Train services in South and West Yorkshire will be disrupted over the next two weekends due to engineering work at Swinton near Rotherham in South Yorkshire.

The affected weekends are Saturday and Sunday, 9th/10th and 16th/17th May. On these weekends, CrossCountry trains will not call at Wakefield Westgate, and there will be changes to the times of trains between Sheffield and Leeds.

Changes to Northern services include:

• Sheffield to Doncaster and Adwick – will not call at Swinton.
• Sheffield to Hull – start and terminate at Doncaster.
• Moorthorpe and Leeds – reduced train service
• Sheffield and Moorthorpe/York – rail replacement buses

The work started on 4th April with little effect on train services, but this work now requires greater access to the track.

During the next two weekends, CRSA, an alliance between Network Rail and Balfour Beatty, will install 650 new sleepers, lay 420 metres of track, replace three sets of points, and replace 2,500 tonnes of ballast.

Further work is scheduled for next August, but is planned to take place mostly overnight and at weekends.

Several years ago, Swinton station was adorned by a colourful Welcome to Swinton mural created by Artworks, a not-for-profit creative arts group which aims to help adults with learning difficulties through creative workshops. The station was also one of 138 on train operator Northern’s network to have a special dog watering station.

“Renewing the track at Swinton is vital for maintaining a safe and reliable railway. We’re sorry to passengers whose journeys are affected, and we’re grateful for the patience of residents while we carry out these essential improvements.”

Karen Duffy, Operations Director, Network Rail

“We’re working closely with Network Rail while this essential work takes place at Swinton. We’re asking customers to check before they travel during the affected weekends, as some services will be diverted, retimed or replaced by buses. We’d like to thank everyone for their patience while this vital work is carried out.”

A spokesperson for CrossCountry and Northern