The Don Valley Railway is a Heritage Railway project began in September 2003 to restore a passenger rail link along the section of the Woodhead Line that runs between Deepcar and Sheffield Don Valley. The project is being developed by Don Valley Railway Ltd., a not-for-profit company and registered charity that is based in Stocksbridge, South Yorkshire. The company plans to renovate and reopen some of the closed stations along the route, as well as building 2 or 3 new ones. Once the infrastructure is completed, the company plans to operate steam, diesel and electric trains for the purposes of tourism at weekends[1] and weekday commuter service.[2]
Contents |
The proposed route runs along trackbed owned by Network Rail[3] that was constructed in the 1840s by the Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester Railway (later the Great Central Railway) as part of their line between Manchester and Sheffield. This line, which became known as the Woodhead Line, closed to passengers in 1970. The portion of the Woodhead Line that the Don Valley Railway propose to use is currently used as a freight-only line linking the national rail network with tracks owned by the steelworks at Stocksbridge.[1]
Stocksbridge resident David Goodison first conceived the idea of rehabilitating the line in 2003, and local authorities, politicians, and community groups have since voiced their support.[4] The South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) included the proposal as a potential re-opened route in its 2009 Rail Strategy & Delivery Plan, noting the ongoing investigation of the plan's feasibility, and that the executive had been lending support and advice for the project.[5] In early 2010, SYPTE reaffirmed its support for the project, contributing funds toward professional assessment of the business plan to re-open the line and the feasibility of the line itself; additional funding for the assessment was to be provided by Sheffield City Council and private supporters.[6]
The railway project received a boost in late June 2010 when a feasibility study draft indicated that the cost to develop a weekday commuter service along the route would be several times lower than initially estimated.[2] A local government official supportive of the project cited reduced traffic as a primary benefit, leading to shorter commutes and a smaller regional carbon footprint.[2] However, the same official admitted that raising capital for the project remained difficult in the economic environment of mid-2010.[2]
The Don Valley Railway would operate out of workshops at either the Deepcar railway station or a potential Stocksbridge railway station. It is hoped that engineering students and railway enthusiasts will volunteer in order to gain practical experience, as well as keep the service running, especially reinstate the line to double track.
There are seven stations proposed along the route so far serving Deepcar, Wharncliffe Side, Oughtibridge, Wadsley Bridge, Hillsborough, Owlerton, the Ski Village, and a new Station at the Nunnery Square Supertram depot in Sheffield City Centre called Don Valley.[3] The original Deepcar railway station would be renovated to serve as the northern terminus for the route. Although the Woodhead Line also had stops at Oughtibridge Station, Wadsley Bridge railway station, and Sheffield Victoria Station these sites are currently unavailable for renovation/reconstruction so new stations would be built, with the Sheffield terminus linking to the Sheffield Supertram network at Nunnery Square. Further new station halts would be constructed at Sheffield College in Owlerton and the Ski Village (close to the former site of Neepsend railway station).
At weekends and holidays Don Valley Railway ltd. plan to operate the Don Valley Railway line as a double tracked heritage railway, with Preserved Steam, Diesel and Electric trains running along the route between Sheffield City Centre and Deepcar. In addition they hope to establish a living museum in Stocksbridge, which will be centred on the history of steel making in the valley and provide a local visitor attraction. It also hopes one day the line may become the second Heritage Railway with double track after the Great Central Steam Railway.
In late 2010 the Don Valley Railway had a feasibility study for the line to have commuter services between Deepcar and Sheffield Victoria. The study was to GRIP level 1. The study showed that the line could be restored for just £4 million, due to track being in good condition for the steel works trains. In contrast the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link in Scotland cost over £300 million and Sheffield Inner Relief Road, part of Sheffield Inner Ring Road, cost £65 million for 1.5km of road. The study also said that the service would take 11 minutes from a reinstated Victoria to a reinstated Deepcar and a half hourly service could be operated by one unit. The line would have less subsidy per passenger than SYPTE's existing rail services, costing £500,000. The study can be found on the Don Valley Railway's website.
|
||||||||||||||
