£1.3 billion investment for city region transport including 'renewal' of Sheffield Supertram, says Chancellor

The chancellor announced the investment for city region transport, naming Sheffield and Rotherham’s tram network as an example.

She said: “We will deliver £1.3 billion of funding to improve connectivity in our city regions. Funding projects like the Brierley Hill metro extension in the West Midlands, the renewal of Sheffield Supertram and the West Yorkshire Mass Transit including in Bradford and Leeds.”

It came alongside a raft of other transport investments in the North of England, including rail upgrades and electrification of lines - though none mentioned included Sheffield and South Yorkshire.

By “renewal”, the chancellor is referring to upgrades to existing parts of the network, such as new tracks, overhead lines and trams.

The announcement comes after the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) said it was undertaking technical feasibility work on a potential extension to the tram train to Stocksbridge and Barrow Hill.

It comes in the midst of repeated calls from local people for the tram network to be extended to serve the city’s hospitals.

At current, the closest Supertram gets to local hospitals is the University of Sheffield stop in the city centre, which still involves a significant walk up to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and Weston Park Cancer Hospital.

Sheffield Supertram was brought into public control by the SYMCA in 2024, after decades being operated by Stagecoach.

The Mayor has long stated his intention to improve and expand the tram network.

The authority is in the midst of a public consultation on returning the region’s bus services to public control.

This week, and in the budget, it was confirmed the bus fare cap implemented by the Conservative government will be extended to the end of 2025, with the cap increased by 50 per cent to £3 for a one-way ticket.

Sheffield Heeley MP, Louise Haigh, grinned in the House of Commons during the announcements by the Chancellor.

Ms Haigh, the Secretary of State for Transport, has been up and down the country since taking up her new post, visiting operations like Manchester’s Bee Network and others for ideas on improving public transport across the UK.

Other popular budget announcements today included a 1.7 per cent cut to draught duty, making “pints in the pub” a penny cheaper.

Dave Pickersgill, Sheffield & District CAMRA Commitee Member, said: “While welcome, this reduction will have no effect on pub prices.

“Instead, it will assist the hundreds of cask breweries who, in recent years, have struggled with the effects of both lockdown and the spiralling cost of energy.”