The stone façade of Sheffield station,added in 1905. The Park Hill flats are in the background.
The station was opened in 1870 by the Midland Railway to the designs of the company architect John Holloway Sanders.[3] It was the fifth and last station to be built in Sheffield city centre.
The station was built on the 'New Line',which ran between Grimesthorpe Junction,on the former Sheffield and Rotherham Railway,and Tapton Junction,just north of Chesterfield. This line replaced the Midland Railway's previous route,the 'old road',to London,which ran from Sheffield Wicker via Rotherham.
The new line and station were built despite some controversy and opposition locally. The Duke of Norfolk,who owned land in the area,insisted that the southern approach be in a tunnel and the land known as The Farm landscaped to prevent the line being seen. Some years later the tunnel was opened out into a cutting. Sheffield Corporation was so concerned about the eastern side of the city being cut off from the city centre that it insisted that public access be preserved across the railway site.[4]
The interior stonework and iron roof on the station concourse
The station and Pond Street Goods Depot opened on a damp and cold day without any celebrations. There were originally different passenger entrances for each class. The original station buildings have been preserved and are between island platforms 2 to 5.
The station was given two extra platforms and a new frontage in 1905 at a cost of £215,000 (equivalent to £24,560,000in 2021).[5] The enlargements consisted of creating an island platform out of the old platform 1 and building a new platform 1 and a new entrance. These works were overseen by the Chief Architect to the Midland RailwayCharles Trubshaw.
Offices were built at the north end of the 300 feet (91m) long carriageway rooftop. A large parcels office was built to the south of the main buildings. Two footbridges connected the platforms,the one to the north for passengers,the one to the south for station staff and parcels. The tracks were covered by two overall roofs. The older and larger spanned platforms 5 and 6,and an identical structure can still be viewed today at Bath Green Park railway station;the other platforms 1 and 2. Wartime damage put the roofs beyond economic repair;hence,they were removed in the autumn of 1956 and replaced by low-level awnings.
1960 –2002
The 1960s saw the introduction of the Class 45 and Class 46 diesel-electric engines,known as Peaks.[6]Sheaf House was built in 1965[7][full citation needed] adjacent to the station to house British Rail's Sheffield Division headquarters. As part of the reconstruction of the area as the "Gateway to Sheffield",it was demolished in early 2006. In 1970,Sheffield's other main station,Sheffield Victoria,was closed and its remaining services,from Penistone,were diverted until 1981 via a cumbersome reversal. The Pullman service between Sheffield Victoria and London King's Cross,including the morning and evening Master Cutler now ran onto the East Coast Main Line via Retford from Sheffield Midland instead. This was the third route used by the train of that name;originally it had run to London Marylebone. The station was resignalled in 1972,and its track layout remodelled. British Rail introduced the High Speed Train (HST) to Sheffield on the Midland Main Line in 1984. The cross-country services had seen the introduction of the HSTs in 1982. On 21 December 1991,the station was flooded by the River Sheaf,which flows under it. A log that was part of the debris commemorates the event on platform 5. In 1991. construction of the new Supertram network began and by late 1994 Sheffield Midland was connected to the network,after the opening of the line between Fitzalan Square in the city centre and Spring Lane,to the east of the station.[8]
In 2002,Midland Mainline,as the main train operating company of the station,instigated a major regeneration of Sheffield station. Before this,a taxi rank was located inside what is now the main concourse and the new entrance hall. The stone façade of the station was sandblasted and its archways filled with unobstructed windows to improve views both from inside and out.[9] Other changes included the improvement of platform surfaces and the addition of a pedestrian bridge connecting the station concourse with the Sheffield Supertram stop at the far side of the station.[10]
To coincide with the regeneration of the station,Sheaf Square was rebuilt as part of a project designed to create the Gateway to Sheffield. The station and the square form part of a route that leads passengers through the square past the 262.5 feet (80m) Cutting Edge water feature,up Howard Street and into the Heart of the City.[11] This Gateway to Sheffield won the Project of the Year Award in the 2006 National Rail Awards.[12]
On 11 November 2007,East Midlands Trains,an amalgamation of Midland Mainline and part of Central Trains,took over the management of the station.
