Manchester to Sheffield railway upgrade completes following £150 million investment

The £150 million Hope Valley Railway Upgrade to improve services between Manchester and Stockport and Sheffield has been officially completed.

Work began in Spring 2021 and has delivered various improvements to the line between Manchester and Sheffield, including signalling improvements along the line to improve reliability, and a 1 km railway loop to allow faster services to overtake freight and stopping trains between Bamford and Hathersage in Derbyshire, and to the south of Dore & Totley station in South Yorkshire.

Work undertaken on the recent closure of the line from 16-25 March saw track installation and drainage works finalised, alongside the final work at Dore & Totley station to deliver a second platform and extend the existing one to accommodate longer trains. A TransPennine Express service to Liverpool, via Stockport and Manchester was the first service to call at the reopened station.

Rail Minister Huw Merriman visited Dore & Totley station to officially open the new platform and mark the completion of the £150 million project; he said:

“I am delighted to be in Sheffield today to mark the completion of the Hope Valley Railway Upgrade – another project delivered which demonstrates our continued commitment to improving transport in the North of England.

“This Government funded scheme means passengers will now benefit from improved reliability and accessibility when travelling between Sheffield and Manchester.”

Neil Holm, Managing Director of TRU said:

“The completion of the Hope Valley Railway Upgrade is a great step for train travel in the North, and I’m thrilled to be able to make it official alongside the Rail Minister, Huw Merriman, at Dore & Totley today.

“After three years of hard work and planning, passengers between Manchester and Sheffield can enjoy a much-improved railway.”

Ben Shaw, Sponsor for the Hope Valley Railway Upgrade said:

“We’re delighted to be able to invite the Rail Minister to Dore & Totley to celebrate the completion of the programme.

“The Hope Valley Railway Upgrade team worked tirelessly to deliver these upgrades, that will ensure improved rail services between Manchester and Sheffield.

“I’d like to thank all of our passengers and residents along the route for their patience and support as we carried out these essential upgrades.”

The Hope Valley Railway Upgrade has been delivered by the Transpennine Route Upgrade working with StoryVolker JV.