A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| South Yorkshire Supertram | |
|---|---|
 | |
 A Siemens-Duewag Supertram, operating a service to Halfway, seen in July 2010. | |
 A schematic map of the Supertram network. | |
| Overview | |
| Owner | South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority |
| Area served | |
| Locale | |
| Transit type | |
| Number of lines | 4 |
| Number of stations | 50 |
| Annual ridership |
|
| Headquarters |
|
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 21 March 1994 |
| Operator(s) | South Yorkshire Future Trams |
| Number of vehicles | |
| Technical | |
| System length | 34.6 km (21.5 mi) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 750 V DC overhead line |
| Top speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) |
The South Yorkshire Supertram,[b] sometimes referred to as the Sheffield Supertram, is a tram and tram-train network covering Sheffield and Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. The network is owned and operated by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA).[c]
Interest in building a modern tram system for Sheffield had mounted during the 1980s. After detailed planning by SYPTE, the Supertram proposal was approved by Act of Parliament in 1991. Construction of the network, incorporating several existing heavy rail sections as well as new track, was carried out in sections, allowing revenue services to start during 1994. Early operations, hindered by a complex ticketing system and the initially small coverage area, had disappointing ridership figures.[2] In an effort to turn around the performance, operations were privatised to Stagecoach in 1997, at price of £1.15 million, who took over from South Yorkshire Supertram Limited. After management and operational changes, and further expansion of the system, ridership numbers rose considerably.[2] In March 2024, the network returned to public ownership as the concession awarded to Stagecoach came to an end.
From 2008, interest had been expressed in hybrid tram-train operations, which would be able to use sections of the mainline rail network as well as tramways. During 2012 an experimental trial was planned, as this was to be the first deployment of tram-trains anywhere in the United Kingdom. The start of tram-train operations, using a purpose-built fleet of new Class 399 Stadler Citylink electric multiple units, was repeatedly delayed, but on 25 October 2018, operations of the new tram-train line commenced.[3]
The Supertram network now consists of 50 stations across four colour-coded lines, the Blue, Purple, Yellow and Tram-Train (Black) routes, which connect with local and national bus and rail services and six park and ride sites.[4]
History
Background and initial launch
In common with many British cities, Sheffield used to have an extensive tram network, the Sheffield Tramway (1873–1960). This finally closed in October 1960, it then being argued that motorised buses offered superior economics.[2]
The new Supertram network arose from ambitions held by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), which had been assigned the role of public transport co-ordination in the area.[5] SYPTE refined an earlier and more expansive light rail proposal to include pre-existing heavy rail alignments, in order to gain the required permissions to proceed,[5] and deposited several Bills to Parliament in 1985–1990 to gain the necessary powers.[6] Financial approval was given by the Department of Transport towards the end of 1990, allowing the £240 million construction of the initial line to commence in 1991.[7][8]
This line was opened in stages between 1994 and 1995. The first section, located along a former heavy rail alignment to Meadowhall, opened on 21 March 1994.[8] The network was operated by South Yorkshire Supertram Limited,[9] a wholly owned subsidiary company of SYPTE established to run the venture.
In the early years, the scheme was viewed by some as a failure; passengers continued using cheaper and more frequent buses, and retailers complained about the disruption caused by the lengthy construction works.[10] The complex ticketing system was also a source of irritation and confusion to passengers.[2] It became clear that projections for passenger numbers had been overly optimistic, and concern arose that the system represented poor value for money.[10] The matter of who should bear the cost became an issue.
Review and privatisation
By 1996, the councils backing the Supertram brought in consultants to draw up options to address major operational and managerial problems.[2] In December 1997, South Yorkshire Supertram Limited was privatised, and sold to Stagecoach for £1.15 million, substantially below the anticipated £80 million that the councils had hoped to raise to help pay off the accumulated debts,[11] leaving several local councils with the long-term debt for the Supertram's establishment.[12] Under the terms of the deal struck by the Labour government, a reduction in operating costs was achieved, but it was calculated that the people of South Yorkshire were each paying 5p per week for the Supertram, which continued over many years.[10] Stagecoach acquired the concession for the maintenance and operation of the Supertram network until 2024.[8][10]
Increasing use – and decline
There were initially plans for Supertram to extend services to a greater area of South Yorkshire, such as lines to Barnsley and Doncaster, but progress has been restricted.[10] According to BBC News, frustration was expressed amongst people outside of Sheffield that they were paying for something they do not use.