In December 2009,following the restoration of the station,a new pub,the Sheffield Tap,opened next to platform 1B.[13] The room,located within the main station building,had been used as a store room for 35 years but was used for much longer as a bar and restaurant,catering for first class passengers since 1904.[14] The bar has a restored early 20th century interior and offers a selection of quality cask ales and beers from around the world.[13] Since opening,the bar has won the National Railway Heritage Award and the Cask Ale pub of the year award.[15]
In October 2010,East Midland Trains initiated £10 million worth of improvements to its stations. Sheffield received renovated waiting rooms,toilet facilities and upgraded security systems amongst its improvements.[16] A new first class lounge on platform 5,part of these improvements,opened on 18 January 2011.[17] The lounge was opened by the Master Cutler Professor Bill Speirs who was joined by 50 top business leaders from Sheffield and the surrounding area.[18]
Station footbridge controversy
The bridge at the centre of the controversy
In 2008,East Midlands Trains revealed its intention to restrict access to parts of the station by installing ticket barriers to try to prevent passengers from travelling without a ticket. This proposal met with widespread opposition from residents and Council members because the footbridge would be closed off to non-ticket holders,severing a popular thoroughfare from the Norfolk Park residential area and the Supertram stop on one side,to the station travel centre,the bus interchange,the city centre and the city centre campus of Sheffield Hallam University on the other. On 6 May 2009,East Midlands Trains implemented its proposal,using temporary barriers and ticket inspectors to bar access to the footbridge to non-ticket holders,and local residents and Supertram passengers were forced to use longer routes around the station.[19]
In November 2009,East Midlands Trains were refused planning permission for the barriers by the council,[20] but in February 2010 announced it would apply again.[21] Transport Secretary Lord Adonis announced in April 2010 that barriers would not be installed until a second bridge was built to maintain a thoroughfare for non-ticket holders.[22]
From September 2010,East Midlands Trains used uniformed staff to prevent local residents using the footbridge.[23] At the same time,Sheffield City Council explored the possibility of turning the bridge into a public right-of-way to resolve the matter. In late 2010,it was reported that the Deputy Prime Minister,Nick Clegg,MP for Sheffield Hallam,might intervene to resolve the impasse.[24]
In March 2012,Transport Minister Justine Greening offered £3 million to build a new footbridge to resolve the problem.[25]
Tickets are not currently required to enter the station or to use the footbridge,which gives access to the Sheffield Station tram stop to the east.[26]
Future
Ian Yeowart,former managing director of Grand Central,put forward in 2009 a bid for new open access Alliance Rail Holdings services operating on the East Coast Main Line.[27] As part of the scheme,four services a day would operate between Sheffield and London King's Cross via Alfreton,Nottingham and Grantham,meaning Sheffield would be connected to the capital by both the Midland Main Line and the East Coast Main Line routes once again. Yeowart has proposed the resurrection of the name GNER for the service,which has been unused since the last franchise of that name ended in 2007. However,in 2010 these proposed Sheffield to London Kings Cross services via the East Coast Main Line were rejected. In the 2010 Rail Utilisation Strategy,it quoted that the Midland Main Line north of Bedford will be electrified in 2020.[28] The line is currently one of the few major main lines that is not electrified and the plan found that the project would provide significantly enhanced services and significant financial savings.[28] In July 2017 Transport Secretary,Chris Grayling,announced the electrification plan for the whole of the Midland Main Line would not go ahead as previously planned. Instead the section from Clay Cross in Derbyshire to Sheffield will be electrified by 2033 as part of the planned HS2. As an interim measure bi-mode trains,claimed to offer benefits similar to high speed electric trains were to be used. A National Audit Office report said:"In the case of Midland Main Line,bi-mode trains with the required speed and acceleration did not exist when the Secretary of State made his decision." The MP for Loughborough (another area to have been served by the proposed electrification scheme) and Chair of the Treasury Select Committee,Nicky Morgan said of the revised plans,"Now we see the decision to cancel it was based on fantasy trains that didn't even exist and the Midlands being a guinea pig for an untested technology".[29][30][31][32][33][34]
CrossCountry,aspiring to improve their overall network and services,aims to increase services between Sheffield and Leeds. East Midlands Railway also plans to make service improvements to its services between Liverpool and Norwich via Sheffield with two-car Class 158 trains doubling in capacity to four cars.[35] Coupled with newly acquired Class 156 trains,this will lead to an extra 1,500 seats being available each day on this service.[36]Northern,responsible for operating most local services in the Sheffield area,announced in August 2011 that extra services between Sheffield and Manchester Piccadilly would begin in December that year. The Hope Valley Line,which will see an extra service in each direction during the peak evening period,is a key commuter route and currently has a two-hour gap in its evening schedule,which will be filled by the new services.[37]
As part of the HS2 plans,a new platform would need to be constructed which would provide additional capacity for HS2,which approved the new route via Sheffield in July 2017.[38] Two trains per hour are to serve Sheffield on the new high speed line. The work for HS2 will see the footprint of the station expand and major reconfiguration of the tram and roads surrounding the station to accommodate the extra services.
Station facilities
The main station entrance,facing Sheaf Square,is the location of the main concourse and most of the station's facilities. The ticket office,ticket machines,information desk and a number of retail units are located there,and public toilets and facilities such as cash machines.[39] There are further shops and facilities on the island platforms and in the Supertram entrance hall at the far side of the station. There are waiting rooms on the island platforms and the East Midlands Railway first class lounge is within the station buildings,on platform 5.
