeds line are included in the first phase of the scheme.
Documents show that transport investment will also support major development plans around the station, linking to the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District that includes a spine running through Sheffield and Rotherham.
The new NPR plan has been given an overall funding cap of £45 billion. £1.1 billion has been announced for the Spending Review period, "allowing progress on planning, development, and design work to be made which will unlock benefits for the people of the North from the 2030s."
Setting out the case for change for a Northern Growth Strategy, the Government says that "the first phase will prioritise the quickest wins via upgrades to lines east of the Pennines for delivery in the 2030s, focusing on electrification and upgrades in the Leeds-Bradford, Sheffield-Leeds and Leeds-York corridors, including the stations.
"The expectation is that many of the trains used would be extensions of longer distance services, meaning that this package should also improve links from the Yorkshire cities to the Midlands, London, and the North East. This phase aligns with the proposals for NPR delivery in the 2030s set out in Yorkshire’s Plan for Rail produced by Lord Blunkett with the White Rose Mayors."
The government says that it will work closely with local leaders "to align rail improvements with wider plans to modernise and unlock capacity at key stations." For South Yorkshire this includes: "Providing the additional station capacity needed at Sheffield and working together with local leaders to ensure tram-train interdependencies and options are fully explored as part of the forward joint development work. While more substantial work on Sheffield-Manchester connections will come in phase 3, this phase will consider opportunities for unlocking additional capacity on this corridor sooner.
"The government will also ensure that development work aligns with local plans for a new Rotherham station, for which final business case funding has been confirmed."
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South Yorkshire's Mayor, Oliver Coppard said that the NPR announcement is a commitment to improvements to Sheffield station, four fast trains an hour to Leeds (up from two) on electrified lines from Sheffield and through Rotherham Gateway Station, which the government has now committed to supporting plans for.
Coppard added that he is expecting "millions of pounds to kick-start our plans for extensions to the Supertram network" and added that plans for a Dearne Valley Parkway station could be back on the table as NPR is developed.
Mayor Coppard, said: “For South Yorkshire, Northern Powerhouse Rail represents real progress. Better connections between Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester mean quicker, more reliable journeys, opening up more choice around work, skills and opportunity for everyone across our region.
“This plan for Northern Powerhouse Rail isn’t just about faster trains. It’s about working with central government to build a transport system that matches the ambition we have for South Yorkshire over the next decade and beyond. There’s still a lot to do, but today's commitment from government gives us confidence we will see a step-change in transport across the North.”
Cllr. Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council, said that the commitment to Rotherham Gateway being at the heart of investment plans was "nothing less than Rotherham people deserve."
He added: "For the last forty years Rotherham has been off the mainline rail network. Our plan isn't just to put that right, but to maximise the opportunities that it presents; direct connection into the tram-train network, with thousands of jobs created, and facilitating further high-quality local housing.
"With likely train journey times of just half an hour to Leeds, and a little over an hour to Manchester and Birmingham - as well as potentially direct connections to London in the future - the station doesn't just widen commute and work opportunities for Rotherham people, but in turn creates new business opportunities to relocate here too. We see that as part of a whole package of exciting developments between Rotherham and Sheffield along the Don Valley corridor.
"It's especially heartening to see that the government is considering Rotherham Gateway as part of the first stage of Northern Powerhouse Rail development. There is still a huge amount of work to do, with development of the full business case required and funding certainty reached before the first spade goes in the ground. It's definitely not a done deal, and I'd urge everyone to sign up to our station campaign to help us maintain momentum for the project."
Rotherham Gateway website
Images: DfT / RMBC
1 comments:
Great news, really hope this comes to fruition.
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