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Penistone Line platform extensions and capacity upgrade

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61653 HTAFC

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I saw yesterday that work is well underway with extending Berry Brow station platform, along with the engineering compound at Honley which is trapping a number of vehicles in Yorkshire Tiger's "bus graveyard".

As my post in another thread (above) states, a compound has been set up in the Yorkshire Tiger site at Honley station for the platform extensions on the Huddersfield to Sheffield line, with work underway at least at Berry Brow. I decided to start this thread to monitor progress so feel free to post updates as they come.

NB: With the current (Feb 2020) situation at Northern, (and the 150 3-car project seemingly DOA ;)), the rolling-stock side of the capacity programme is somewhat in flux, and this is the infrastructure section anyway so let's try to keep that stuff to a minimum (myself included!). I'll do my best to keep the list below up to date:

Huddersfield (HUD): Platform 2 extended at the tunnel end. Other end dependent on Platform 1 being extended at the Leeds end to compensate for the loss when P2's buffers are moved back.

Lockwood (LCK): Work now underway, refurbishing a section of disused platform at the Huddersfield end.

Berry Brow (BBW): Steel work in place at the Sheffield end.

Honley (HOY): Compound in place in the former bus depot. Stone extension under construction at both ends.

Brockholes (BHS): Stone work under construction at the Down (Huddersfield) end.

Stocksmoor (SSM): Work not started, possibly not needed to either platform. Materials stacked up behind the up platform.

Shepley (SPY): Up platform (towards Sheffield) extension under construction at the Huddersfield end. Significant excavations under way at the south end of the down platform for foundations to the extension.

Denby Dale (DBD): Work completed.

Penistone (PNS), Silkstone Common (SLK), Dodworth (DOD): Extensions not required.
 
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james2trains

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Work at Shepley has begun, I think it is due to be completed mid Feb. I'll try get a photo but both platforms look very similar to the photo of Honley in terms of progress.
 

61653 HTAFC

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Work at Shepley has begun, I think it is due to be completed mid Feb. I'll try get a photo but both platforms look very similar to the photo of Honley in terms of progress.
Didn't get a look at the down side this evening, but saw that work was under way on the up side, with a fair amount of materials stacked in the 'cess on that side.

Cheers for the update, if anyone has information on the three South Yorkshire stations, that'd be very helpful. :)
 

Glenn1969

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Think these are just platform extensions and nothing else is planned. Would Denby Dale be possible without altering the viaduct?
 

61653 HTAFC

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A second train per hour is an aspiration of Travel South Yorkshire, but would require investment in West Yorkshire. I'm not aware of any firm plans but an extra loop would probably be best situated at Lockwood (or between there and Berry Brow) in terms of timetabling.

Denby Dale viaduct was originally double track I believe, but a loop there would be practically useless with the long single line section from Stocksmoor to Huddersfield.
 

Marton

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Denby Dale viaduct was originally double track I believe, but a loop there would be practically useless with the long single line section from Stocksmoor to Huddersfield.
How much of the line north of Penistone used to be double? It was used by LNER as a route for The South Yorkshireman from Bradford to Marylebone.
 

_toommm_

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How much of the line north of Penistone used to be double? It was used by LNER as a route for The South Yorkshireman from Bradford to Marylebone.

I think a lot, if not all of it was. Certainly most of the stations still have a second platform that has been decommissioned. Stations such as Brockholes have seen the old station house on the second platform took into Private Ownership. Stations such as Denby Dale; the second platform is less visible but IIRC there definitely was one. Certainly Penistone Viaduct was two-track, and a small lead of the track still remains as you leave Penistone towards Huddersfield.
 

jimm

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The whole line was built as double track from Huddersfield to Penistone. Clayton West Junction to Penistone was singled at the end of 1969, with the singling closer to Huddersfield following in the 1980s after the Clayton West branch closed.
 

Marton

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Thank you. I haven’t been on the line since I left the area in 1980.
 

CdBrux

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What is the current train length and to what length will these works allow them to be extended to?
 

61653 HTAFC

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Currently maximum length is 46m or a 2-car 158 equivalent. I believe 60m is the aim but there are currently no units in Northern's fleet of this length.
 

