NORTHERN POWERHOUSE RAIL ON TRACK TO IMPROVE SERVICES IN SOUTH YORKSHIRE 

Published 22 January 2026 at 3:38pm

The transformation of rail services across South Yorkshire and the North is getting on track as South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard and Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander met in Sheffield today (22^nd January) to officially sign the Northern Powerhouse Rail compact.

The agreement outlines how the Government and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) will work together to deliver South Yorkshire’s share of the £45billion Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) investment for the North announced last week.

Through NPR, South Yorkshire will benefit from:

• electrification and upgrades on the Leeds-Sheffield routes with ambitions for four fast trains an hour (in Phase 1 of NPR).
• Improvements to increase capacity at Sheffield station, enabling more direct services and longer trains to run across the region (also in Phase 1)
• Improved cross-Pennine links between Sheffield and Manchester (Phase 3)

South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said: “Northern Powerhouse Rail is a massive commitment from the government to the future of South Yorkshire, finally giving us the prospect of better, faster, more reliable connections between here and our neighbours in Leeds and Manchester.
 
 “But it also means we can kick start the work on the further expansion of tour tram network, and make real progress towards the development of Rotherham Station. 
 
 “These are all big steps for all of us who use public transport across the North, particularly here, because South Yorkshire is at the very front of the queue when it comes to delivery.”

Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, said: “Today, I’ve strengthened this Government’s clear and unwavering commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail by signing an agreement with Mayor Coppard on the next steps for transforming connectivity in South Yorkshire.   

“With Sheffield at the heart of the first phase of our plans for NPR, we will deliver more frequent, reliable services to Leeds, expand capacity at Sheffield station and invest in a new Rotherham station while supporting Sheffield’s tram-train extension – helping support thousands of new homes and jobs. By providing early clarity on scope and phasing, we are giving South Yorkshire the certainty it needs to plan ahead and unlock the full economic and social benefits for its people.

“Together, we are getting on with the job to deliver the modern transport network the North has deserved for so long.” 

Last week’s national announcement on Northern Powerhouse Rail confirmed that NPR trains will serve the planned new station at Rotherham Gateway – which took another step forward this month after the Department for Transport approved funding for the project to progress to a Full Business Case.

In addition, the Compact signed today outlines that expansion of the tram train network in South Yorkshire will be explored as part of the joint development work on Sheffield station’s capacity – with £7.5 million confirmed for feasibility studies into new routes.

The Mayor and Secretary of State were joined at the agreement signing by Leaders from South Yorkshire’s local authorities.

Councillor Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council said: “Northern Powerhouse Rail is great news for Sheffield. We are a global, growing city but outdated transport infrastructure has held Sheffield back for too long. The Compact outlines the government’s commitment to work with us to improve our rail infrastructure, expand our tram-train network and unlock new opportunities for homes and jobs around Sheffield station and across our city.

“Faster, more reliable rail journeys and an expanded tram network will help businesses in Sheffield and give people access to more opportunities. The £1.1bn funding allocated for NPR development in this Spending Review period is extremely welcome. We will work closely with SYMCA and the Government to start this work without delay.”

Councillor Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council said: “It was genuinely encouraging to see the Government making it clear in its plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail that Rotherham’s proposed Gateway Station will sit right at the heart of investment plans for railways in the North of England - so it’s fitting that the Secretary of State was in South Yorkshire today to mark that progress by signing the Northern Powerhouse Rail agreement. 

“This is what people in Rotherham have waited far too long for. We’ve spent more than forty years cut off from the mainline rail network and putting that right is overdue. But Rotherham Gateway is also about opening up direct tram-train connections, creating thousands of jobs, building high‑quality new homes, and bringing real, lasting investment back into the Don Valley corridor.

“There is still a lot of work to be done, including developing the full business case and securing long‑term funding. But the Secretary of State’s visit underlines the momentum behind this project, and I’d urge everyone to back our station campaign so we can keep pushing this forward together.”

Councillor Sir Steve Houghton CBE, Leader of Barnsley Council, said: "While the NPR announcement doesn’t directly name Barnsley, it marks a real step forward for our borough and for South Yorkshire. Better regional rail links will open up access to jobs, education and opportunity for our residents."