Hope Valley Capacity Scheme, Transport and Works Order approved

Bad for the environment you cannot replace ancient woodland

As Annie Bynnol has pointed out the major area of woodland that was to have been eroded was for the loop at Grindleford, but thanks to the objections of the National Trust (the site owner) and many others that was removed in favour of Bamford. Fortuitously, that's also easier to build due to the lie of the land.

All the objections were heard at a 3 week Public Inquiry back in May 2016. There were no objections to clearing ancient woodland at Dore because Poynton Wood doesn't reach down to the small amount of land to be taken.

That previously belonged to Ebenezer Hall of Abbeydale Hall who sold park land to allow the construction of the Dore & Chinley Railway, completed in 1893. The line cut through his estate and a small section was retained on the Poynton Wood side, including a stone built summer house. It seems Ebenezer insisted on retaining access and a footbridge was provided across the tracks, but it didn't last long. That small section of then clear ground has become overgrown including the fallen ruins of the summer house. Network Rail has undertaken not to disturb them when it takes a narrow strip of that overgrown land. It's neither woodland, nor ancient.

There are currently two services per hour to Manchester via Stockport.

 

The third train is a stopping train is via New Mills Central and is not useful for journeys to Manchester as it is timed to follow the express and is mostly every two hours. From May there is a possibility to increase in the number of these stoppers. This is dependent on availability of really old stock from other newly electrfied lines.

 

The whole plan for journey times, onward destinations and capacity between Manchester and Sheffield is also dependent on the new EMT franchise which is currently being drafted.

 

As Sheffield has lost out on all the new work planned on the MML and at the station itself this 'coincidental' unfunded announcement is a sop and will do little to improve services, even to Manchester.

I take your point but I have used the slow on more than one occasion rather than stand on the overcrowded alternative (admittedly I was not in a hurry)

As Sheffield has lost out on all the new work planned on the MML and at the station itself this 'coincidental' unfunded announcement is a sop and will do little to improve services, even to Manchester.

My understanding is that this was a project included in the funding for Control Period 5 (CP5 2014-19) held over due to the Public Inquiry to CP6, 2019-24 as part of the Northern Hub committment.

According to The Star Network Rail have said they hope to start work in 2019; https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/work-to-boost-rail-connections-between-sheffield-and-manchester-set-to-begin-next-year-1-9016639

The development must commence before the expiration of five years from the date when the Order comes into force, that date being 42 days after Tuesday's announcement is published in the London Gazette unless a legal objection is made.

I'll truly believe it when I see contractors onsite, but a lot of bodies and people are fighting to get this scheme completed and the trains running. I'd be pleasantly surprsed if work can start in 2019 but I'd be even more surprised to see new services running in 2020. There probably isn't time to reconfirm costings, put out tenders and arrange line possessions - unless Network Rail really are serious and have been quietly preparing everything for the day they get the go-ahead.

There is no money in the scheme for Dore & Totley station to provide additional parking or cover for passengers beyond a small and draughty bus shelter. The fact that almost 100 board the 7.14 for Manchester seems to have avoided the radar, but if the covered footbridge is built as suggested there may be a lot sheltering there!

The trees, the plants and the habitat where the animals live

 

Do we want to concrete over the entire countryside?

Again which bit of ancient woodland?

The loop is between a golf course habitat and a main road habitat.

The station works are on the original track bed habitat and the original station footprint habitat.

With reference to the stopping trains, it should be remembered that when these get to the new mills area, they become busy commuter services and are dangerously over loaded.

I was on the 1649 ex Man Pic on Tuesday and was surprised how busy it was. On Saturday the services are very busy as well.

With reference to the stopping trains, it should be remembered that when these get to the new mills area, they become busy commuter services and are dangerously over loaded.

 

I was on the 1649 ex Man Pic on Tuesday and was surprised how busy it was. On Saturday the services are very busy as well.

The Northern service on Saturdays and Sundays is already hourly. Beware the Saturday 10.21 out of Sheffield. It's very popular with walkers and cyclists. If there's any big event in Manchester the stopping services take overload from the fast services. It can be hard to get aboard at Dore and in the Hope Valley.

One of the weekday services out of Manchester, possibly the 16.49, is often a Pacer and Class 150 together to ease the over crowding. The conductor rides in the Pacer at the back and passengers boarding at the unstaffed stations all the way after New Mills choose the more comfortable 150 at the front so won't be able to pay. For the return journey the 150 is locked and unused.

Peak hour services are challenging for all the operators, particularly the East Midlands route. It gets over loaded between Liverpool and Manchester as well as from there to Sheffield and Nottingham. They're getting some HSTs from Grand Central to use out of St Pancras, I think to Corby, which should release other units to augment services elsewhere. It will be some time before they're ready but I saw one this week at Neville Hill depot in Leeds with the Grand Central branding mostly removed.

My priority would be a road upgrade to cut an hour off the journey time.

An upgrade to the Roads would be a better option.

My priority would be a road upgrade to cut an hour off the journey time.

It would need to be some road to cut an hour off, but Transport for the North want to get a more robust road across the South Pennines. We all know the routes are badly hit by snow in winter, and the Peak Ditrict National Park restricts surface improvements.

Eventually a combination of improvements on either side and tunnelling may cut 20 minutes off. We'll still be stuck with the slow journeys from suburbs to city centres unless we get really radical - which happens elsewhere in the world.

Road improvements deserve a new thread, not least because far more of us currently travel far more often to far more places by road transport. Commercial traffic clearly does too, but imagine all the stone and cement from the Peak District quarrires moving by road. Frequent and reliable rail links for commuting and city centre to city centre journeys relieve some of the road congestion points.

The trees, the plants and the habitat where the animals live

 

Do we want to concrete over the entire countryside?

Sorry what part of this plan includes concreting the entire countryside?

Also the line always used to have 2 lines for one thing as far as I'm aware. I appreciate it's not the entire plan but others have pointed out what is happening with regards to that.

It's hardly building a new line right across the Peak District is it?

An upgrade to the Roads would be a better option.

Roads are never a "better" option as you can carry far more people on a train.

It would also take some serious changes to make the driving route from Sheffield to Manchester any good.

Roads are never a "better" option as you can carry far more people on a train.

 

It would also take some serious changes to make the driving route from Sheffield to Manchester any good.

Plus, improving the railway will also improve road travel

Roads are never a "better" option as you can carry far more people on a train.

 

It would also take some serious changes to make the driving route from Sheffield to Manchester any good.

Sure there are some improvements needed on the roads but providing a frequent, fast, high quality, value for money train service across from Sheffield to Manchester would be more environmentally friendly AND reduce congestion.

Over the years I have often been driven to/from Manchester airport owing to the virtual impossibility of using public transport to get an early morning departure or once or twice due to no trains back in the evening