How could the Brigg Line service be improved; could it go to another operator?

[Bartsimho]

Thinking about this and Lincolnshire transit in general after I made a Chesterfield-Lincoln return today that could a service pattern such as this work:

Sheffield - Hull via Goole 1tph (Semi-Fast)
Sheffield - Cleethorpes via Doncaster 1tph (Semi-Fast)
Sheffield - Cleethorpes via Gainsborough 1tp2h (Stopper)
Sheffield - Lincoln 1tph (Stopper)
Doncaster - Peterborough via Sleaford 1tph (Stopper)
Doncaster - Grimsby 1tph (Stopper)
Grimsby - Barton-upon-Humber 1tph (Shuttle)
Scunthorpe - Barton-upon-Humber 1tph (Shuttle)
Newark Northgate - Grimsby 1tph (Stopper)
Leicester - Grimsby 1tph (Semi-Fast)
Nottingham - Lincoln 1tph (Stopper)
Nottingham - Skegness 1tp2h Winter, 1tph Summer (Stopper)
Nottingham - Boston 1tp2h Winter, Summer this is part of Nottingham - Skegness (Stopper)
Lincoln - Peterborough via Newark 1tp2h (Semi-Fast)
Lincoln - Peterborough via Sleaford 1tp2h (Stopper)
Lincoln - London Kings Cross 1tp2h (Fast)

Summer Only:
Derby - Skegness 1tph (Semi-Fast) (The Jolly Fisherman)
Peterborough - Skegness 1tph (Semi-Fast)

This is basically a re-writing of trains East of the ECML and these routes could be part of even longer services.

I know Barton-upon-Humber is single track from Oxmarsh Junction but it is 25 minutes to enter, reverse and leave the section so it can support 2 services. Also running a Bus from it to Hull to stimulate any Hull-Grimsby/Cleethorpes demand.

During the Winter almost everything terminates at Grimsby with a Shuttle from Grimsby to Cleethorpes but there is through running in the Summer.

 

[IBLRG]

Moderator note: split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/brigg-line-quick-questions.240061/

Maybe EMR should take on the Brigg line (plus Sheffield - Lincoln) as it's an outlier for Northern. But that wouldn't change the economics of running a passenger service that much. I thought there had been a lot of investment in the line in recent years to cater for a growth in freight traffic.

For those that don't know the history of the Line this was part of the Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire mainline which used to go over the Woodhead Route.

To say that the passenger service and the communities have suffered is probably an understatement.

The Saturday only service was introduced in October 1993 mainly down to stock issues, and lack of footfall, however the timetable was not constructed to increase this.

Despite only running one day a week the train service was quite popular but there was still an issue with operators bringing in advance fares and promotions to increase footfall especially for the communities of Brigg and Kirton-in-Lindsey.

In 2015 a new community rail partnership was formed, but unfortunately they have been blacklisted as they totally abandoned the Brigg line in favour of other areas in their remit area, the incredibly supported non-promotion of the line which upset the business communities, an official complaint went into the DFT about their involvement and recommendations that they redraw their remit map.

The Communities of Brigg and Kirton-in-Lindsey I've been put in a situation that is not their fault but yet they are punished for it.

For logistical reasons TransPennine is the favorite to run any future service as there is a crew base at Cleethorpes which would involve a Cleethorpes to Worksop shuttle service.

East Midlands railways are out of the equation unfortunately as they would support the community rail partnership, and there is a need for an early morning service from Cleethorpes down the line.

Everybody has come to the same conclusion that the present train operators days are numbered.

 

[JD2168]

I used this service this morning in the Sheffield to Cleethorpes direction going full journey. Most passengers seemed to get on or off at stations until Gainsborough Central, on the unique section when it stopped almost no one got on or off. This shows the current service via these stops in unusable in its current form. A peak hour return service or a return to the Saturday service seen previously would be much better as it would be more user friendly. The Train used was a Class 150.

 

[30907]

....there is a need for an early morning service from Cleethorpes down the line.

This might actually be possible without additional rolling stock: the first two TPEs off Cleethorpes appear to be booked 2x185,as are most midday trains.

Theoretically you could use one of the two units to run via Brigg, attaching to the other at Sheffield, and the same in reverse. Assuming a platform can be made available at Sheffield, and ignoring all pathing issues, you could have (approximate times)
CLP 0615- SHF 0800-0815(-LIV)
(LIV-) SHF 0905-0915 -CLP 1100
and again at 1415 returning 1715

Staffing requirement is two crews per day (less the present Northern one), so not brilliantly efficient, and it's not much better for day trippers to Cleethorpes.

So all IBLRG has to do is quantify the need, and persuade TPE/DfT that it is worth subsidising. I fear that will be more difficult to achieve.