Hourly stopping trains
For many years campaigners, especially Hope Valley Railway Users Group (HVRUG), have been working for hourly stopping trains along the Hope Valley Line between Manchester and Sheffield, so we were very pleased when an hourly service was introduced a few years ago. However, many of us have been caught out because some of the hourly trains don’t actually stop at every station.
New timetable
Recent proposed timetables from December 2022 would mean that we really do have hourly trains stopping at every station, along with a few other changes. You can see the new timetables here:
HVCA response
HVCA has responded to Northern Rail’s brief consultation on the proposed timetable as follows:
- Hope Valley Climate Action welcomes the regular hourly trains, without the skip stops.
- we would like to see more frequent trains morning and evening, to cater for commuters and students, including a stopping train arriving in Sheffield at around 8.30 am, as at present
- when capacity allows we would like to see a fast train stopping at one HV station every hour, probably Hope since there may be a transport hub established there, integrating train travel with buses, bike hire etc (though the hub is by no means certain)
You can respond to Northern’s consultation as an individual, by 31 December, here
Next steps
HVCA, working with HVRUG, will continue to push for more trains, specifically, half-hourly trains stopping at every station. This will become feasible as the upgrades to the Hope Valley line are completed. There is enough use of trains along the Hope Valley Line to justify half-hourly trains, according to the standards already in place across Greater Manchester.
Finally – the aim of HVCA is to reduce carbon emissions. We can all help by using the train whenever possible.
