Hope Valley Line needs a reliable hourly service on weekends
We are very lucky to have a stopping rail service passing through the Hope Valley but it could be better. The current Sunday service [the most popular day for visitors] is unreliable, undermining the credibility of rail travel. The Hope Valley line is the fastest growing passenger line in the East Midlands but unreliable services put its appeal at risk. Hourly reliable services are vital at weekends if buses are to meet the trains and make Mini-Switzerland a success. We urgently need the government to provide investment in reliability. Other improvements are also needed but constraints at both Manchester and Sheffield stations stand in the way of these, again more investment is needed
What do we want?
- A reliable hourly stopping service. Current Sunday service [the most popular day for visitors] is unreliable, undermining the credibility of rail travel. Reliable and frequent services are vital at weekends if Mini-Switzerland is to be successful;
- Half hourly stopping service at each of the five Hope Valley stations;
- Fast train stopping at one of these stations every hour;
- Access for all to the eastbound platform at Hope station.
What is the current status of the plans?
Congestion at Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield stations limits the opportunities. Recent enhancements were designed for three fast trains an hour, an hourly stopping train and freight trains. Transport for Greater Manchester’s 2025 study of the line found extending the New Mills service to Sheffield impractical, but a semi-fast train stopping at one or more Hope Valley stations could be the first step towards a half-hourly service. Stopping fast trains in the Hope Valley would ease the capacity issue, although it would extend journey times. South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority has proposed a restored Barrow Hill line to Chesterfield could take the Hope Valley trains (see p X). East Midlands Combined County Authority is funding a feasibility study of access to Hope station.
What are the benefits?
- Meets the growing demand (the fastest in the East Midlands: see adjacent figure); reduces overcrowding, the norm at weekends.
- Improves opportunities to visit the Peak District by Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire residents, where 27% of households have no access to a car; and reduces adverse impact of car borne visitors.
- Improves access to employment, education and leisure opportunities in Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and beyond for Hope Valley residents.
- Boosts the local economy in Hope Valley and wider Peak District.
What is the cost?
Minimal cost for a fast train single stop. Additional rolling stock costs for the New Mills option. Accessibility for all at Hope station costs between £2m and £5m, if feasible.
These proposals will be presented to the East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward to help inform her rail strategy.
3 responses
It would be great to have a Hope Valley service direct to Chesterfield, but we would still need to retain a direct Sheffield service as well. Maybe 1 per hour to each of these places could be possible.
The reliability of the Sheffield service could be greatly improved if they were operated from the Sheffield end, rather than as a branch line from Manchester. Thus, the Sheffield departure would not be dependent on the arrival of the train from Manchester. This would inevitably require one extra trainset and crew to operate the daily service diagram, as well as require longer dwell time at Sheffield station, which would of course increase costs. However, Northern should prioritise on customer service rather than just costs, something which is absolutely essential to ensure the success of the Mini Switzerland project. Indeed, this is exactly what the Swiss would do!
I learnt that the same problem of inadequate capacity at the city end of a desirable route scuppering that route’s ability to grow as it should occurs with the line into Manchester from Glossop.
This line is tailor made to relieve congestion and pollution along the A57 corridor into Manchester by attracting more commuter traffic. The Lib Dem candidate at the recent Gorton and Denton by-election in Manchester (the one which made national headlines when Green candidate Hannah Spencer won the seat) publicised the fact during the campaign that pollution INSIDE her house, whcih is a few hundred yards away from the A57 were ABOVE official safe levels.
We should bear in mind always when making the case for public transport improvements, that these improvements do not benefit only the passengers and the climate – they have an immediate and direct positive effect on people’s health.
The same problem at the city end of such journeys came to llogt
ooops – delete fragment of a sentence left in the post by mkistake