As we have seen over the past couple of weeks there is major rail replacement work taking place on the South Yorkshire Supertram network for most of August and with this being at the delta junction traversed by all services it has led to the system being split into three. In this article we take a look at a couple of the current termini in operation – Sheffield Station and Woodbourn Road. Stuart Cooke is the photographer.
Sheffield Station is no stranger to being a terminus with it often used at times of disruption or during engineering works. This time its being used as the start and end point of services on the Blue and Purple routes to Halfway and Herdings Park. Spare trams are also being stabled by the stop with no access available to the depot from this direction.
On the other hand, Woodbourn Road is not often used to terminate trams but with additional works due to be taking place around Hyde Park tramstop it has been pressed into action for services on both the Yellow route from Meadowhall and the Tram-Train service from Rotherham Parkgate. This is the one part of the network which has continual direct access to the depot at Nunnery Square.
Spare trams at Sheffield Station including Monzo liveried 111.
103 was also spare and had the unusual destination display of Suprtram Man! This was a character used in the Stagecoach years to promote the network.
122 was being used on the Herdings Park service. It is seen here having moved forward from the stop and now waiting time to return to the opposite platform.
110 demonstrates the use of the crossover. It has terminated at the platform we see on the right, moved forward, the driver has changed ends and it now uses the crossover to get to the platform for its service towards Halfway.
With Supertram staff in the hi-vis jackets having kindly stepped out of the way we see 122 using the crossover from the other end.
The rare destination of Woodbourn Road is seen on the front of 113 as it has just terminated with its Yellow route service. The tram will head towards the depot to reverse.
After 104 has terminated its passengers get off and head over the tracks to a replacement bus which will head to Cathedral on the YE1 route. The bus has been provided by Transpora Bus and is a dedicated vehicle for special contracts even including an image of a Metrolink tram on its side! (All Photographs by Stuart Cooke)