Fresh talks planned over campaign to reopen Sheffield railway line

Campaigners seeking to restore passenger services on the Don Valley railway line between Sheffield city centre and Stocksbridge failed to secure any cash in the first round of the Government’s £500 million Restoring Your Railway Fund.

But they have been invited to make their case to the the Department for Transport at a meeting in June, which could determine the project’s fate.

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And they believe the fact that plans to reopen stations on the Barrow Hill line between Chesterfield and Sheffield were among 10 projects to be awarded funding this week could work in their favour.

Up to three passenger trains an hour would run between Sheffield city centre and Stocksbridge, calling at Deepcar, Oughtibridge, Wadsley Bridge and Neepsend, under proposals drawn up earlier this year by Penistone and Stocksbridge MP Miriam Cates, Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority and the Don Valley Railway campaign group.

Although no funding has yet been awarded, Ms Cates and representatives from SCR have been invited to discuss their plans next month with officials from the DfT.

Ms Cates said: “I’m really pleased that we've been invited to meetings to discuss the precise details of the plans, as we were unable to submit the bid to the panel in person due to the coronavirus outbreak.

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“I hope that once myself and the SCR have had chance to discuss the details with the DfT we will be able to see further progress on this important project before long.”

Funding was awarded for a feasibility study into restoring services on the Barrow Hill line, and the Don Valley Railway group believes this may strengthen its case as the two lines could meet at the old Sheffield Victoria railway station, which it wants to revive.

Chris Bell, the group’s chairman, said: “There are clear synergies between the two projects, with the former Sheffield Victoria station having a part to play, so I remain optimistic about the future development of the line.”

Mark Lynam, SCR’s director of transport, infrastructure and housing, called the success of the Barrow Hill line bid ‘great news’ and said the authority would ‘continue to push’ for the reopening of the Don Valley line.

Reopening long lost Sheffield railway line 'would lift community out of transport poverty'

The Restoring Your Railway Fund was set up to reopen routes which were axed as part of the Doctor Beeching cuts during the 1960s and 70s, and the £500m is intended to prepare a full business case for the selected projects, with further funding needed to make them a reality.

The Don Valley bid was one of 60 applications submitted during the first round of funding.

The line is part of the old Woodhead railway route, which closed to passengers in 1970, and that stretch still carries freight trains serving the steelworks at Stocksbridge.