However, by 2014 plans to extend Supertram were in various stages of action,[10] and patronage had gone up, from 7.8 million passenger journeys in 1996/97, to 15.0 million during 2011/12.[13][10] The increase in usage was credited to various factors. Industry publication Rail pointed towards changes to route patterns, the introduction of onboard conductors, ticket simplification and refurbishment of the trams themselves as having generated greater appeal amongst the public.[2]
Between 2012 and 2017, the number of passengers and operating revenue declined; during 2016/17, the network carried 12.6 million passengers.[14] Reasons presented for the reduction included the disruptive rail replacement effort across the network, which involved partial closures and the use of buses as temporary replacements, as well as the impact of cheaper petrol.[2][15]
Tram-train services
The tram-train extension to Rotherham opened on 25 October 2018,[16] using seven new Vossloh-built Class 399 Citylink articulated electric multiple units.[17] Trams operate on Network Rail's line from Tinsley to Rotherham station and beyond to the Parkgate shopping centre, where services terminate on a short spur at the side of the railway, after travelling on the Supertram line from Cathedral to Meadowhall South/Tinsley.[18][19] The station at Rotherham Central is a combined tram stop and railway station,[20] with platforms 1 and 2 at Rotherham Central extended, with the new extensions numbered platforms 3 and 4 respectively. The stop at Parkgate is a single platform terminus. The first test run of the tram-train service (as far as Magna) was performed in the early hours of 10 May 2018, and the first gauging run all the way to Parkgate occurred in the early hours of 5 June 2018.[21]
The existing Siemens-Duewag Supertram fleet were not upgraded for tram-train operation, so were not registered under TOPS and cannot be used on the line as they lack the relevant Network Rail safety systems and crashworthiness. The tram-train scheme was first planned to be in service by 2015 but was delayed.[22][23]
The Class 399 units were built in 2015/16 with the first delivered in December 2015.[24] Until the completion of the tram-train line, some were used to provide increased capacity on the existing Supertram network. They first entered service on 14 September 2017.[25][26]
On the opening day of tram-train passenger operations the service was suspended following a road traffic collision on the tram network involving one of the tram-train vehicles. The incident was caused by lorry operated by Ability Handling passing a red traffic light and caused the tram to be derailed. [27] The service has also been suspended twice after faults were found on the Citylink units. The first suspension was on 9 April 2019, when the fleet was withdrawn to undergo safety checks, although service resumed the next day.[28][29] The service was later suspended again on 14 December 2019, resuming three days later on 17 December.[30][31] Services have also operated on a reduced frequency several times whilst work has been undertaken on the Citylink fleet.[32]
Return to public operation
On 18 October 2022 the South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard announced that the service would return to public operation once Stagecoach's contract expired in March 2024, alongside a £100 million grant by the central government to modernise parts of the system.[33] The date of the transfer was 22 March 2024,[34] with a new operating company known as the South Yorkshire Future Tram Limited (SYFTL) taking over all Supertram operations.[35]
Coppard's authority manages the publicly-owned arm's length organisation to manage the tram service.[36]
Summary of opening dates
- 21 March 1994: Fitzalan Square to Meadowhall
- 22 August 1994: Fitzalan Square to Spring Lane
- 5 December 1994: Spring Lane to Gleadless Townend
- 18 February 1995: Fitzalan Square to Cathedral
- 27 February 1995: Cathedral to Shalesmoor
- 27 March 1995: Gleadless Townend to Halfway
- 3 April 1995: Gleadless Townend to Herdings Park
- 23 October 1995: Shalesmoor to Middlewood/Malin Bridge
- 25 October 2018: Tinsley/Meadowhall South to Parkgate (tram-train)