Barnsley

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Cheers for the update, if anyone has information on the three South Yorkshire stations, that'd be very helpful. :)
The 3 South Yorkshire platforms are more than long enough, Penistone always has been, Silkstome was extended in the 90s I think, and Dodworth was built as a 4 car platform, I think the West Yorkshire stations were only refurbished for a 3 car 144 length
 

_toommm_

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What is the current train length and to what length will these works allow them to be extended to?

Currently it's the stomping ground for three-car 144s (45.2m), although you do get the occasional 150. I can't ever remember 156s going along it, but 142s, 153s and 158s have definitely been on the line.
 

Barnsley

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Currently it's the stomping ground for three-car 144s (45.2m), although you do get the occasional 150. I can't ever remember 156s going along it, but 142s, 153s and 158s have definitely been on the line.

In the 90s, the 1706 departure from Sheffield used to go to Huddersfield instead of Leeds, and was a 156, at the time this was the only service which was not a 141! 155s have made rare appearances during engineering works between Barnsley and Sheffield, when the line was worked all day with Huddersfield crews, and also on the Penistone Partnerships Christmas charters
 

61653 HTAFC

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Yesterday was all Sprinters with two 150s a pair of 153s with the small cabs pointing outwards. Only pacer was a 3-car 144 on the teatime extra.

Loadings have seemed fairly healthy, and I imagine 2tph (if it were possible) would drive further growth... especially with the abysmal Yorkshire Tiger as the main competition!
 

Mugby

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I'm not sure about the Travel South Yorkshire aspiration for a second train per hour. Congestion into and out of Sheffield is bad enough already and I'm not convinced there would be many end to end passengers. Perhaps a better proposition would be an extra short working each hour from Barnsley to Penistone. A bay platform at Barnsley would be useful for such a thing, if it were possible.
 

61653 HTAFC

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Is the plan for a 3 car 150 then?
That was the plan announced at the start of the Arriva Northern franchise. Obviously that's all up in the air now, and the refurbishment programme on the 150s has not so far allowed for the future formation of 3-car sets for the most part.
 

61653 HTAFC

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I'm not sure about the Travel South Yorkshire aspiration for a second train per hour. Congestion into and out of Sheffield is bad enough already and I'm not convinced there would be many end to end passengers. Perhaps a better proposition would be an extra short working each hour from Barnsley to Penistone. A bay platform at Barnsley would be useful for such a thing, if it were possible.
Agree that until the Sheffield problem is solved, a second train per hour is unlikely unless it was able to split/join with the Leeds stopper- which brings it's own problems!

When the Travel SY plan was announced last year (including the aspiration for 2tph) I looked into the possibility of short workings to Penistone (given the single sections north of there). One problem would be that an evenly-spaced service would not be simple, as the short working would clash at PNS with the next service from HUD. This would then mean a long dwell (30 mins) for the next return journey. For a service which would already be financially marginal, needing 2 units for a service taking 20mins end to end is not a great look.
 

NorthernSpirit

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At Brockholes there is a small section of unused platform at the Sheffield end, I'm suprised that Network Rail haven't decided to use that as part of the extentions.
 

61653 HTAFC

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At Brockholes there is a small section of unused platform at the Sheffield end, I'm suprised that Network Rail haven't decided to use that as part of the extentions.
If they can get all the extra length they need at one end, it makes no sense to make the work site more complicated.
 

geoffk

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That was the plan announced at the start of the Arriva Northern franchise. Obviously that's all up in the air now, and the refurbishment programme on the 150s has not so far allowed for the future formation of 3-car sets for the most part.
Isn't Northern still due to get 3-car 150001/2 from GWR?
 

YorksLad12

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Agree that until the Sheffield problem is solved, a second train per hour is unlikely unless it was able to split/join with the Leeds stopper- which brings it's own problems!

When the Travel SY plan was announced last year (including the aspiration for 2tph) I looked into the possibility of short workings to Penistone (given the single sections north of there). One problem would be that an evenly-spaced service would not be simple, as the short working would clash at PNS with the next service from HUD. This would then mean a long dwell (30 mins) for the next return journey. For a service which would already be financially marginal, needing 2 units for a service taking 20mins end to end is not a great look.

I'd a similar thought when I regularly commuted Leeds-Sheffield (including and especially on strike days when Barnsley's platforms were blocked by a short-haul stopper). Build a bay on the bus station side of the station (there would have to be a land grab), and run a Huddersfield-Barnsley service alongside the existing through service. You'd have to re-double large sections of track to make it work though, I suspect - getting platform extensions is hard enough.
 
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