(United Kingdom )SHEFFIELD

Sheffield
Like many other towns in years '60s, Sheffield dismissed its existing tramway network, in favour of a bus system.
After few years this policy denounced many lacks; infact road congestion and air pollution increased, so that local authority decided at the end of years '80s to re-introduce a modern tram-like mass transport system. The construction of Sheffield Supertram (a modern tramway, with many sections in reserved lanes) started in 1990 and, after many difficulties (technical and economical) it was brought to an end in 1994 (with only 3 months delay as regards project schedules). Supertram network is constituted by 3 radial lines, which joins each other in Sheffield city center.
Meadowhall line serves essentially an industrial district and runs mostly in reserved and segregated lanes (partly on the track of an elder railway). Halfway line goes through some peripherical suburbs, partly in reserved lanes, partly in the road traffic; Middlewood line serves the vital district of Hillsborough and the victorian suburbs. The whole system is completed by 2 short branches to Malin Bridge and Herdings Park. Recently other extensions have been considered (Ranmoor-Manvers, Ranmoor-Rotherham Parkgates, Hellaby-Totley and Low Hedges-Northern General Hospital).
A tram-train trial operation was announced on September 2009 from Meadowhall to Rotherham along an existing freight railway (to be electrified); trams coming from Rotherham should get into Supertram tracks at Meadowhall. This project replaced (at least in a first phase) a previous one concerning a tram-train service (with LRTs and ordinary trains joint use and a possible direct connection to the Supertram network) along the existing Penistone Line railway, which links the agglomerations of Huddersfield, Barnsley and Sheffield.
Penistone Line Partnership (official site)

Country	United Kingdom
Line	--
Inhabitants	City 510.000, District 1.250.000
Date opening	2012
Future development:	possible extension of tram-train operations to Penistone Line railway route
Length (km)	4
Track sections	on an existing freight railway (Meadowhall-Rotherham) connected to the Supertram network
Stops	--
Platforms	--
Platform doors	--
General characteristics	--
n. of vehicles	5
n. of cars per vehicle	--
Type	steel wheels
Vehicle dimensions (m)	length --, width --
Vehicle capacity (pax)	--
Frequency	--
Current/Voltage	750 V DC overhead
Type of guide/gauge	standard gauge rails (1435 mm)
Speed Km/h	Comm --, Max --
Accel./Decel. (m/sec2)	--
System capacity	--
Ridership	--
Total cost	6 M Euro/km
Staff	--
System builder	--
Model	--
NOTE	freight railway (Meadowhall-Rotherham) to be electrified