Supertram Extensions (Read 3,433 times)

[admin]

mattw said:

My dad works for the company who built the supertrams for the sheffield area and knows some of the information about the proposed routes what were planned from the begining of the supertram. By 2010 there should be a line connecting parts of Rotherham, Manvers and Hellaby Industrial Estate. By 2020 then expanded the manvers line to mexbo, conisbo to doncaster and the helaby line by Maltby, Bawtry to doncaster that way and join up with the other line in the south bus station at the time. (now will be fgtint if it goes ahead). Hopefully if this goes ahead like they had planned it will also go to the airport. I might be able to get a copy of the plans 2 if my dad can get his hands on them from work too (hope so!!)

Yes mate that would be good i knew that they was going to manvers but didn't know that they was going to doncaster.

[manclad]

I could see the expansion to Rotherham and possibly manvers but no further. The renaissance of the tram in britain is waining now. Government will only fund tram networks and expansions if the case for it is sound and viable. The expansion of supertram to other parts of Rotherham and onwards to Doncaster were originally planned (as said in another post) when the other lines were being built. That was well over a decade ago.

[admin]

the rotherham one sounds the only public viable one

[admin]

Does anyone know for definate if these plans have now being canceled or are they still talking about extending the supertram as nothing as being said for nearly a year now.

[admin]

Well bad news now looks like these planned extensions will not be going ahead afterall as the government seems to have gone off the idea of light rail systems in this country.

[lboyle]

it was a real shame that they turned it down mut maybe it can still go ahead with private money

[tox0114]

Does anyone know if there is any sort of replacement for these supertram extensions seen as they got turned down?

[the75board]

A line that would make money would be if they exstend the Herding Park line passed Norton, under Meadowhead Roundabout to a new Park & Ride / Bus interchange on the site of the Sheffield Transport Club and then on down Greenhill Parkway to the Back Side of Low Edges near the Fire Station. ;D

[westgate]

yes that would be good, but this government is too bothered about extending the tram in manchester and london, to relaise that sheffield needs it more, and it would work in the longrun, especially the sheffield to parkgate route, and the one to meadowhead, which could take traffic off the a61, into sheffield, which is already highly congested.

[manclad]

Not the old Sheffield is being neglected chestnut. If the government thought for one minute that a supertram extension would gain a sufficient return on investment, in terms of regeneration etc, then Sheffield would have it's extension. As it turns out, the government has RESEARCHED and determined, that Manchester would gain the most from the expansion. Do you honestly think that the people in Whitehall have sat down and said, lets expand Manchester just because they have some vendetta against Sheffield?
The fact of the matter is that Manchester would benefit from expansion greatly. The passenger flows between the areas that the Metrolink will be extended to are huge and in the most part, current public transport services are provided in the main, by bus.

1) Manchester- Droyelsden-Ashton
Metrolink will be instrumental in the continued regeneration of East Manchester/Tameside
which was started by the 2002 Commonwealth Games. The Metrolink should have been
running there then!

2) Manchester-Oldham-Rochdale
Will replace an existing heavy rail route that is currently more costly than a light rail
alternative. The tram will, in the main, follow the current rail route (as the Bury and
Altrincham lines did) and therefore construction costs will be minimal.

3) Manchester-Chorlton-Wythenshawe-Manchester Airport
a) Manchester-Chorlton-Didsbury is a very busy bus route that suffers from chronic road
chronic road congestion and is heavily used by local people, commuters and students.
b) Manchester-Wythenshawe can sometimes be a torturous journey by bus. It currently has
no rail service and is the largest social housing estate in Europe.
c) Manchester-Manchester Airport; true, the airport has an excellent rail and bus service.
The rail service however, benefits few people on the planned metrolink route and the
airport and associated businesses employ thousands from along this corridor.

It must be pointed out that Manchester has had to fight for this expansion and even now that money has been granted, the GMPTA still have to find private fund for the Droylesden-Ashton and Chorlton-Airport sections. The public of Sheffield and Rotherham did not get behind the supertram expansion like they did here in Manchester through the Manchester Evening News.

