Ground investigation work after gap appears beneath railway near Barnsley

[Killingworth]

Network Rail are closing the route between Sheffield and Leeds via Barnsley for 2 weeks from Saturday 15th February to Sunday 2nd March tom investigate subsidence, possibly due to old mine workings.

https://www.networkrailmediacentre....ter-gap-appears-beneath-railway-near-barnsley

Ground investigation work after gap appears beneath railway near Barnsley​

Region & Route: Eastern | Eastern: North & East
Passengers are being advised of changes to services while important ground investigations take place north of Barnsley.

A gap between the rail and ballast was discovered under the track line near Darton in December.

The hole was quickly backfilled by Network Rail engineers but trains have been kept to a restricted speed of 20mph when passing this location.

Equipment was also installed to maintain 24/7 monitoring of this area.

Network Rail is ready to carry out detailed investigations of the ground as we look towards a longer-term solution.

The line will be closed from Saturday 15 February until Sunday 2 March to allow for this work, which includes drilling into the ground.

Arran Crawford, Network Rail route engineer, said: “We have worked hard to provide short-term measures and keep train services on the move, but we now need to establish the underlying cause of the loss of ballast seen in December.
“Our investigations so far have not identified a clear cause but given Barnsley’s strong coalmining heritage, it is crucial we explore if there have been any changes in the ground beneath the railway line.
“We’re sorry to passengers and residents affected while this work takes place, but it’s important this work is carried out as quickly and thoroughly as possible.”

Northern will run a reduced service between Sheffield, Barnsley, Leeds and Wakefield. Replacement buses will operate between Barnsley and Wakefield Kirkgate/Westgate.

Passengers should check all parts of their journeys with National Rail Enquiries before setting off.

Notes to Editors​

Northern’s travel arrangements during the line closure:

• The Leeds-Nottingham service diverting via Moorthorpe, calling at all stations between Leeds to Sheffield.
• The Leeds-Lincoln service will operate between Sheffield and Lincoln only.
• The Leeds-Sheffield service will be split to run between Leeds and Wakefield, and between Barnsley and Sheffield. Rail replacement buses will run between Barnsley and Wakefield.
• The Huddersfield-Sheffield service will run normally.

Contact information​

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Gareth Dennison
Media Relations Manager, Eastern region
Network Rail

 

[duffield]

Network Rail are closing the route between Sheffield and Leeds via Barnsley for 2 weeks from Saturday 15th February to Sunday 2nd March tom investigate subsidence, possibly due to old mine workings.

https://www.networkrailmediacentre....ter-gap-appears-beneath-railway-near-barnsley

As it says, the Nottingham to Leeds services are diverting via Moorthorpe, i.e. the "fast route" through Wakefield Westgate - but the journey's going to actually take about 15 minutes longer due to all the extra stops and going via Rotherham Central.
The changes are showing in RTT for 15th/16th Feb but not yet for subsequent days.

 

[Peterthegreat]

As it says, the Nottingham to Leeds services are diverting via Moorthorpe, i.e. the "fast route" through Wakefield Westgate - but the journey's going to actually take about 15 minutes longer due to all the extra stops and going via Rotherham Central.
The changes are showing in RTT for 15th/16th Feb but not yet for subsequent days.

The 15/16 Feb alterations have been available for some time due to planned engineering work.

 

[yorksrob]

The area's notorious for this sort of thing.

Glad the services either side of Barnsley/Wakefield are being maintained.

 

[JD2168]

As it says, the Nottingham to Leeds services are diverting via Moorthorpe, i.e. the "fast route" through Wakefield Westgate - but the journey's going to actually take about 15 minutes longer due to all the extra stops and going via Rotherham Central.
The changes are showing in RTT for 15th/16th Feb but not yet for subsequent days.

Appears that it will replace the Dearne Valley Stopper by stopping at every stop & Rotherham Central on this route.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Feb 2025 ==

The area's notorious for this sort of thing.

Glad the services either side of Barnsley/Wakefield are being maintained.

Must agree it is good that services are being maintained at 2 per hour Sheffield to Barnsley as the Huddersfield service is unaffected. I can see the Stagecoach 59/59a & Globe 96 between Barnsley & Wakefield & the Stagecoach X17 being busier during this time as passengers find alternative ways.

 

[mm333]

As it says, the Nottingham to Leeds services are diverting via Moorthorpe, i.e. the "fast route" through Wakefield Westgate - but the journey's going to actually take about 15 minutes longer due to all the extra stops and going via Rotherham Central.
The changes are showing in RTT for 15th/16th Feb but not yet for subsequent days.

