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Sheffield Supertram - 21st anniversary

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ALEMASTER

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This year sees the 21st anniversary of the full Sheffield Supertram system being completed and operating and the August bank holiday weekend sees the end of the current 3 year embedded rail replacement programme.

Celebrations include
- Summer Sundays - travel all day for £1 on any Sunday in August.
- Ticket sale during September and October - 21% off many fares!
- Depot open day on 25th October.

Looking further ahead Supertram will see delivery of the first of the new trams towards the end of this year and of course will be launching Britain's first tram-train service in the near future running from Sheffield Cathedral to Rotherham Parkgate, switching from Supertram light rail track to Network Rail heavy rail track at Tinsley.
 
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Techniquest

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If only I was able to afford to get to Sheffield next Sunday, I'd be well away scoring trams and shacks for a quid!

Tram trains due late this year? I'd forgotten about them and the Parkgate thing, something new to do this winter then!
 

DynamicSpirit

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This year sees the 21st anniversary of the full Sheffield Supertram system being completed and operating...

21st anniversary???? Why? Did someone forget the 20th anniversary last year and now they are trying to make up for it? (Not that I'm objecting to them putting on special events, mind)
 

61653 HTAFC

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If only I was able to afford to get to Sheffield next Sunday, I'd be well away scoring trams and shacks for a quid!

Tram trains due late this year? I'd forgotten about them and the Parkgate thing, something new to do this winter then!

The first of the vehicles, yes, but not the start of the Rotherham service.

The new tram-train vehicles will be arriving before the link and wiring is in place, so will be supplementing the existing fleet in the meantime.

21st anniversary???? Why? Did someone forget the 20th anniversary last year and now they are trying to make up for it? (Not that I'm objecting to them putting on special events, mind)

One of the trams was repainted into a modern interpretation of the Sheffield Corporation livery that the original trams carried, to mark the 20th anniversary last year. I'm sure there was a thread about it at the time.
 

jopsuk

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21st anniversary???? Why? Did someone forget the 20th anniversary last year and now they are trying to make up for it? (Not that I'm objecting to them putting on special events, mind)

I'd have though that the mentioned three-year track replacement program that comes to an end may have been a factor- having a big celebration when large parts of the system are dug up would be awkward. Far better to postpone a year to when there isn't major engineering work taking place?
 

johntea

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Thank god the works are coming to an end. As someone who visits Sheffield semi-frequently the blooming things never seem to be running when you want to use them :lol:

The £1 offer was a nice little surprise using them last Sunday! Certainly better than a previous 'offer' they had a few months back of a whole 10p discount on a day rider ticket to apologize for inconvenience!
 

507021

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I visit Sheffield on a fairly regular basis (to visit friends in the city and to watch Sheffield Wednesday) as well and I'm pleased that the rail replacement project has nearly been completed. I've yet to use the £1 offer but I'm planning to so I can try and tick off some more of the Supertram units

I've only got 16 units to tick off as I always seem to get the same ones!
 
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WestRiding

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Sheffield must be the most unenthusiastic city in the UK for its tram network. 21 years old without any true expansion. TramTrain is just a cheap idea with no real benefits, a new station on the heavy rail at Parkgate would offer the same benefits, and that is if it even happens. Its not like there will be any new intermediate places to be served between Rotherham Central and Meadowhall South, if there was then there maybe more of an argument, Magna for example. The TramTrain should have served a totally new area without access to Heavy Rail services or Trams. Maybe along the Deepcar branch to include Neepsend, Owlerton, Wadsley Bridge, Oughtibridge, Deepcar and Stocksbridge. Linking into the existing tram Network at Nunnery Depot/P&R via a sharp corner and into the city via Hyde Park.
 

dosxuk

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Be fair, there's plenty of enthusiasm for extensions within the city. It's just the powers-that-be who've said no to every proposal that have prevented the expansions from actually going ahead. There's constantly calls for an expansion from University up to the Hallamshire Hospital for example.
 

507021

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There was a proposal not so long ago for a new line between Sheffield city centre and Dore. This would form a very useful link (via the Yellow Line) with High Speed 2 at Meadowhall which I think would be very well utilised. There's also been proposals for a line linking the city centre to the western suburbs (Ranmoor, Fulwood etc) of Sheffield as well. As it's been said by dosxuk the numerous proposals to expand the network have all been refused. You can have all the ambition in the world but without the necessary backing you can't make proposals a reality
 
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Haydn1971

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There's huge aspirations with the Local Authorities for expansion across South Yorkshire, £58m for tram-train is just the start, the Sheffield City Region Investment Fund (SCRIF) seeks external funding streams to help develop these and other transport measures to improve the local economy, including tram-trains to Dore, tram extensions to the two hospitals, new stations, plus some perhaps less likely ideas to get rail/trams between Doncaster and Barnsley, Doncaster Airport and better services/routes/stations across the region.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
As it's been said by dosxuk the numerous proposals to expand the network have all been refused. You can have all the ambition in the world but without the necessary backing you can't make proposals a reality


That's not the case, the economic case needs to stand up, it's no use putting forward a proposal that won't pay for itself.
 

