page_title: Sheffield Supertram
section_title: Increasing use - and decline
hierarchical_section_title: Sheffield Supertram / History / Increasing use - and decline
caption_attribution_description: English: Sheffield Supertram tram-train no. 399206 at Rotherham Parkgate terminus on 13 April 2019.
context_page_description: The Sheffield Supertram is a light rail tram network, covering Sheffield and Rotherham, in England. The infrastructure is owned by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, with Stagecoach responsible for the operation and maintenance of rolling stock.
  Interest in building a modern tram system for Sheffield had mounted during the 1980s. After detailed planning by SYPTE, the Supertram proposal was approved by Act of Parliament in 1991. Construction of the network, incorporating several existing heavy rail sections as well as new track, was carried out in sections, allowing revenue services to start during 1994. Early operations, hindered by a complex ticketing system and the initially small coverage area, had disappointing ridership figures. In an effort to turn around the performance, operations were privatised to Stagecoach in 1997, at price of £1.15 million, who took over from South Yorkshire Supertram Limited. After management and operational changes, and further expansion of the system, ridership numbers rose considerably.
context_section_description: There were initially plans for Supertram to extend services to a greater area of South Yorkshire, such as lines to Barnsley and Doncaster, but progress has been restricted. According to BBC News, frustration was expressed amongst people outside of Sheffield that they were paying for something they do not use.
  However, by 2014 plans to extend Supertram were in various stages of action, and patronage had gone up, from 7.8 million passenger journeys in 1996/97, to 15.0 million during 2011/12.  The increase in usage was credited to various factors. Industry publication Rail pointed towards changes to route patterns, the introduction of onboard conductors, ticket simplification and refurbishment of the trams themselves as having generated greater appeal amongst the public.
  Between 2012 and 2017, the number of passengers and operating revenue declined; during 2016/17, the network carried 12.6 million passengers. Reasons presented for the reduction included the disruptive rail replacement effort across the network, which involved partial closures and the use of buses as temporary replacements, as well as the impact of cheaper petrol.
caption: Stadler Citylink (Class 399) tram-train No. 399206, pictured in April 2019
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