‘Ghost’ railway lines could be reopened after bids for levelling up funding

Plans to bring back disused rail services and stations in the South Yorkshire region are moving forward as bids for levelling up funding have been submitted.

Local councils hope to reopen the Don Valley Line between Sheffield and Stocksbridge, and the Askern Line between Doncaster and Knottingley.

Bids were submitted to the ‘Restoring Your Railways’ fund, a £500 million government scheme in line with the plan to ‘level up’ the north.

The two lines were shortlisted to benefit from the fund in October 2021.

The bid for the Askern Line reopening was sponsored by Doncaster North MP Ed Miliband.

He said:

“I would love to see the station reinstated in Askern and I am proud to sponsor this bid to the Restoring Your Railways Fund.

“This is a real team effort between Friends of Askern Station, local councillors, Doncaster Council, and South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority.

“There has been brilliant work done to create a great bid.

“Bringing back the station would give people more options for work and leisure.. It’s the right thing to do for the community and for the environment, giving people alternatives to using their cars.

“This is even more important now than when we started working on the bid as we have seen cuts to bus services which connected Askern with communities in West Yorkshire.

“I very much hope this bid is now supported by government.”

South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, commented:

“There is huge support for our plans to reopen the Askern and Don Valley railway lines, because of the chance it gives us to level-up communities currently left behind because of poor public transport links.

“Fixing South Yorkshire’s public transport system has to include reopening our railways and better joining up our train, tram and bus networks. Because our communities rely on these links to access the work, education and social opportunities that everyone deserves.

“The government have set a timeframe for levelling up transport connectivity across our region by 2030, but in order to achieve that goal we need them to deliver the full Northern Powerhouse Rail and match our energy and ambition for upgrading services. Projects such as ‘Restoring Your Railways’ offer a good starting point.”

Local councils including Sheffield and Doncaster will play a leading role in delivering the schemes, along with Network Rail.

Councillor Julie Grocutt, Co-Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Change Policy Committee, and Local Member for Stocksbridge said:

“The key to enabling our communities to grow and prosper is to connect people to opportunities, in a sustainable and inclusive way. That can only be done with an efficient and reliable public transport system that people trust. Whilst buses are a critical part of our transport network, and we will continue to fight for better services, a rail link is essential for long-term growth that helps to meet our net zero targets.”

Proposals for a new station at Waverley and a restoration of the Barrow Hill line between Sheffield and Chesterfield are also being developed.