Sheffield trains: £1.4 boost for plans to improve trains between Sheffield, Chapeltown and Huddersfield
Plans to speed up and increase train services from Sheffield, Chapeltown and Meadowhall, have been given a £1.4 million boost.
The Government has announced the money to develop work which would see services between Sheffield and Huddersfield sped up, as well as running more frequently.
In 2020, hundreds signed a petition launched by a Kirklees Labour councillor calling for a half-hourly service on the route, which stops at Meadowhall, Chapeltown and Barnsley. A Levelling Up bid was submitted by Kirklees Council the following year, which was awarded £48 million.
Now Kirklees Council has announced ir has been given £1.4 million to develop its plans.
In 2023, Kirklees Council and its partners - including neighbouring councils in Barnsley and Sheffield alongside local MPs and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority – made a successful Levelling Up bid to the government for a £48m overhaul of the line between Huddersfield and Sheffield.
They latest announcement will release an initial £1.4m for the council to take plans forward and draw up a business case for the works.
Over the coming years, the project will include improvements to several key Kirklees rail services and stations serving Lockwood, Berry Brow, Honley, Brockholes, Shepley, Stocksmoor and Denby Dale.
The plans mean creating better access and waiting facilities, increasing the speed of travel along the line and upgrading the rail infrastructure – including doubling sections of track - to allow for two trains to travel on the northern section of the line every hour, in both directions.
Officials say the improvements will boost the local economy for people living along the length of the route and mean faster and more frequent trains. Crucially, journey times between Huddersfield and Sheffield will be down to well under an hour. They are currently listed at between 1hr 10 mins and 1hr 36 mins.
Coun Moses Crook, Kirklees Council’s cabinet member for transport and housing said: “There’s a huge amount of investment going into our transport network.
“The Trans-Pennine upgrade is in full swing and will improve our connections with towns and cities across the North of England.
“The Penistone line project will make similar improvements to our connections between Huddersfield and Sheffield. It’s all part of our plans to make the Kirklees economy stronger and greener for future generations.
“This is a major project for our whole region so it’s vital to get the planning right. This funding will help us get on with the job to make rail travel quicker and more comfortable for passengers as well as bringing jobs and opportunities for residents and businesses.”
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