The route between Sheffield and Rotherham is already well served, not only by buses but also by train. The extension to Manvers, in my opinion, would not necassarily provide passengers as there is not evidence of passenger flow. A bunch of call centres is no guarantee. On the other hand, Manchesters expansion is 99% urban with proven traffic flows and congestion problems.

[manontheinside]

the75board said:

A line that would make money would be if they exstend the Herding Park line passed Norton, under Meadowhead Roundabout to a new Park & Ride / Bus interchange on the site of the Sheffield Transport Club and then on down Greenhill Parkway to the Back Side of Low Edges near the Fire Station. ;D

Sorry mate, you are entitled to your opinion but that seems a hell of a long route to get to the city centre. Surely a bus served express P&R would be far more useful as much as anything - got to be more attractive.

The best thing they could do with Herdings Park is stop serving it. Its a vandalism hot spot, carries very few, gets the poorest frequency of the network. Frankly its sole achievement was to banish the regular and well used 51!

As for going via Norton, i can see why you would, but theres a pair of hourly bus services in this area which hardly seems like tram territory. Batemoor much more attractive, but hardly a pleasant diversion.

Personally, i can see some more tram routes, BUT these must follow sensible routes which meet pre-suggested patronage levels. Unfortunately, both the public and politicians in this area seem to have resorted to the 'why can't we have one' mentality rather than establishing a sensible and bombproof business plan!

Meadowhead via Chesterfield Road is the right kind of territory and a nice big road where buses and trams could share priorities already there.

[manclad]

Utterley Butterly:
Unfortunately, both the public and politicians in this area seem to have resorted to the 'why can't we have one' mentality rather than establishing a sensible and bombproof business plan!



I couldn't agree more.

[westgate]

manontheinside said:

the75board said:

A line that would make money would be if they exstend the Herding Park line passed Norton, under Meadowhead Roundabout to a new Park & Ride / Bus interchange on the site of the Sheffield Transport Club and then on down Greenhill Parkway to the Back Side of Low Edges near the Fire Station. ;D

Sorry mate, you are entitled to your opinion but that seems a hell of a long route to get to the city centre. Surely a bus served express P&R would be far more useful as much as anything - got to be more attractive.

The best thing they could do with Herdings Park is stop serving it. Its a vandalism hot spot, carries very few, gets the poorest frequency of the network. Frankly its sole achievement was to banish the regular and well used 51!

As for going via Norton, i can see why you would, but theres a pair of hourly bus services in this area which hardly seems like tram territory. Batemoor much more attractive, but hardly a pleasant diversion.

Personally, i can see some more tram routes, BUT these must follow sensible routes which meet pre-suggested patronage levels. Unfortunately, both the public and politicians in this area seem to have resorted to the 'why can't we have one' mentality rather than establishing a sensible and bombproof business plan!

Meadowhead via Chesterfield Road is the right kind of territory and a nice big road where buses and trams could share priorities already there.

that would be good for meadowhead, but dont forget the government threw that plan out back in 2004, the low edges route as it would not bring benifits they said, to be honest im couldnt see the dore or hellaby route doing too well after, the only one i could see doing well was the rotherham extension of the yellow line from tinsley.

Shame the extensions have not gone ahead, but im sure our wonderful PTE will think of something to reaplce this sytem, maybe a guided bus way, or funded faster buses between rotherham and sheffield which are low floor, pritty much like the x78 is going in january, but maybe do it to the 69 aswell, as the x78 killed off that route, the 69 was a lot better, when it wa son the overground network back in 2002.

[metromadman]

sorry i did not have time to read all the messagers, if this was included in this i am sorry, but when are the supertram extentions ment to start

[manontheinside]

They aren't. The latest proposals were turned down by government (hence why the PTE are in a sulk!) and there are no further plans at present. Bus based 'f t r'-like rapid transit is more likely.

The only change on the horizon is that Brian Souter is suggetsing he wants to buy the system from the PTA. Personally i don't care for that idea unless he meets the build cost!