Newly proposed route for HS2 from London to South Yorkshire

Alternative recommendations for HS2’s route and station proposals in South Yorkshire have been revealed following publication of a report by David Higgins.

The new option proposes that HS2 services between London and Sheffield would take a spur off the new north-south high speed line and travel directly to the existing Sheffield Midland station using the existing railway line. These trains therefore could potentially also call at Chesterfield.

There is also the future option of HS2 services extending onwards to the existing Meadowhall station, Rotherham, or Barnsley.

A city centre station solution for Sheffield high speed services would allow the main HS2 line to be built east of the previously proposed route, through less densely populated areas that would avoid the complexities of building a line via Meadowhall.

The newly proposed route would cut journey times on services heading to Leeds, York and Newcastle, and would also reduce the cost of the project by around £1billion.

HS2 Ltd will also investigate the possibility of a parkway station on this newly proposed route, which in part follows the M18 motorway.