Rotherham town centre station will not close when new Gateway mainline facility opens
Central station will have direct link to mainline Gateway site
Rotherham’s Central railway station will remain open when the town’s proposed new Gateway rail stop is built, it has been confirmed.
The Rotherham Gateway at Forge Way in Parkgate is planned to be built on the mainline between Leeds and Sheffield, which is currently used by fast non-stop services between the cities.
The new station is intended to deliver faster direct links to Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds and Doncaster.
Journey times to Leeds will be cut from 60 minutes to 30 minutes and the journey time to Birmingham will be 75 minutes.
An opening date of around 2030 is envisaged.
Rotherham Central is on a branch line which separates off to the town at Parkgate and Holmes. Trains to Doncaster, Leeds and Sheffield from Rotherham town centre go via this route, rejoining the mainline after visiting the station.
Trains using the branch line to Rotherham Central are often held up before rejoining the mainline as faster trains going along it take precedence.
But the Central station will remain open, offering town centre train travel for people, as well as tram-train services. The branch line will link to the Gateway station directly.
Rotherham Council’s service director for regeneration, planning, and transport, Simon Moss, told the Advertiser: “Rotherham Central Station is expected to remain active and continue to run branch line services when Rotherham Gateway is complete.
“Rotherham Central station was designed to transport residents locally using a branch line stopping service that is also in line with the tram-train services.
“Rotherham Gateway is an opportunity bring more people into Rotherham. It will connect the borough countrywide by allowing an interchange between local branch line services and mainline services, which will be the first time for over 40 years.
“Rotherham Gateway is a long-term investment in Rotherham’s future, contributing towards plans to bring people into the town centre, and the development is expected to deliver over 1,000 new jobs, bringing money back into the economy.
“By being connected nationally, we are creating better opportunities for people to access education, training, and employment while offering an alternative to private transport use.”