HS2 must have a parkway station in South Yorkshire and the best place for it is on the outskirts of Brierley, leader of Barnsley Council Coun Sir Steve Houghton said.
Confirmation of the route the new high speed rail link will take was announced this week by the government. It will only skirt the edge of the Barnsley borough, with the line - after cutting through Mexborough where it will require the demolition of 16 homes on a new housing estate - running beyond the edge of the villages of Barnburgh, Hickleton and Clayton, South Kirkby, and through the fields east and north of Brierley.
It’s a radical change from the original plan, which would have seen a station at Meadowhall, and the line cut through the middle of the Barnsley borough toward Leeds.
Now there is no station in South Yorkshire included in the £56 billion plan. Instead there will be a spur for some trains to come off the main HS2 line into Sheffield railway station via existing track. It is planned to be operating by 2033.
Sir Steve said it was now vital to pressure the government into providing the extra funding for a parkway station - an out of town stop with a large car park - somewhere in South Yorkshire. He believes a site near Brierley is the best option.
"There are two sites identified. One at Mexborough, and one just north of Brierley. It's being referred to as Hemsworth, but it's between the two and probably nearer Brierley than Hemsworth.
"While we could live with either, we do feel that in terms of connectivity the site near Brierley is the preferred option. Because it is north of the loop that takes trains into Sheffield, it means you'd be able to get trains from there to Leeds, Sheffield and London. If it was in Mexborough, you wouldn't be able to get trains to Sheffield.
"While we'd prefer the northern one (Brierley), we'd accept either as the priority is that we do get a station in South Yorkshire. Without a parkway station, the truth is that HS2 is bypassing South Yorkshire. South Yorkshire would be getting the maximum disruption without any of the benefit."
