New tram-train station set to open

Lucy AshtonSouth Yorkshire political reporter
Supertram A red and blue Supertram is driving on the tracks under a metal pedestrian bridgeSupertram
A new Magna tram train station is opening

A new tram-train station will open later this week – the first new stop to be added to the network since 2018.

The £10m Magna station, located near to Templeborough and Tinsley, will open to passengers on Thursday, 9 April.

It will provide access to the Magna Science Adventure Centre and will also offer quicker and more convenient connections between Rotherham and Sheffield.

The station will include 100 free Park and Ride spaces, along with cycle parking and electric vehicle charging.

It is hoped the new stop will help address long standing congestion and air quality issues in the Lower Don Valley and along the A6178.

The surrounding area is home to hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs across manufacturing, logistics, retail and hospitality.

Rotherham Council leader Chris Read said the tram stop would improve access to two of South Yorkshire's busiest employment corridors and support wider regeneration of the Don Valley corridor.

"Rotherham residents and people across the region will benefit from better, greener transport, improving access to jobs in the Templeborough area and beyond," he said.

"It fits into the bigger plan for the Don Valley Corridor between Rotherham and Sheffield; more jobs, more investment, and a transport system that supports it all.

"The proposed Templeborough business zone, within a short walk of this stop, will be an early beneficiary.

"Magna is also two short stops from Rotherham's proposed Gateway station, which will connect businesses and residents in the Templeborough area to mainline rail services in the next few years. It's a welcome boost."

The opening comes two years after Supertram was brought back into public control.

Alongside the new Magna station, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard is also exploring how the tram network could expand in the future with feasibility work under way to consider potential extensions.

The Rotherham Gateway Station project is also moving into the next phase of design, including plans for a new connecting tram train stop linking Rotherham town centre, Magna, the Lower Don Valley, Sheffield Arena and the Olympic Legacy Park.

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