Everything about The Hope Valley Line totally explained
The
Hope Valley Line is a
railway line in
England linking
Sheffield with
Manchester. It was completed in
1894.
From
Sheffield, trains head down the
Midland Main Line to
Dore, where the Hope Valley Line branches off to run through the
Totley Tunnel (the second longest in England).
It emerges in the stunning scenery of the
Hope Valley of
Derbyshire, where it passes through the
railway stations of
Grindleford,
Hathersage,
Bamford,
Hope, and
Edale before entering the two-mile-long
Cowburn Tunnel.
From the western portal of the tunnel, the line runs through
Chinley, then splits. The northern branch runs via
New Mills toward
Manchester Piccadilly. The southern branch passes through the
Disley Tunnel before merging with the
Buxton line and then heading to
Stockport to join the main line to Manchester.
Passenger services on the line are currently operated by
Northern Rail (previously
First North Western),
East Midlands Trains (previously
Central Trains) and
TransPennine Express.
History
Sheffield and Midland Joint Section
This section was built by the
Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee as part of the
Midland Railway's drive to reach Manchester with its line from
London via
Ambergate and
Millers Dale. Initially, in
1867, it joined the
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway at
Hyde Junction, running into
Manchester London Road, but in
1875 a more direct route was built through
Bredbury. When
Manchester Central was opened by the
Cheshire Lines Committee, a new line was built through
Heaton Mersey. This third route was closed along with Manchester Central, apart from the section through
Disley Tunnel to
Hazel Grove, where it now joins the old
LNWR line into
Stockport.
Dore and Chinley
In
1872, the
Midland Railway's only route from Sheffield to Manchester was via
Ambergate. It had originally proposed a line to run from Dore to
Hassop meeting its extension from
Rowsley to
Buxton. However, the "Dore and Chinley Railway" was floated independently in
1872, and unsuccessfully, until the Midland took an interest, since it would provide a more direct route, connecting through Chinley into Manchester. The line was authorised in
1884 and work began in
1888.
The long line took six years to build. The terrain through
Hope Valley and
Edale was easy enough by Midland standards, but at each end there were formidable obstacles, negotiated by means of the
Totley and
Cowburn Tunnels.
Recent history
At the time of the
Beeching review the line was running in competition with the recently modernised route through the
Woodhead Tunnel, and its closure was suggested. On appeal, British Rail were required to keep the Hope Valley line open to passenger traffic, and so instead shut the Woodhead route to passengers (and then subsequently to freight also).
Further Information
Get more info on 'Hope Valley Line'.
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