507021

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That's not the case, the economic case needs to stand up, it's no use putting forward a proposal that won't pay for itself.

Very true indeed. Perhaps I could have worded it a lot better than I did because what I meant was if potential investors don't believe there's money to be made from a proposal (as ambitious as it may be) then they won't invest it
 

ALEMASTER

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Sheffield must be the most unenthusiastic city in the UK for its tram network. 21 years old without any true expansion. TramTrain is just a cheap idea with no real benefits, a new station on the heavy rail at Parkgate would offer the same benefits, and that is if it even happens. Its not like there will be any new intermediate places to be served between Rotherham Central and Meadowhall South, if there was then there maybe more of an argument, Magna for example. The TramTrain should have served a totally new area without access to Heavy Rail services or Trams. Maybe along the Deepcar branch to include Neepsend, Owlerton, Wadsley Bridge, Oughtibridge, Deepcar and Stocksbridge. Linking into the existing tram Network at Nunnery Depot/P&R via a sharp corner and into the city via Hyde Park.

The tram train to Rotherham, whilst effectively being an extension to the Supertram network, is a pilot scheme to prove the concept as workable in the UK operationally and technically.

There is a benefit in that the capacity of the existing rail service to Rotherham Central is at its limit due to the single track Holmes Chord - tramtrain provides a second rail link between Rotherham and Sheffield. Another benefit is providing a rail service between Parkgate and Rotherham town centre bypassing the rather congested road.

The service is due to launch in 2017. This will involve constructing a short new chord linking the tram line with the NR line at Meadowhall South/Tinsley underneath the M1 viaduct (initial work due to happen next Easter) and a spur at Parkgate into a terminus platform, platform extension at Rotherham Central (the tramtrain platform needs to be lower) along with electrification of the NR line. http://www.pteg.net/about-us/what-a...ts/sypte-sheffield-rotherham-tram-train-pilot

Once the concept is proved in this trial, then that does open up the opportunity to use the technology elsewhere and locally I would suggest Stocksbridge probably is a very good example.

In terms of other Supertram expansion aspirations over the years, in most cases where a route has been suggested either there is already a Network Rail line where a better idea would be to enhance the existing train service or it would involve street running on congested roads where a tram would simply get stuck in the same traffic jam as the buses and cars currently do - pointless.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Thank god the works are coming to an end. As someone who visits Sheffield semi-frequently the blooming things never seem to be running when you want to use them :lol:

The £1 offer was a nice little surprise using them last Sunday! Certainly better than a previous 'offer' they had a few months back of a whole 10p discount on a day rider ticket to apologize for inconvenience!

The 10p discount on the Dayrider and the introduction of the tram only weekly Megarider was more about matching bus prices to address complaints of "if I have to travel by replacement bus I should be charged bus prices"....

The £1 all day ticket offer is running every Sunday in August, from the bank holiday weekend when the end of works is due a new offer will launch, due to start being advertised very soon.

Currently the Yellow line (Meadowhall-Middlewood) is running normally, the remaining engineering works is in the Gleadless Townend area plus a little bit of snagging, currently buses replace trams City-Gleadless-Herdings Park. Blue route trams run Malin Bridge-Sheffield rail station and Gleadless Townend-Halfway.
 
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bluegoblin7

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One of the trams was repainted into a modern interpretation of the Sheffield Corporation livery that the original trams carried, to mark the 20th anniversary last year. I'm sure there was a thread about it at the time.

Nope, done for the 50th Anniversary of the closure of Sheffield's original system back in 2010, I'm afraid. ;)
 

ALEMASTER

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Does anyone know if, based on similar events in the past, children are likely to be admitted to the depot open day?

Is there any confirmation yet of the date?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Sunday 25th October is confirmed as the date, it has been included in publicity for the anniversary and the ticket sale. http://www.supertram.com/21sale.html

I'm led to believe the open day will be family friendly with children welcome.
 

tramdan

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Two sections of Tram 120 and one section of Tram 118 are being formed up as the undamaged tram (to be known as 120). The other bits have already been formed into a damaged tram (to be known as 118), ready to be sent away.
 

theblackwatch

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Just been to the open day, the damaged ends of both trams will need to be sent away to be repaired, they are going to form a hybrid form the undamaged sections of Tram

I presume they didn't have the accident damaged vehicles on 'display'!
 

tramdan

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I presume they didn't have the accident damaged vehicles on 'display'!

Perhaps surprisingly, they didn't go to any effort to hide them. They were in fact a highlight of the workshop tour as it was an opportunity to see a tram split up.
 
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