Sheffield rail travellers spoke to Sheffield Live! following the government decision to axe the eastern leg of HS2. The plan to connect leeds and Manchester to the the HS2 network are to be replaced with the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) which promises faster train journeys between the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire and the North West, with £96bn expected to be invested into the upgraded rail network. Baillor Jalloh reports.
A massive £1.5bn redevelopment project in the Sheaf Valley is being proposed by Sheffield Council, linked to HS2 and and extending from St Mary’s Road to Park Square. The plan includes moving the Sheaf Street dual carriageway out to the current tram route, demolishing the Park Square roundabout and investment in new offices, leisure facilities and public spaces around Sheffield station. The Sheffield Valley project will be one of the biggest council led redevelopment schemes with up to £1bn sought from the private sector and other funding coming from government, Sheffield City Region, HS2 and other partners. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Councillor Mazher Iqbal cabinet member for business and investment.
Sheffield Chamber of Commerce has given a broad welcome to the decision to bring HS2 to Sheffield’s central train station. Executive director Richard Wright told Sheffield Live! that it was vital that HS2 be integrated with the existing rail network and Transport for the North, originally called HS3. Baillor Jalloh reports.
Lib Dem group leader on Sheffield Council, Shaffaq Mohammed, confirmed cross party support in Sheffield for the just announced HS2 route via Sheffield’s central train station. The high speed route will offer twice hourly journeys from central Sheffield to London. The news has been broadly welcomed by businesses and the public but there are some that oppose the decision with houses set to be lost in the process. Azz Mohammed reports for Sheffield Live!
Government has announced that Sheffield city centre train station has been approved for connection to the high-speed rail route HS2. The route will provide two trains an hour between Sheffield and London. The decision has been welcomed local businesses and politicians. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
A shortlist of eight sites for a potential HS2 parkway station to serve South Yorkshire has been revealed including a potential park-and-ride facility with 1700 parking spaces. The eight sites, revealed at a Doncaster Council meeting, include three sites in Rotherham, at Bramley, Hooton Roberts and Wales, three sites in Doncaster, at Clayton, Mexborough and Hickleton, and two sites in Wakefield, at Fitzwilliam and Hemsworth. The new high-speed rail network is planned to run from London to Birmingham, with branches onward to Manchester and Leeds. Government ministers say it will improve the transport network and boost the economy, but there has been controversy about the route of the line and its effect on those living nearby. Opponents living in some of the rural locations affected have said it is unlikely to benefit Yorkshire. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!
Since the publication of plans for HS2, the high speed rail line, it has emerged that one of the options to connect Sheffield runs through the Parklands Riding School in the village of Aston. Sheffield commuters are still waiting for confirmation as to which Sheffield station will be chosen with many locals hoping that trains will come Sheffield Central station or to Meadowhall, but an alternative route to the east of the city is thought to be preferred by the HS2 team. Sheffield Live! reporter Simon Thake spoke to Richard Samson, director of Parklands Riding School.
Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrat MP for Sheffield Hallam, has offered support in a bid to secure a new college in South Yorkshire.
The College would offer apprenticeships to young people and give them skills to help build the planned HS2 high speed rail line. The line would connect London Euston station to the Midlands, North West England and Yorkshire, almost halving commute times from Sheffield to London. The bid, from Doncaster, has been short-listed by the government as one of four possible locations for the HS2 college alongside Derby, Birmingham and Manchester.
If Doncaster bid was successful, the college would be equipped with cutting-edge technology and state of the art facilities. It would also provide training courses for the specific requirements of the rail project, which is expected to generate more than 2,000 apprenticeships.
As a Sheffield MP, Nick Clegg has written to the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills to outline his support for the bid. In his letter, Nick Clegg MP states that the region – in particular Doncaster – is the “spiritual home of British railways” with the Flying Scotsman, Sir Nigel Gresley and The Mallard all being built there in 1923, 1937 and 1938 respectively.
The high speed service would have trains running from London St Pancras twice a day with a commute time of 1 hour 09 minutes.