Text of Letter from TfGM to the Minister of State, Department for Transport
Manchester – Sheffield Rail Services
Thank you for your letter dated 5th July concerning rail services between Manchester and Sheffield and the potential use of the Woodhead route in the
future.
When this was last discussed in 2008 the then Chair of GMITA wrote to then Ministers saying that a study into the potential use of the route was required to enable informed decisions to be made. The Northern Way subsequently conducted a technical review of the Woodhead route, and the practicalities of using the tunnels for rail services; and Network Rail, in conjunction with the wider rail industry (including PTEs), has progressed the Manchester/Northern Hub programme of works.
Currently there is a single rail route between Manchester and Sheffield via the Hope Valley. This route links both Liverpool and Manchester with Nottingham and Sheffield, and is therefore part of the key rail network that links four Core Cities together - not just a local link between Manchester and Sheffield.
The Hope Valley route is used by express trains linking the North West to South Humberside and the East Midlands, by local trains between Manchester and Sheffield, by freight trains from the quarries along the route and by through freight trains between the North West and South of England.
As a consequence of this mix of trains the available infrastructure is intensively used and efforts to increase the frequency of local passenger services have been unsuccessful. The Manchester/Northern Hub study therefore considered options for enhancing the capability of the rail network between Manchester and Sheffield, and concluded there was no requirement to re-open the Woodhead route in the short/medium-term as the Hope Valley route could be enhanced for less cost. Also, because of the quarries along the Hope Valley that require rail access and the towns/villages with commuters to both Sheffield and Manchester there would be no prospect of significantly reducing the cost of the rail infrastructure on that line. The prospect of re-opening the Woodhead route, however, has remained on the agenda of some organisations.
TfGMC and the GMCA endorsed the Northern Hub conclusions and the development proposals, recognising that enhancing links between Core Cities and improving commuter services are essential if the economy of Britain is to be rebalanced, with regional conurbations contributing more to national performance.
Department for Transport officials, however, have recently suggested that the infrastructure enhancements to the Hope Valley route may be delayed for five or ten years. Given the forecast growth in demand (both passenger and freight could nearly double) this is of great concern, as without the capability to operate more trains the demand cannot be met. There are severe physical constraints at some stations that limit the ability to lengthen platforms cost-effectively and achieve a doubling of train length and more, slow freight trains are likely to result in slower speeds for passenger trains. If the Hope Valley line is not to be improved this increases the arguments for preserving the option of re-opening the Woodhead route.
Although TfGM considers improving the Hope Valley route should be the best option for enhancing rail services between the four Core Cities of Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Nottingham, as well as improving commuter and freight services along the line. However, as there are uncertainties surrounding the Hope Valley infrastructure enhancements it is difficult to say categorically that the Woodhead route should be completely abandoned. Support from Greater Manchester is dependent on commitments from both the DfT and Network Rail to delivery of Hope Valley route improvements that will enable the forecast passenger and freight requirements to be accommodated, with significant journey time improvements, so that growth of the North of England economy is not constrained by lack of infrastructure capability.
If you would like to discuss our position further please contact Louise Ebbs, Head of Rail – Interim (
[email protected]).
Dr Jon Lamonte