Council to lobby government over reduced rail services

Councillors have voted to press for the restoration of rail and tram-train services which were reduced during the pandemic.

The motion, presented at a full Rotherham Council meeting on Wednesday, noted that train timetables serving Swinton Interchange and Rotherham Central to Doncaster remain reduced, despite the lifting of restrictions.

Councillor Victoria Cusworth said residents were left with "a patchwork timetable".

She added: "This means longer waits, missed connections, and for many journeys that are no longer possible or practical, this isn't just an inconvenience, it's a barrier to work, to education, to seeing family and friends."

Before the pandemic, Swinton was served by three trains per hour, while Rotherham Central benefited from three tram-train services an hour, offering a combined service into Sheffield roughly every ten minutes.

Under the current timetable, services have been reduced to one train from Leeds, one from Doncaster and two tram-trains, which councillors described as "fragmented and inconvenient".

They said the cuts have left communities with fewer and less reliable services, disproportionately affecting residents who rely on rail for work, education and leisure.

Presenting the motion, Cusworth said the current level of service was not good enough for residents, the Local Democracy Service reports.

"For me and so many others who don't drive, having access to train travel was a gateway to Rotherham, South Yorkshire and beyond," she said.

"But today, residents traveling to and from Swinton don't have the same services as we did back then."

The motion argued that Rotherham should not be facing reductions in public transport provision and that reliable rail and tram-train services were essential for social and economic inclusion, reducing car dependency and meeting climate commitments.

As part of the decision, the council agreed to formally call on train operating companies and the Department for Transport to reinstate pre-pandemic service levels, including both heavy rail and tram-train services.

Councillors also agreed to work with regional partners to press for investment in services that better reflect the needs of residents.

No timescale was given for when services could be restored.

The BBC has approached the Department for Transport for a comment.

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