My idea to upgrade the Hallam line

[YorksLad12]

It's a frustrating one - I wouldn't want to risk one unit doing an hourly Sheffield - Barnsley stopper (given lack of recovery time), but it'd be a huge waste to use a second unit just to fill that hourly service (and there's no room at Sheffield to occupy a platform for that long either!) - I'll accept that this is a weak link in my plan for a half hourly Sheffield - Leeds - Knottingley service.

I know that there are lines where we have to use resources poorly, like the two DMUs needed to cover Huddersfield - Bradford since one unit cannot manage the thirty six miles of the round trip within one hour, but I'd want to reduce such cases where possible. Maybe an alternative usage would be to run a half hourly Sheffield - Penistone service with hourly extension to Huddersfield (i.e. extending to Penistone rather than having the unit sitting around for long periods at Sheffield)? I don't know - it's just awkwardly too far/ long for one unit to do "just" Sheffield - Barnsley (all stops) though

Penistone-Sheffield is around 46 minutes but the single track probably puts paid to that idea. But an hourly service on that route could take over the existing stopping service from Barnsley to Sheffield. Passenger survey required: to people from Darton travel to Leeds, Wakefield, Sheffield or some station in between? If not the in-between stations the current stops could be replaced with stops on the semi-fasts.

Ultimately, if you want to speed up services between Leeds and Sheffield take the route via Westgate. Ultimately ultimately, wait 20 years for HS2

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Penistone-Sheffield is around 46 minutes but the single track probably puts paid to that idea. But an hourly service on that route could take over the existing stopping service from Barnsley to Sheffield. Passenger survey required: to people from Darton travel to Leeds, Wakefield, Sheffield or some station in between? If not the in-between stations the current stops could be replaced with stops on the semi-fasts.

Ultimately, if you want to speed up services between Leeds and Sheffield take the route via Westgate. Ultimately ultimately, wait 20 years for HS2

A while back I looked into whether Penistone terminators would work, and I couldn't make the timings work out without significant journey time penalties for the Huddersfield services. Two trains per hour on the whole route is an "aspiration" for both ITAs, but can't work without an additional loop to break up the long single line stretch between Stocksmoor and Huddersfield. South of there it could be possible to get a second train per hour in, as the single sections aren't so long (the loop at Penistone isn't used to cross trains most hours) but a Penistone terminator would have to sit there for 30mins before returning as it would clash with the service from Huddersfield. So it could be done, but would need an additional two units rather than just one.

 

[YorksLad12]

A while back I looked into whether Penistone terminators would work, and I couldn't make the timings work out without significant journey time penalties for the Huddersfield services. Two trains per hour on the whole route is an "aspiration" for both ITAs, but can't work without an additional loop to break up the long single line stretch between Stocksmoor and Huddersfield. South of there it could be possible to get a second train per hour in, as the single sections aren't so long (the loop at Penistone isn't used to cross trains most hours) but a Penistone terminator would have to sit there for 30mins before returning as it would clash with the service from Huddersfield. So it could be done, but would need an additional two units rather than just one.

Ah, that's interesting. I know there are problems with a straight half-hourly frequency across the whole route but I thought the single line stretch between Penistone and Barnsley would be an issue stopping improvements there.

I still think any improvements to the Hallam route should be linked to the (re-)introduction of the Leeds-Westgate-Sheffield-Nottingham service. It would allow one of the semi-fasts to become a stopper via Methley/Altofts Curve, the existing stopper could run north from Sheffield to Castleford and then York (if you really wanted ), the Huddersfield-Castleford local could extend to Leeds... whatever. It would be nice to think that the proposed ECML changes from May 2022 would allow the faster service to start but I doubt it.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Ah, that's interesting. I know there are problems with a straight half-hourly frequency across the whole route but I thought the single line stretch between Penistone and Barnsley would be an issue stopping improvements there.

I still think any improvements to the Hallam route should be linked to the (re-)introduction of the Leeds-Westgate-Sheffield-Nottingham service. It would allow one of the semi-fasts to become a stopper via Methley/Altofts Curve, the existing stopper could run north from Sheffield to Castleford and then York (if you really wanted ), the Huddersfield-Castleford local could extend to Leeds... whatever. It would be nice to think that the proposed ECML changes from May 2022 would allow the faster service to start but I doubt it.

Without wishing to go too far off-topic, the single line between Barnsley and Penistone is considerably shorter than the stretch at the Huddersfield end, particularly as it is now double for a short distance after the junction north of Barnsley, before going down to single track not far from Dodworth.