Looking at what’s in NRES for those days, they’re either not calling at Meadowhall or someone’s forgotten to enter the data correctly.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Glad they are maintaining services either side as much as they are. The fast Northern services are taking quite the hit though. XC will be busy!

 

[Peterthegreat]

Glad they are maintaining services either side as much as they are. The fast Northern services are taking quite the hit though. XC will be busy!

Since the Nottingham trains won't be using p 17 at Leeds it may be possible to make some of then 4 cars.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Since the Nottingham trains won't be using p 17 at Leeds it may be possible to make some of then 4 cars.

I would hope they all run as four cars with the units they are saving. But good point.

 

[Peterthegreat]

Looking at what’s in NRES for those days, they’re either not calling at Meadowhall or someone’s forgotten to enter the data correctly.

It could be either. I would not put it past Northern to make a mess of it.
On the other hand timings may be very tight from Rotherham onwards if a Meadowhall stop is maintained.

 

[Kite159]

XC will be extra busy from Leeds to Sheffield considering the only northern option will be the stopper!

 

[louis97]

It could be either. I would not put it past Northern to make a mess of it.
On the other hand timings may be very tight from Rotherham onwards if a Meadowhall stop is maintained.

There's plenty of time for a Meadowhall stop and still meet booked path to/from Nottingham.

If you look at what is currently in for Saturday 15 February, most Northern Nottingham trains are departing Sheffield at the same time as an EMR service towards Chesterfield. So this isn't the final product, not really sure why it's been published.

I also note that the article says the Lincoln-Leeds will run between Lincoln and Sheffield only but the 15th is showing them running to/from Barnsley.

 

[Peterthegreat]

There's plenty of time for a Meadowhall stop and still meet booked path to/from Nottingham.

If you look at what is currently in for Saturday 15 February, most Northern Nottingham trains are departing Sheffield at the same time as an EMR service towards Chesterfield. So this isn't the final product, not really sure why it's been published.

I also note that the article says the Lincoln-Leeds will run between Lincoln and Sheffield only but the 15th is showing them running to/from Barnsley.

Going south the Moorthorpe stoppers normally arrive at Sheffield at xx.00 so should be able to form the xx.06 to Nottingham.
However going north the Nottingham train normally arrives at Sheffield at xx.13 and it would be tight (but not necessarily impossible) to go forward in the path of the stopper at xx.15.
Timings for the 15th and 16th Feb have been available for some time due to pre planned engineering work.
However the timings are a complete nonsense. The stopper is retimed earlier from Leeds at xx.40 rather than the usual xx.48. It is then "run through" by the LNER King's Cross service leaving at xx.45. They then run earlier, aren't shown as stopping at Meadowhall, leave Sheffield (as you say) at the same time as the St Pancras. There may be other conflicts as well.
Quite frankly this is an absolute disgrace. Heads should roll.

 

[M60lad]

Out of interest how will this affect people who travel between Sheffield and Leeds on Rail Rovers in particular South Pennine Day Ranger ticket as as far as I know this isn't valid on trains via Rotherham Central and is only usually valid on Sheffield-Leeds trains that run via Barnsley?

 

[louis97]

However going north the Nottingham train normally arrives at Sheffield at xx.13 and it would be tight (but not necessarily impossible) to go forward in the path of the stopper at xx.15.

That meets the 2 minute minimum dwell time rule for Northern, so certainly acceptable for this purpose.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Out of interest how will this affect people who travel between Sheffield and Leeds on Rail Rovers in particular South Pennine Day Ranger ticket as as far as I know this isn't valid on trains via Rotherham Central and is only usually valid on Sheffield-Leeds trains that run via Barnsley?

Be valid via Manchester, but with much longer journey times?!

 

[duffield]

Looking at what’s in NRES for those days, they’re either not calling at Meadowhall or someone’s forgotten to enter the data correctly.

RTT now showing the diversions for 17th February onwards, with calls at Meadowhall included.

But 15th/16th February still showing no stops at Meadowhall, no idea if that's actually the case, maybe it's correct as there were apparently other previously planned works on those days.

Also there's a very anomalous looking 1135 departure from Nottingham shown on 15th Feb amongst the xx14 departures, I guess this is an error.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Could the Meadowhall issue just be a data error caused by the Barnsley and Moorthorpe platforms being on different routes?

