Much work had already been done in surveying the land between Rotherham and Sheffield with plans being put forward for a canal linking Tinsley to Sheffield earlier in the century. This was originally planned to follow a route to the north of the River Don to a basin in (or near) Saville Street. Plans were changed when it was realised that this route would preclude coal from the Duke of Norfolk's estate from directly reaching the waterway, and a new route to the south of the river used. The railway was aligned approximately north-northeast so that it also followed a gentle gradient, making use of the same route as was planned for the canal.