Could London to Cleethorpes ever run again?

[Jorge Da Silva]

My hometown and birthplace of Cleethorpes lost its direct link to London in 1992 by British Rail siting lack of use. The service ran from Cleethorpes to London Kings Cross via Grimsby Town, Habrough, Barnetby, Market Rasen, Lincoln, Newark Northgate and onto London KX.
But could the service return in 2020 when Grand Central bids for a service via Doncaster, Crowle, Scunthorpe, Barnetby, Habrough and Grimsby Town. Grand Central intends to provide 4 trains per day which would be forming of 10 coaches between London and Doncaster before splitting to form a 5 coach existing Bradford Service and another 5 coaches for the new Cleethorpes service.
Also, about a year ago Virgin was in talks of extending one of its Lincoln services to Cleethorpes restoring the previous BR service which ran twice a day.

 

[4-SUB 4732]

Simple answer is, if I’m honest, no.

Lincoln to London as it stands is run by an HST off depot that happens to need to get into service and which provides valuable crew route refresh and therefore makes perfect sense.

Sunderland is a few miles in real terms on a Newcastle starter.

Cleethorpes is a huge ball ache for all concerned and even more so when LNER can’t afford to operate extra trains because of poor demand so they would be better seeking clockface departures and journey times that connect to / from London in both directions.

 

[4-SUB 4732]

And the idea of GC getting paths for it when there is likely to be an ORCATS raid which will not produce the relevant cost:benefit ratios... Oh goodness me.

 

[Chester1]

And the idea of GC getting paths for it when there is likely to be an ORCATS raid which will not produce the relevant cost:benefit ratios... Oh goodness me.

The ORR actually said they would have granted the previous Cleethorpes application had it not been directly tied to the Bradford via Leeds which it deemed to be primarily abstractive. Unless the abstraction test has a different result second time around then the ORR will grant a Cleethorpes service. Of course that doesn't mean that GC will actually start the service! I imagine its reliant on obtaining Hull Trains 180s at a reasonable price as their plan is to split and join at Doncaster.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

The ORR actually said they would have granted the previous Cleethorpes application had it not been directly tied to the Bradford via Leeds which it deemed to be primarily abstractive. Unless the abstraction test has a different result second time around then the ORR will grant a Cleethorpes service. Of course that doesn't mean that GC will actually start the service! I imagine its reliant on obtaining Hull Trains 180s at a reasonable price as their plan is to split and join at Doncaster.

The reason it didn't happen under GNER (Alliance Rail Holdings) was that GNER were not interested in just 'Cleethorpes' so they dismissed it. GC has an interest in Cleethorpes using the existing paths between London and Doncaster for the service 4 times a day from 2020.

 

[route101]

Simple answer is, if I’m honest, no.

Lincoln to London as it stands is run by an HST off depot that happens to need to get into service and which provides valuable crew route refresh and therefore makes perfect sense.

Sunderland is a few miles in real terms on a Newcastle starter.

Cleethorpes is a huge ball ache for all concerned and even more so when LNER can’t afford to operate extra trains because of poor demand so they would be better seeking clockface departures and journey times that connect to / from London in both directions.

Does the HST come from Leeds to Lincoln ECS ?

 

[Esker-pades]

Does the HST come from Leeds to Lincoln ECS ?

Yes. 3B81 04:40 Neville Hill to Lincoln Central.

 

[Mojo]

Grand Central Trains said in December last year that they were going to submit a track access application “in early 2018” for trains to Cleethorpes via Scunthorpe, which would be formed of two units from Kings + and split and join at Doncaster with their existing West Yorkshire services. There was a further statement in February stating the application would be submitted in March just gone.

However an article in the Grimsby Telegraph (https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-news/new-rail-charges-could-disrupt-1775455) from July about proposed changes to track access charges stated

The company says it no longer has a “firm date” for when a proposal might be sent to the regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which approves new train routes.