 

[AWK]

Gather during the daytime the unit on the 'stopper' that arrives in Barnsley at xx31 and normally continue on to Leeds is going to work back to Meadowhall in the usual path of the Nottingham express (dep xx40, arr xx53). This will give scheduled services over the rarely used crossover in to platform 4 at Meadowhall for the first time in a long time.

It will then work back to Barnsley in a slightly retimed path of the usual 'from Lincoln' express (xx01 - xx15), before picking up the path of the 'from Leeds' stopper at xx22, again using the wrong-line crossover just after departure from Barnsley. In the past with similar engineering blockades the unit has Sat idle/shunted around Barnsley between xx31 and xx22 so this is much better use of the unit and a chance for any track bashers to tick off some rarely used crossovers!

 

[Prime586]

The area's notorious for this sort of thing.

There were collieries on both sides of the line - Darton Main, under what is now Birthwaite Business Park, and Darton, which was in the area next to the line south of the primary school

 

[yorksrob]

There were collieries on both sides of the line - Darton Main, under what is now Birthwaite Business Park, and Darton, which was in the area next to the line south of the primary school

And also we're not far from the old Midland Main line that ended up being closed in the 1980's.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

There were collieries on both sides of the line - Darton Main, under what is now Birthwaite Business Park, and Darton, which was in the area next to the line south of the primary school

That's just the ones recent enough to be properly documented somewhere... there may well be a multitude of other old mine workings that pre-date any maps or records.

 

[YorkshireBear]

That's just the ones recent enough to be properly documented somewhere... there may well be a multitude of other old mine workings that pre-date any maps or records.

And there in lies the majority of mining issues in my experience. It's the ones you don't know anything about. Also generally earlier and therefore shallower and more like to cause you issues.

 

[JD2168]

When I asked the conductor on the Leeds stopper the :05 past the hour will run at its normal time from Sheffield but terminate at Barnsley. The Huddersfield train is unaffected by this & will run at the same times as now.

 

[Peterthegreat]

Well Northern have finally realised the timings for the diverted trains on Saturday and Sunday are complete nonsense.
They have now (as at 10.00 Thursday) taken the timings of the diverted trains out of the data base so no Northern trains are shown operating between Sheffield and Leeds via any route on Saturday or Sunday.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Feb 2025 ==

To be fair to Northern most of the Leeds to Nottingham trains today appear to be booked for four car 195s.

 

[yorksrob]

Whilst the works are wholly necessary, it's a shame that Northern appears to have botched the implementation of the residual stopper between Wakefield Kirkgate and Leeds.

A peak passenger demand that would normally be served by 158's and some stopping 189's has now been substituted by an inadequate 150 every hour. Needless to say, this is standing room only by Castleford. Where's the 158 ?

 

[saismee]

Whilst the works are wholly necessary, it's a shame that Northern appears to have botched the implementation of the residual stopper between Wakefield Kirkgate and Leeds.

A peak passenger demand that would normally be served by 158's and some stopping 189's has now been substituted by an inadequate 150 every hour. Needless to say, this is standing room only by Castleford. Where's the 158 ?

189? Did you mean 195 or 158?

 

[Peterthegreat]

Whilst the works are wholly necessary, it's a shame that Northern appears to have botched the implementation of the residual stopper between Wakefield Kirkgate and Leeds.

A peak passenger demand that would normally be served by 158's and some stopping 189's has now been substituted by an inadequate 150 every hour. Needless to say, this is standing room only by Castleford. Where's the 158 ?

Good question. They have botched the whole thing. Two successive Leeds to Sheffield trains cancelled this morning leaving no Northern service at all between the two cities for three hours.

 

[yorksrob]

189? Did you mean 195 or 158?

Yes, - apologies - morning typing !

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Feb 2025 ==

Good question. They have botched the whole thing. Two successive Leeds to Sheffield trains cancelled this morning leaving no Northern service at all between the two cities for three hours.

It does seem bizarre when they can't even source the resources for a vastly reduced timetable.

 

[Iskra]

Out of interest how will this affect people who travel between Sheffield and Leeds on Rail Rovers in particular South Pennine Day Ranger ticket as as far as I know this isn't valid on trains via Rotherham Central and is only usually valid on Sheffield-Leeds trains that run via Barnsley?

They could just use the Hallam Line as normal but endure the Rail Replacement Bus.

I would expect that if they asked the guard before boarding on a reasonable alternative service that discretion may be granted for travel.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Mar 2025 ==

The line is back open today, earlier than advertised.