There is a 678-space car park situated next to the main station building (Q Park) and there is a reserved parking area for blue badge holders in the main station building.[39] There is also a taxi rank (Sheffield Taxi Group) outside the station building,next to the disabled car park. Bicycle storage is provided on platforms 1a and 3a. The whole station,including platforms,concourse and Supertram stop,is accessible to disabled passengers.
Station layout
A panoramic view of the station. The Supertram stop is on the left and the city centre and Sheaf Street on the right.The station from the east. In the foreground are the Supertram stop and the station entrance hall. In the distance is the city centre.
The station is divided into four parts: the main building/concourse and platforms 1a/1b; the first island with platforms 2a-5b; the second island with platforms 6a-8b; and the adjoining Supertram stop. All sections are connected by a large footbridge.
Sheffield station is designed to accommodate both through and terminating trains. Platforms 2c, 3, 4 and 7 can be used by terminating trains only. The station has 9 platforms, numbered 1 to 8 and 2C. Platforms 1, 3 and 4 are divided into a and b sections to allow a brief stabling of terminating services before they are scheduled to depart. The station has four through roads which are used for through running or more commonly for stabling stock. Between platforms 5 and 6 these are known as "1-Up" and "2-Up" (they are on the "Up" or London-bound side of the station) whilst between platforms 1 and 2 are the "through road" with a direct path through the station or by a central crossover to the north end of platform 1 (1b), and "down station siding".
Prior to the 1972, multiple-aspect signalling (MAS) scheme, the southern half of the current platform 8 was called platform 9. Trains from the north from platform 9 could avoid trains stood at platform 8 via an additional through road.
Platform 7 – East Midlands Railway for Norwich via Nottingham, Liverpool Lime Street & Manchester Piccadilly via Stockport; Northern stopping services for Manchester Piccadilly via New Mills Central.
2 in use Plus 3 from original station retained for additional capacity when required
Tracks
2
Construction
Structure type
Embankment
Platform levels
1
Parking
No
Bicycle facilities
No
Accessible
Yes
Other information
Station code
SHS
History
Opened
1994
Rebuilt
2002
Electrified
Yes
Sheffield Station / Sheffield Hallam University stop on the Sheffield Supertram has direct interchange with Sheffield railway station. The station is built on top of a walled embankment high above platform 8 on the eastern side of the station; this embankment formerly carried Granville Street past the station, which was downgraded to a lineside public footpath when the embankment was repurposed to carry the Supertram line past the station in the early 1990s. In addition to the mainline station, the stop also serves the City Campus of Sheffield Hallam University and the Park Hill estate above the railway station.
The original stop opened in 1994 with the rest of the network. The original stop had three platforms – two on the northbound (inbound to the city centre) track, to allow for terminating Purple Route services prior to their extension to Cathedral in the city centre – and was connected to platform 6 of the main station by a simple staircase.
In line with the refurbishment of the rest of the station in the early 2000s, the tram stop was rebuilt in 2002 around 150 metres to the south of the existing platforms. As well as two new platforms, a ticket hall was constructed at the end of the main station footbridge over the top of platform 8, providing a direct connection from the tram stop to the station footbridge and the rest of the mainline station. Following the opening of the new stop, the old platforms were left in situ but have only ever been used in recent years in times of engineering works where additional platform space has been required.
HS2 will see a spur south of Chesterfield branch off the Main Route, which will go via the M18, allowing trains to head into a stop at Chesterfield and also head to Sheffield via the Sheffield to Leeds Line.[47][48]
↑ The National Rail platforms are numbered 1–8 and 2C. In addition to the two operational Supertram platforms, three disused platforms – from the previous site of the Sheffield station tram stop before it was relocated in 2002 – remain extant and are occasionally used during engineering works, but no scheduled services call at them.
↑ Batty (Batty, Stephen (1989). Rail Centres: Sheffield. Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Ltd. p.10. ISBN0-7110-1366-7.) refers to the station as Pond Street. However, Fox (Fox, Peter (1990). The Midland Line in Sheffield. Sheffield: Platform 5. p.8. ISBN1-872524-16-8.) notes that, although the name Pond Street appears on some Midland Railway maps, the station has never been known locally by this name, and was never referred to as such in timetables.
The Midland Main Line (MML) is a major railway line from London to Sheffield in Yorkshire via the East Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras station via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham and Chesterfield.
Manchester Piccadilly is the main railway station of the city of Manchester, in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, England. Opened originally as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchester Piccadilly in 1960. Located to the south-east of the city centre, it hosts long-distance intercity and cross-country services to national destinations including London, Birmingham, Nottingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Reading, Southampton and Bournemouth; regional services to destinations in Northern England including Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and York; and local commuter services around Greater Manchester. It is one of 19 major stations managed by Network Rail. The station has 14 platforms: 12 terminal and two through platforms. Piccadilly is also a major interchange with the Metrolink light rail system with two tram platforms in its undercroft.
