| Hope Valley Line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 The line atBamford in the Hope Valley | |||
| Overview | |||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Owner | Network Rail | ||
| Locale | |||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 28 | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Heavy rail | ||
| System | National Rail | ||
| Operator(s) | |||
| Depot(s) | Longsight | ||
| Rolling stock | |||
| History | |||
| Opened |
| ||
| Technical | |||
| Number of tracks | Double-track | ||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge | ||
| Electrification | 25 kV ACOHLE (Western part), from Manchester Piccadilly toHazel Grove,Ashburys andGuide Bridge | ||
| Operating speed | 90 mph (140 km/h) 125 mph (201 km/h) (Manchester Piccadilly toStockport) 40 mph (64 km/h) (Hazel Grove to Edgeley Junction) | ||
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Hope Valley Line |
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TheHope Valley Line is atrans-Penninerailway line inNorthern England, linkingManchester withSheffield. It was completed in 1894.
Passenger services on the line are operated byNorthern Trains,East Midlands Railway andTransPennine Express, while the quarries around Hope, producing stone and cement, provide a source of freight traffic.
FromSheffield, the line follows theMidland Main Line through the south-west of the city toDore & Totley, where the Hope Valley Line branches off to run through theTotley Tunnel, the fourth-longest tunnel in England. It emerges in theHope Valley area ofDerbyshire, where it passes through the stations ofGrindleford,Hathersage,Bamford,Hope andEdale before entering the two-mile-longCowburn Tunnel. From the western portal of the tunnel, the line runs throughChinley, then splits. The northern branch runs viaNew Mills Central towardsManchester Piccadilly. The southern branch passes through theDisley Tunnel before merging with theBuxton line just south ofHazel Grove and then heading toStockport to join theWest Coast Main Line to Manchester.
This section was built by theSheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee as part of theMidland Railway's drive to reach Manchester with its line fromLondon viaAmbergate andMillers Dale. Initially, in 1867, it joined theManchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway atHyde Junction, running intoManchester London Road, but in 1875 a more direct route was built throughBredbury. WhenManchester Central was opened by theCheshire Lines Committee, a new line was built throughHeaton Mersey. This third route was closed along with Manchester Central, apart from the section throughDisley Tunnel toHazel Grove, where it now joins the oldLNWR line intoStockport.
In 1872, the Midland Railway's only route from Sheffield to Manchester was via Ambergate. It had originally proposed a line to run from Dore toHassop, meeting its extension fromRowsley toBuxton. However, the "Dore and Chinley Railway" was floated independently in 1872 and, unsuccessfully, until the Midland took an interest, since it would provide a more direct route, connecting through Chinley into Manchester.[1] The line was authorised in 1884 and work began in 1888.[2]
The 21-mile (34 km) line took five years to build, opening to goods traffic in November 1893, with passenger traffic being carried from June 1894.[3] The terrain throughHope Valley and theVale of Edale was easy enough by Midland standards, but at each end there were formidable obstacles, negotiated by means of theTotley andCowburn Tunnels.
At the time of theBeeching review, the line was running in competition with the recently modernised and fasterWoodhead Line and its closure was suggested.[4] On appeal, British Rail was required to keep the Hope Valley Line open to passenger traffic; it was decided that theWoodhead route would be closed to passenger traffic instead[5] and then subsequently to all traffic in 1981, due to the high cost of further upgrading the line to modern standards.[6][7][8]
In the early 1980s, proposals were put forward to convert the Piccadilly–Belle Vue–Rose Hill/Marple section of the Hope Valley Line to light rail operation for the proposedManchester Metrolink system. While construction of Metrolink went ahead, the Hope Valley Line was not included in the system which was completed in 1992.[9] When in 2000, proposals for a large-scale extension of Metrolink were announced by the government, these still did not include conversion of the Hope Valley Line; but, subsequently, planning documents fromNetwork Rail and from theGreater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority have suggested that this route might be appropriate fortram-train operation, and, as such, it was suggested to theDepartment for Transport as a possible location for a national tram-train pilot.[10]
On 1 August 2019, the line was closed between Marple and Sheffield amid fears that the dam atToddbrook Reservoir would collapse, following heavy rain, which would flood the town ofWhaley Bridge. TheBuxton line, between Hazel Grove and Buxton, was also closed because of this. The line was re-opened on 7 August 2019.[11]
In 2005 planning applications for various parts of a capacity and modernisation scheme were submitted.[12] In 2015, a consultation pack on the capacity enhancement of the line was released by Network Rail.[13]
Nottinghamshire County Council and the Department for Transport have investigated the possibility of adding another service that does not call at Sheffield in order to improve the journey time between Nottingham and Manchester. Stopping (and changing direction) in Sheffield, the fastest journey is 110 minutes (as of 2019[update]), but the council has estimated bypassing Sheffield would cut the time to 85 minutes. Suggested improvements on a2+1⁄2-mile (4 km) stretch near Stockport may reduce journey times by 2–3 minutes.[14][15]
In 2018, proposals were published for works necessary to create a 3,600 feet (1,100 m) passing loop between Bamford and Hathersage, to extend the extant platform at Dore to cope with six-coach trains, to redouble the track and to reinstate the second platform and footbridge at Dore and Totley station (the track having been singled and platform demolished in the 1980s).[16] This was intended to improve capacity on the line by removing a major bottleneck. It allowed passenger trains to pass slower-moving freight and allowed three fast trains per hour between Manchester and Sheffield, in addition to a stopping passenger train.[17] Improvements were also made to Jaggers Lane Bridge in Hathersage.[18] Planning permission for the upgrade was granted in February 2018, but delays meant that the works were not completed until 2024.[19] The necessaryTransport and Works Act was also published in 2018.[20][21]
In March 2021, it was announced by Minister of State for Transport,Andrew Stephenson, that £137 million would be allocated to upgrade the line.[22] A joint venture betweenVolker Rail and Story Contracting was awarded an £80 million contract for the delayed Hope Valley upgrade.[23] Work started on 29 May 2022 and was completed by early April 2024.[24][25]
Around 66% of the works output (1,000,000 tonnes (1,100,000 tons) per year) of cement fromHope Cement Works a year is taken away by rail from the seven-roadEarle's Sidings at Hope.[26][27] When G & T Earle opened Earle's Cement works in 1929, it was linked to the Hope Valley Line by a 1 mi 52 chains (2.7 km) single track railway, which was worked by steam until 1963.[28][29] Most of the cement now travels over it in trains hauled byClass 20 locomotives[30] to Earle's Sidings,[27] where it is taken over byFreightliner.[31]
The following passenger services traverse all or part of the Hope Valley Line:
| Route | tph | Calling at | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Piccadilly toSheffield | 1 | Reddish North,Brinnington,Bredbury,Romiley,Marple,New Mills Central,Chinley,Edale,Hope,Bamford,Hathersage,Grindleford andDore & Totley *Some services do not call at some or all ofEdale,Bamford,Hathersage,Grindleford andDore & Totley giving some 2-hour gaps between services at these stations. | |
| Manchester Piccadilly toRose Hill Marple | 4⁄3 | Gorton,Fairfield (1tph),Guide Bridge,Hyde North (1tph),Hyde Central,Woodley andRomiley | |
| Manchester Piccadilly toNew Mills Central | 1 | Ashburys,Belle Vue (irregular),Ryder Brow,Reddish North,Brinnington,Bredbury,Romiley,Marple andStrines (1tp2h) |
| Route | tph | Calling at | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool Lime Street –Norwich | 1 |
|
| Route | tph | Calling at | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool Lime Street toCleethorpes | 1 |
| 185 |
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