The Department for Transport have given the green light for the introduction of tram-trains between Sheffield and Rotherham. This is a pilot scheme for tram-trains in the UK to see whether they can as much of a success here as they have been on the continent. It is planned the first tram-train services will run in 2015.<\/p>\n
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The route selected for the pilot is between Sheffield and Rotherham Parkgate with three services an hour planned. Services will run from Sheffield City Centre using Supertram tracks as far as Meadowhall South where they will leave the tramway on a newly laid 400 metre stretch of track which will link in with the Network Rail tracks running through to Rotherham. It will also be necessary to electrify the Network Rail tracks to the same standard as Supertram to allow the new vehicles to operate across the network fully.<\/p>\n
Seven new trams will be acquired as part of the \u00a358 million project. This not only covers vehicles for the pilot but also for the previously announced Supertram capacity enhancement. A procurement competition led by Northern Rail in 2009-10 identified Vossoloh as the lead bidder for the supply of the vehicles. However as Northern\u2019s franchise
\nends before the two year pilot period South Yorkshire PTE will let the trams with Stagecoach Supertram operating them.<\/p>\n
Transport Minister Norman Baker MP commented: \u201cProviding better connections between Sheffield and Rotherham\u2019s city centres and residential areas will help to reinvigorate the local economy. It will also encourage people to leave their cars at home, making this pilot environmentally friendly. This is great news for passengers in South Yorkshire and potentially it could benefit people across the country wherever tram and rail networks exist together. Tram Trains have already proven hugely popular on the Continent. Now we will be able to test whether they can bridge the gap between tram and train networks in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n
David Brown, SYPTE\u2019s Director General, added: \u201cWe welcome the announcement today by the Minister confirming approval of the funding for the Sheffield \/Rotherham tram train
\nproject. It is\u00a0further welcome investment by government in the transport infrastructure of South Yorkshire. The project will provide important enhanced local connectivity and demonstrate the potential, both locally and nationally, of this new technology to deliver value for money services.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new service will run from Rotherham\u2019s Parkgate Retail Park to Rotherham Central Station and then onto the Supertram network near Meadowhall (although not serving the shopping centre itself) and onto Sheffield City Centre. It is expected that journey time from end to end will be approximately 25 minutes. Tickets will be fully integrated with Supertram. It is hoped that 35 new jobs will be created by the pilot.<\/p>\n
The pilot is a partnership between the DfT and Network Rail, Northern Rail, SYPTE and Stagecoach Supertram. The SYPTE will be leading the project.<\/p>\n
The press release on the DfT website states that the core objectives of the pilot are:<\/p>\n
Margaret Kay, Managing Director of Stagecoach Supertram, said: \u201cWe welcome today\u2019s announcement and look forward to playing an important role in this pilot. Tram Trains offer us the potential to deliver greener, smarter public transport services to even more people. We have a strong track record of providing high quality, good value services to
\nthe people of Sheffield day in, day out and we are excited at the prospect of being able to expand our services even further through this ground-breaking project.\u201d<\/p>\n
The news of the go-ahead for the pilot has also interested Transport for Greater Manchester as they are keen for tram-trains in their region to continue to expand the Metrolink network. Cllr Andrew Fender, the Chair of the TfGM committee, commented: \u201cWe\u2019ll be watching Sheffield\u2019s Tram Train pilot very closely as we have begun work to understand whether this technology could be deployed within Greater Manchester. Tram Train could combine the advantages of the better access to the city centre our Metrolink tram system provides with the reach of the rail system into neighbouring districts. It has the potential to both improve public transport for passengers while also making our local rail services more cost-effective.\u201d<\/p>\n
The project to introduce official tram-trains to the UK (although some may argue that Manchester Metrolink already operates tram-trains) has been a long time coming with the original pilot going to be on the Penistone line in Yorkshire. This was soon changed to include the Stagecoach Supertram network to the pilot that has now been given the green light.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Department for Transport have given the green light for the introduction of tram-trains between Sheffield and Rotherham. This is a pilot scheme for tram-trains in the UK to see whether they can as much of a success here as … Continue reading