Leicester railway station is a mainline railway station in the city of Leicester in Leicestershire, England. The station is managed by East Midlands Railway and owned by Network Rail. The station is served by CrossCountry and East Midlands Railway services. It is the busiest station in Leicestershire, the second busiest station in the East Midlands, and the fifth busiest station in the Midlands as a whole.
Crewe railway station serves the railway town of Crewe, in Cheshire, England. It opened in 1837 and is one of the most historically significant railway stations in the world.
Leeds railway station is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on New Station Street to the south of City Square, at the foot of Park Row, behind the landmark Queens Hotel. It is one of 20 stations managed by Network Rail. As of December 2023, it was the busiest station in West Yorkshire, as well as in Yorkshire & the Humber, and the entirety of Northern England. It is the second busiest station in the UK outside of London, after Birmingham New Street.
Nottingham station, briefly known as Nottingham City and for rather longer as Nottingham Midland, is a railway station and tram stop in the city of Nottingham. It is the principal railway station of Nottingham. It is also a nodal point on the city's tram system, with a tram stop that was originally called Station Street but is now known as Nottingham Station. It is the busiest station in Nottinghamshire, the busiest in the East Midlands, and the second busiest in the Midlands after Birmingham New Street.
Meadowhall Interchange is a transport interchange located in north-east Sheffield, consisting of a combined heavy rail station, tram stop and bus and coach station. The second-busiest heavy rail station in the city in terms of passenger numbers, Meadowhall Interchange provides connections between National Rail services, the Sheffield Supertram light rail network, intercity coach services and the city bus network.
Chesterfield railway station serves the market town of Chesterfield in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the Midland Main Line. Four tracks pass through the station which has three platforms. It is currently operated by East Midlands Railway.
Sheffield Victoria was the main railway station in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on the Great Central Railway,
Derby railway station is a main line railway station serving the city of Derby in Derbyshire, England. Owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway, the station is also served by CrossCountry services. It is the busiest station in Derbyshire, and the third busiest station in the East Midlands.
Luton Airport Parkway railway station is on the Midland Main Line in England, serving south Luton and Luton Airport in Bedfordshire. The station is situated in Luton's Park Town district, being 29.27 miles (47.11 km) from London St Pancras between Harpenden to the south and Luton to the north. Its three-letter station code is LTN, also the IATA code for the airport.
Stockport railway station serves the large town of Stockport in Greater Manchester, England. It is located 6 miles south-east of Manchester Piccadilly, on a spur of the West Coast Main Line to London Euston.
Luton railway station is located in the town centre of Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The station is about three minutes' walk from The Mall Shopping Centre. It is situated on the Midland Main Line and is operated by Thameslink.
Kettering railway station serves the market and industrial town of Kettering in Northamptonshire, England. It lies south-west of the town centre, on the Midland Main Line, 71 miles (115 km) north of London St. Pancras.
Long Eaton railway station serves the town of Long Eaton in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the Midland Main Line and the Derby-Nottingham line 120 miles 28 chains (193.7 km) north of London St Pancras. The station is managed by East Midlands Railway, but CrossCountry operates some services.
Chinley railway station serves the rural village of Chinley in Derbyshire, England. The station is 17+1⁄2 miles (28.2 km) south east of Manchester Piccadilly, on the Hope Valley Line from Sheffield to Manchester. It is unstaffed and is managed by Northern Trains.
Hazel Grove railway station is a junction on both the Stockport to Buxton and Stockport to Sheffield lines, serving the village of Hazel Grove, Greater Manchester, England.
East Midlands Parkway railway station is located north of Ratcliffe-on-Soar on the Midland Main Line in the East Midlands of England. It provides park and ride facilities for rail passengers on the routes from Leicester to Derby and Nottingham. It is also the closest station to East Midlands Airport, some 4 miles (6.4 km) away, but without public transport link.
Reddish North is one of two railway stations serving the suburb of Reddish in Stockport, England; the other is Reddish South. It is a stop on the Hope Valley line between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield.
The Northern Hub was a rail upgrade programme between 2009 and 2020 in Northern England to improve and increase train services and reduce journey times between its major cities and towns, by electrifying lines and removing a major rail bottleneck in Manchester. It was predicted to stimulate economic growth in the region. The project had several elements but the prime objective was to eradicate the bottleneck in Manchester and allow trains to travel through the city at speed without stopping. The project was announced as the Manchester Hub in 2009. The project's steering partnership involved Network Rail, Deutsche Bahn, First TransPennine Express, Northern Rail, East Midlands Trains, CrossCountry, Freightliner, the Department for Transport, Transport for Greater Manchester and Merseytravel.
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9.908 million
1.050 million
