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MP demands £15m for tram-train route
MINISTERS have been urged to approve a new transport link between Sheffield and Rotherham amid accusations South Yorkshire is not getting its fair share of government cash.
Sheffield Hillsborough MP Angela Smith used a parliamentary debate to call for the Government to make 15m available for a so-called "tram-train" route to run between Meadowhall and Rotherham.
She also said major improvements are needed to cope with the growing demand on the Sheffield to Doncaster route and described it as "essential" for journey times to be sped up from Sheffield to London on the Midland Mainline.
"It is ludicrous that it should take more than two hours to travel the 165 miles from Sheffield to London," she said.
Ms Smith, a member of the influential Commons transport select committee, said the county "has not had its fair share of the cake" of transport cash and that its funding package "is less than satisfactory".
She highlighted how 783 of government cash is spent per head in London, compared to just 213 in Yorkshire.
Northern Rail, which runs commuter services through South Yorkshire, has had no new train carriages in the last five years, while commuter services in London and the south east have had 580, she said.
And she pointed out how 60 per cent of all peak hour arrivals carry standing passengers on Northern Rail services.
Appealing for more cash, she said: "It is the view of the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive that a small project costing in the region of 15m for a pilot tram-train from Meadowhall to Rotherham would be an incredibly wise and useful investment on the part of the Department for Transport."
The Government announced last year how tram-trains are to run between Sheffield and Huddersfield as part of a pilot scheme. The enviornmentally-friendly hybrid vehicles will be capable of running between cities and on light tracks used by Sheffield's Supertram.
Ms Smith was, however, left frustrated with the reply of transport minister Chris Mole, who failed to address many of her points and instead read from a pre-prepared script.
He said: "Railways in the north of England are a success story. We have seen great improvements in the things that matter most to passengers, including punctuality and reliability."
Speaking to The Star after the debate, Ms Smith said: "I was disappointed no real response was made to the disparities raised by members today."
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
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