S Yorks Parkway

[KingAugustine]

The BBC are reporting that 8 potential sites have been identified for a
South Yorkshire parkway station:

A shortlist of sites for a potential HS2 "parkway" station to serve South Yorkshire has been revealed.
One of the eight places, revealed at a Doncaster Council meeting, could act as a rail park-and-ride site with 1,700 parking spaces.
Opponents living in the rural locations in Doncaster, Rotherham and Wakefield said it would "not benefit Yorkshire".
HS2 said the early proposal would provide "additional access onto the railway for a wider area".

Proposed sites

• Bramley in Rotherham, South Yorkshire
• Clayton in Doncaster, South Yorkshire
• Fitzwilliam in Wakefield, West Yorkshire
• Hemsworth in Wakefield
• Hickleton in Doncaster
• Hooton Roberts in Rotherham
• Mexborough in Doncaster
• Wales in Rotherham

Of these perhaps Mexborough is the most likely? Any thoughts?

 

[YorkshireLad]

Quite surprised Wales is on there.

Don't think there'd be enough room for the 1700 car parking spaces they claim are needed. Also very close to Rother Valley.

 

[Bantamzen]

The BBC are reporting that 8 potential sites have been identified for a
South Yorkshire parkway station:

Bramley
Clayton
Fitzwilliam
Hemsworth
Hickleton
Hooton Roberts
Mexborough
Wales

Of these perhaps Mexborough is the most likely? Any thoughts?

I would have thought a parkway would be best suited to a location close to a motorway, so Bramley perhaps (I don't know the area too well, but it seems well placed looking at a map of the area).

Saying that, if a southern spur linking Sheffield / Chesterfield gets the green light, is a S/Yorks parkway really needed? Sheffield could serve most of South Yorks, and Leeds West Yorks?

 

[tbtc]

Mexborough will probably be the best option, given the population density in the Dearne Valley, the "regeneration" angle, the potential to connect with existing train services (depending on where they build it, of course). You may even be able to do Sheffield - Mexborough - London faster than Sheffield - Chesterfield - London (by changing from a conventional Doncaster-bound service - given the time penalty for insisting on running HS2 services into central Sheffield)

Some are in West Yorkshire (though serve a reasonable enough population between Barnsley/ Wakefield/ Pontefract/ Doncaster I guess).

Wales looks like the weakest link, but I can see why the powers that be are at least dangling a carrot - since some of the people living near the new line will change their mind if they think that there's a chance they'll have the benefits of a nearby station with fast services to London/ Birmingham/ Leeds. A Wales station could be convenient for the M1 though - a massive parkway? Throw in a Supertram extension via Killamarsh to skirt round Rother Valley Park? Rother Valley as a scenic day out for Londoners?

One other thing against Wales (other than the relative lack of immediate local population) is that it may be too abstractive against Sheffield (since it's not too difficult to drive to Wales from central Sheffield via the Mosborough Parkway). At least Mexborough/ Hemsworth etc would serve very different markets.

At least there's some local benefits to hang the project on - being able to board a train in somewhere like Mexborough and be in central Leeds fifteen/twenty minutes later could transform the place - in the way that the Victorian railways turned the fortunes of some towns around.

 

[Roose]

...is a S/Yorks parkway really needed? Sheffield could serve most of South Yorks, and Leeds West Yorks?

Have you tried parking near Sheffield station?

Or indeed getting to it by car from the rest of the world for significant parts of the day?

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Have you tried parking near Sheffield station?

Or indeed getting to it by car from the rest of the world for significant parts of the day?

There's this place called Meadowhall, just off the M1......

 

[Jonny]

There's this place called Meadowhall, just off the M1......

That's as maybe, but given that Sheffield is EMT's effective northern terminus for London services and XC doesn't normally call there, it's of relatively little use. I could go on.

 

[brompton rail]

Mexborough - depends where the station might be located.

If it is built where the HS2 line crosses the Doncaster - Sheffield railway an interchange would be feasible (i.e. at the western end of Denaby Main on the old Mexboro Power station site). However this line of route is opposed by Doncaster Council as it involves demolition of newly built houses.

Road access to Mexborough is limited to well used urban roads, and an HS2 station would bring a large increase in traffic, with resulting congestion. For example a road journey from Doncaster to Mexborough HS2 would probably take as long as driving to Meadowhall. Rotherham and Barnsley would be even more difficult to reach.

If Fitzwilliam involved an interchange with the Doncaster to Leeds line that might be attractive. However road access there is as poor as Mexboro.

None of the proposed locations seems to be linked to public transport access from surrounding areas.

Equally few of those listed would make HS2 any more attractive from Doncaster to London, as East Coast now offer a journey time of 90 minutes, or slightly longer.

 

[edwin_m]

That's as maybe, but given that Sheffield is EMT's effective northern terminus for London services and XC doesn't normally call there, it's of relatively little use. I could go on.

I think CaptainHaddock was suggesting Meadowhall would be a good place for a HS2 station...

