The continued investment by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) in improving the infrastructure of the Supertram network is seeing another line closure for a full week between Saturday 24th and Friday 30th May inclusive. The work is being undertaken on Langsett Road impacting both the Blue and Yellow route services.
The actual worksite this time around is quite a lengthy one being for roughly the length of Hillsborough Barracks with the outbound track being replaced. VolkerRail are again the contractors to complete the work and got going early on 24th May to remove the rails ahead of preparing for the new rails to be laid.
Throughout this week long period both the Blue and Yellow routes are only running as far as Cathedral with bus replacement services in place from the city centre to both Middlewood (YE1) and Malin Bridge (BL1). For the first time in many years, Bendybuses are back on the streets of Sheffield with them being used on some of these services. Sheffield was the first place in Britain to see Bendybuses around 30 years ago and their return has become quite the talking point around the city!
This first image shows some of the track that is being replaced with it already having been lifted out of the grooves.
Work here is between the Hillsborough and Bamforth Street stops with the contractors hard at work to remove the old rails.
A view along the compound with one of the larger pieces of machinery used in the foreground.
The work here is immediately outside the entrance to Hillsborough Barracks (which is now not a barracks of course but includes offices and retail, including a Morrisons store).
Another photo showing some of the already removed track. (Photographs x5 by Stuart Cooke, 25th May 2025)
The third day of the works and progress in replacing the tracks continues.
At Cathedral temporary barriers are in place to prevent trams from going any further. We look back towards the stop where 120 waits when working on the Purple route.
Another shot at Cathedral with 107 at the stop this time. It will soon depart for Meadowhall with a Yellow route working. (Photographs x3 by Stuart Cooke, 26th May 2025)