Disruption ahead for tram and bus passengers

Tram and bus passengers are being warned to expect disruption due to repairs to the tram network.

Part of the blue route remains suspended following the discovery of a large hole beneath the tracks at Birley Lane.

Meanwhile, rail replacement works in the Hillsborough, Middlewood and Shalesmoor areas will see the blue and yellow routes suspended from 24 to 31 October, with bus services also diverted as a result.

The work is part of a £110m investment into the Supertram network by 2027

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard, who controls the tram network, said engineers were using sonar to investigate the hole at Birley.

"This is driving me, and I think everybody else, nuts. This is a problem we have inherited," he told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"It was from 30 years ago when, quite honestly, somebody should have spotted it before. We are now having to deal with it and it is incredibly complex.

"We're sending a sonar down to look at how far it extends and where it goes. It's full of water and we think it's a mine shaft.

"I've seen some people on social media say, just dump a load of concrete down there but we don't know how big the hole is and we don't know where the concrete would end up, it could end up in the watercourse. We need to know how far it extends and where it goes."

Coppard said engineers had been trying to work out the structural integrity of the hole which prevented anything being put over the top of it.

He added: "We are doing everything we can, but I can't give you a timetable, we don't know how long it will take to fix."

Work to the network at the north of the city will coincide with school half term

It involves replacing rails, switches and crossings near Hillsborough Interchange and replacing worn rails near Shalesmoor tram stop.

During the work, the blue route will only operate between Shalesmoor and Herdings Park, the yellow route will only operate between Cathedral and Meadowhall, and the purple route will be replaced by blue route trams.

Melanie Corcoran, SYMCA's Executive Director of Transport, said: "The latest works are the last rail replacement project of 2026 and by scheduling the works over the school holiday, when the tram network is quieter, we aim to keep disruption to passengers and road users to a minimum.

"Our on-going multimillion-pound investment in Supertram is essential to extend the life of the network and improve services – making sure this busy service remains safe and reliable for the millions of passengers who use it every year."

Some buses using Hillsborough Interchange will be affected, while Langsett Road will be closed in the outbound direction towards Middlewood throughout the works. There are also delays expected around Forbes Road and Ripley Street in Hillsborough.

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