Sheffield MPs launch bid to restore Sheaf Valley railway stations to former glory

Olivia Blake, MP for Hallam, and Louise Haigh, MP for Heeley, are putting in a bid for the government's Restoring Your Railway Fund.

They hope the money can help reopen railway stations in Heeley, on London Road, and Millhouses, on Archer Road, and expand the station at Dore and Totley.

Residents in Woodseats, Millhouses, Carterknowle, Meersbrook, Heeley and Abbeydale would be within a 20 minute walk of the new platforms but the MPs believe the benefits would also be shared citywide.

Ms Blake said: "To address the climate crisis we need many more people to be able to use public transport. This means we need to increase both the quality and availability of public transport networks in constituencies like ours where they are lacking.

"Thousands of people would have a greener way to travel, greatly reduce congestion on busy routes like Abbeydale and Ecclesall Road."

The stations were all opened around the year 1870 and ran for around a century before a huge cut back in the 1960s known as the Beeching cuts.

The government is now investing £500 million to try to reverse these and has so far used £40 million to build 10 new stations.

Ms Haigh added: "South and South West Sheffield were once well-served by rail and tram networks but short-sighted decisions in the 1960s closed these down.

"My constituents are desperate for better public transport to cut traffic congestion, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

"As we come out of the coronavirus lockdown, we need initiatives like this to ensure our roads stay quiet and pollution stays down."

In their letter to the government expressing interest, they said the lines would preferably be used for heavy rail but that they are open to exploring whether the service could instead be used by tram-train - integrating into new or existing tram lines.

Councillor Paul Turpin, representative for Gleadless Valley ward, also wrote to Sheffield Council and South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive urging them to put a bid in to the New Stations Fund to reopen Heeley station.