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.
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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
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.