D-Day approaches for bid to restore lost railway stations in Sheffield

The response is due for a request made by Ms Blake and other Labour MPs Louise Haigh and Paul Blomfield for a share of £500m worth of funding from the Government to bring rail serices back to restore stations at Millhouses, Heeley, and Beauchief, expand Dore & Totley station, and build a new station at Totley Brook.

Today (June 1) Ms Blake said that she and the other MPs had been told by the Department of Transport that they would have a response to their request in a matter of months.

Ms Blake said: “Louise Haigh, Paul Blomfield and I have just been told that the decision will be made about our revised bid to restore rail services to the Sheaf Valley in summer.

"Sustainable transport is so important, expecially with our net-zero commitments. Our proposal would provide the people of South and South West Sheffield with low carbon links to the city centre, Manchester, Leeds and the Peak District National Park.

“Levelling up must help our communities to meet the challenge of the climate crisis.”

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The bid by the MPs is backed by Mayor of Sheffield City Region Dan Jarvis, and The Peak District National Park and Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust have joined Friends of Dore & Totley Station and Heeley Development Trust in also coming out in support of the proposal.

The money would be available through the DfT’s Restoring Your Railway Fund.

In March the MPs launched a public consultation asking local residents to share their thoughts on the proposal in order to gauge likely demand levels for these restored railway stations.

More than 500 people shared their views and respondents overwhelmingly support the proposals.

At that time, Ms Blake said: “I have spoken to so many people across our city, who are disadvantaged by the poor public transport infrastructure and clogged roads.

"By bringing rail access back to where people live, I hope to re-address this imbalance, boost rail use post-pandemic, open up new job opportunities in other cities, and make travel to and from work quicker and more efficient.”