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Campaign grows to switch the building of HS2 station to Sheffield city

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http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/business/business-news/campaign-grows-to-switch-the-building-of-hs2-station-to-sheffield-city-centre-1-7627032#ixzz3uTO0CGbv

 

Campaigners for an HS2 station in Sheffield city centre claim it would be no more expensive than Meadowhall – if the cost of connecting it to HS3 services are included.

 

The official estimate for an HS2 station at the old Victoria site is £680m more than the out-of-town option, due to the cost of extra tunnelling and bridges.

 

But improved rail services between northern cities – dubbed HS3 – will connect city centres, according to Transport for the North. And the cost of linking HS3 with an HS2 station at Meadowhall, four miles away, would cost hundreds of millions of pounds, effectively cancelling out any savings, campaigners say.

 

They also claim a city centre HS2 station would create an extra 6,500 jobs, £530m in annual business rates, £2.5bn in annual income and 1,000 homes more than a station at Meadowhall.

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So, according to the artist's drawing, although shaving valuable seconds on travel time to a shopping mall in, say, Birmingham, the problem I see here (and don't understand, to be honest) is the indicated compulsory (?) 12 minute walk the shopper has to endure after alighting again, laden with essentials like clothes etc. What's that all about, pray tell? :huh:

 

Also, why do they have to paint the indicated buildings red … is this to let the shopper know that they're now back in Sheffield, without the train operator having to go to the expense of a tannoy system? If so, are cities going to be colour coded?

It's nice to see that Amey are leaving at least nine trees though.

 

Still, if it's in the Star …

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I'm not really convinced that practicalities have been considered by the City Centre campaign.

 

This HS2 station is intended to serve South Yorkshire, not just Sheffield - so how to people from Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley reach Victoria?

 

Will there be a major road upgrade between the M1 and City? How do people interchange between classic rail and high speed rail at Victoria? Will buses be rerouted and new tram lines built?

 

Where will the car park go?

 

It also appears to assume the High Speed line will run along the same alignment as the Lincoln-Sheffield passenger line and the Stocksbridge freight line. This completely misses the point of a new high speed line creating more capacity on the network!

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I'm not really convinced that practicalities have been considered by the City Centre campaign.

 

This HS2 station is intended to serve South Yorkshire, not just Sheffield - so how to people from Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley reach Victoria?

 

A lot of the research shows that the most likely users of HS2 in SY are from the South-west suburbs though, doesn't it?

 

Will there be a major road upgrade between the M1 and City? How do people interchange between classic rail and high speed rail at Victoria? Will buses be rerouted and new tram lines built?

 

Where will the car park go?

 

Buses, trams and car parks all planned, and potentially a new interchange to the east of Victoria where the HS2 line crosses the old line.

 

The area is in need of regeneration; we're talking about 20-25 years of regeneration. If HS2 needs a car park, someone will find a good spot for one, two or three. So will developers looking for space for countless sq ft of office space.

 

People are looking at a run down railway viaduct and thinking it's madness that anyone would want to put a station there. They aren't taking in to account the vast investment that even just the confirmation of the location will bring, let alone when it actually gets built!

 

The same will go for Meadowhall, though I personally favour a city centre station.

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A lot of the research shows that the most likely users of HS2 in SY are from the South-west suburbs though, doesn't it?

 

Business people living in areas such as Dore, Totley, Bradway and Whirlow that currently use the train drive to Chesterfield station not Sheffield and are more likely to continue to do so - possibly changing onto HS2 at the East Midlands station at Toton.

 

They aren't going to drive in and through a congested City Centre.

 

They also aren't going to get a train from Dore station to Sheffield Midland and walk to Victoria!

 

On the other hand a direct train from Dore to Meadowhall takes less than 15 minutes... (although again, it is of course heading in the wrong direction)

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I wouldve thought that this is a no brainer.

 

Any other city would think that having the HS2 station out in the middle of nowhere as a ridiculous idea.

 

I know there are alot of people who love Meadowhall like a second home but there are a majority of people who never go there or to that part of town.

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Isn't it all arguing over nothing anyway, it's pretty unlikely they'll get it here.

 

It'll get to Birmingham, be at least £100bn doing so, they might have the stomach to take it to Manchester but I can't see the Leeds-Sheffield spur getting a look in.

 

---------- Post added 16-12-2015 at 13:26 ----------

 

I wouldve thought that this is a no brainer.

 

Any other city would think that having the HS2 station out in the middle of nowhere as a ridiculous idea.

 

If it's supposed to serve Rotherham, Barnsley, Sheffield and Doncaster Meadowhall is slightly more central though.

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I believe some thought has been put in including the possible 'classic' station at Victoria for connecting local services even then it will not be the most convenient alignment. The case for having HS2 Victoria is to attract businesses to a well connected Sheffield city centre and regenerate a run down portion of the city. If the South Yorkshire station is at Meadowhall the economic opportunities afforded to the whole of South Yorkshire and not just Sheffield will literally and well as figuratively pass us by.

 

Access to the line for South Yorkshire commuters may be irksome but access to the business community in Sheffield will far outweigh this and provide benefits to the whole population of South Yorkshire.

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So somehow they are going to magically make the traffic flow in the centre of town vanish, invent a large car park out of thin air and tunnel in and out of the city and build a large station for a mere 700m ??

 

It is cheaper to build it at Meadowhall, the route would be quicker and there is already a half decent transport interlink with tram, train and car.

 

The argument can be made that the same number of new jobs and rates would still exist at Meadowhall. Why would there be more jobs in a crowded city centre than somewere where there is more open space?

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Isn't it all arguing over nothing anyway, it's pretty unlikely they'll get it here.

 

It'll get to Birmingham, be at least £100bn doing so, they might have the stomach to take it to Manchester but I can't see the Leeds-Sheffield spur getting a look in.

 

---------- Post added 16-12-2015 at 13:26 ----------

 

 

If it's supposed to serve Rotherham, Barnsley, Sheffield and Doncaster Meadowhall is slightly more central though.

 

Its easier to get to all those places from Sheffield Train Station.

 

Rotherham - Bus, Tram/Train, Train

Barnsley - Bus & Train

Doncaster - Bus & Train

Meadowhall - Bus, Tram/Train, Train

 

The only thing in Meadowhall is shoppping. Not great if your coming to sheffield for business, shopping, theatre, restaurants, bars, nightclubs etc etc

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Access to the line for South Yorkshire commuters may be irksome but access to the business community in Sheffield will far outweigh this and provide benefits to the whole population of South Yorkshire.

 

Access to the line for Sheffield commuters may be irksome but access to the business community in South Yorkshire will far outweigh this and provide benefits to the whole population of South Yorkshire.

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