 

[Ploughman]

After working around Fitzwilliam numerous times I would not want to leave my car in a carpark anywhere near here.

 

[glbotu]

That's as maybe, but given that Sheffield is EMT's effective northern terminus for London services and XC doesn't normally call there, it's of relatively little use. I could go on.

I mean, it's not useful for direct services, but it sees 9tph to Sheffield off-peak.

 

[Altnabreac]

None of them stands out as an amazing option. Bramley probably has the best road access but not ideal public transport wise.

 

[MarkyT]

None of them stands out as an amazing option. Bramley probably has the best road access but not ideal public transport wise.

Tram-train extension from Rotherham via Thrybergh to Bramley over old industrial trackbed and some new light construction?

 

[Bantamzen]

Have you tried parking near Sheffield station?

Or indeed getting to it by car from the rest of the world for significant parts of the day?

As mentioned above, there is always Meadowhall and a change onto Tram or Train, and eventually Rotherham should also have a higher frequency connection to Sheffield. The problem for most other suggestions is that whilst space might be available for more parking, actually getting to these places could create their own congestion issues. Far better to utilise the existing and planned infrastructure than simply create yet another pinch point. I just don't think there will be sufficient demand from a S/Yorks or W/Yorks parkway if Sheffield gets a link to HS2. It really ought to be an either / or, a parkway or link to Sheffield. If the government grants both then other areas will demand parkways & spurs, the East Midlands being a good example.

 

[Class 170101]

Wales? A geography lesson perhaps needed by me but I thought it was attached to the west of England not Yorkshire?

 

[edwin_m]

Wales? A geography lesson perhaps needed by me but I thought it was attached to the west of England not Yorkshire?

A small settlement near where the M1 crosses the Sheffield-Retford line, a mile or so west of Kiveton Bridge. If the station was to the north of it, it could perhaps have access to new platforms on the existing railway at the south end and a new road access from the M1 and A57 junction at the other.

 

[snowball]

A small settlement near where the M1 crosses the Sheffield-Retford line, a mile or so west of Kiveton Bridge.

Wales is not the only country in that area, there's also Rhodesia a few miles to the east. (Never been renamed Zimbabwe as far as I'm aware.)

 

[Jordeh]

I'm usually for any investment in the railways but is there any need for this station?

Given the station is unlikely to be served by mainline services or near to motorway surely it'll just be a white elephant? It would be like East Midlands Parkway but worse.

 

[edwin_m]

I'm usually for any investment in the railways but is there any need for this station?

Given the station is unlikely to be served by mainline services or near to motorway surely it'll just be a white elephant? It would be like East Midlands Parkway but worse.

I think the logic is that for the main centres outside London, HS2 should where possible provide city centre stations but also convenient stations for those who need to drive to access the service. As well as making the service more useable for those people, this avoids adding to inner city congestion by people driving to a central station. This is one reason for the Birmingham and Manchester airport stations, and Toton has good road access but for various reasons there is no corresponding city centre station.

On the original route the only station in Yorkshire with good drive-up access was at Meadowhall. As this is on the Leeds side of Sheffield, I assume it was decided that no "Leeds Parkway" was needed as drive-up passengers could travel the fairly short distance to Meadowhall. So deleting Meadowhall leaves a gap for West as well as South Yorkshire.

I do agree a station would be pretty pointless without motorway access, and a connecting station on the local rail network would be good too. Wales seems to have the potential to do that, but I haven't looked at the others.

 

[Altnabreac]

As mentioned above, there is always Meadowhall and a change onto Tram or Train, and eventually Rotherham should also have a higher frequency connection to Sheffield. The problem for most other suggestions is that whilst space might be available for more parking, actually getting to these places could create their own congestion issues. Far better to utilise the existing and planned infrastructure than simply create yet another pinch point. I just don't think there will be sufficient demand from a S/Yorks or W/Yorks parkway if Sheffield gets a link to HS2. It really ought to be an either / or, a parkway or link to Sheffield. If the government grants both then other areas will demand parkways & spurs, the East Midlands being a good example.

I think a better option would be to extend the Sheffield HS2 trains to Meadowhall, Rotherham and Doncaster. Very little capital cost and better connections across the region.

 

[MarkyT]

I think a better option would be to extend the Sheffield HS2 trains to Meadowhall, Rotherham and Doncaster. Very little capital cost and better connections across the region.

Wakefield perhaps better than Donny or they could alternate. Problem is they wouldn't be that much faster to London than ECML after going through Chesterfield / Sheffield on the classic route. I definitely support all or most HS2 London services going beyond Sheffield to terminate at Meadowhall/Rotherham as not only would it improve road access for only a little extra cycle time it would help clear the relatively confined station at Sheffield Midland of trains waiting on turnround.

 

[edwin_m]

Another factor is whether the suggested connection from the Swinton and Knottingley back onto HS2 is built, in which case the Sheffield HS trains would possibly continue on to Leeds anyway. This might provide about half of the aspiration for 4TPH fast Sheffield-Leeds.