Another TOC for the Brigg Line ?

[IBLRG]

The Brigg Line.

Once part of the mainline of the Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, it's passenger services were reduced from 1968.

In October 1993 the passenger service was reduced to a Saturday only one, which has remain the same for the last 29 years.

The current service has been suspended since January with a return not possible until at least December.

This means that the communities of Brigg and Kirton in Lindsey will have gone nearly a year without a service.

The Independent Brigg Line Rail Group have recently done an online survey targeted at Brigg and Kirton in Lindsey.

It is quite clear from the feedback that patience has now completely gone with the current train operator and its associates over this and the number of unacceptable situations, which includes lack of promotion of the line and communities left out of any ticket promotions, which does not increasing footfall to demonstrate a better service.

The feedback and poll from the survey shows the train operator needs to be replaced by TransPennine Express for the Brigg Line

It has been worked out that if the current Cleethorpes to Manchester diagram was diverted via the Brigg Line, and called at Brigg Kirton in Lindsey, #Gainsborough Central, Retford ,Worksop and then fast to Sheffield Midland in both directions, then it takes exactly the same time as the route via Doncaster.

It would also take the box of diversity routes as highlighted in the Shapps rail review.

The other suggestion on the table is for a Cleethorpes to Worksop shuttle service work by TransPennine Express crew running a service every 2 to 3 hours.

NEW BRIGG LINE SHUTTLE TRAIN PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO GOVERNMENT

A Blog about the town of Brigg in North Lincolnshire which gives news and sport and events and mentions pubs and shops and history

nigelfishersbriggblog.blogspot.com

# services will not call at Gainsborough Central, until the car park provision for rail users is taken away from the shopping complex and placed back into railway hands.

 

[nr758123]

The feedback and poll from the survey shows the train operator needs to be replaced by TransPennine Express for the Brigg Line

Be careful what you wish for.

 

[JonathanH]

It has been worked out that if the current Cleethorpes to Manchester diagram was diverted via the Brigg Line, and called at Brigg Kirton in Lindsey, #Gainsborough Central, Retford ,Worksop and then fast to Sheffield Midland in both directions, then it takes exactly the same time as the route via Doncaster.

Can Scunthorpe and Doncaster really be missed out in favour of Gainsborough, Retford and Worksop?

 

[Bertie the bus]

Can Scunthorpe and Doncaster really be missed out in favour of Gainsborough, Retford and Worksop?

I sure they could but nobody is going to take that suggestion seriously.

 

[InkyScrolls]

As nr758123 has said, be careful what you wish for with TPE. Would not, instead, an additional EMR service from Worksop to Cleethorpes fit the bill? Alternatively the existing EMR Nottingham to Worksop services could be extended.

 

[Railwaysceptic]

Alternatively the existing EMR Nottingham to Worksop services could be extended.

That sounds more sensible than re-routing an existing service away from Scunthorpe and Doncaster.

 

[JonathanH]

Would not, instead, an additional EMR service from Worksop to Cleethorpes fit the bill?

Not if the people on the Brigg line want to get to Sheffield without changing.

The problem with any proposal to run more trains via Brigg is to getting taxpayer funding to support the service, not which operator runs it.

The established route from Sheffield to Grimsby and Cleethorpes goes via Meadowhall, Doncaster and Scunthorpe for obvious demand-led reasons. The service from Sheffield to Worksop and Retford goes to Lincoln rather than Grimsby. Lincoln and Grimsby are connected via Market Rasen. Any service that runs via the Brigg line has to be justified in addition to those three services and, unfortunately, that seems difficult.

The Northern stopper from Sheffield to Gainsborough Central and speeding up of Sheffield to Lincoln services looked like a good start but with the service arguably having to run on to Grimsby to be useful, increases the resource and funding need beyond running to Gainsborough.

 

[IBLRG]

Sadly Northern are out of the equation when it comes to running this service as their reputation has been damaged along with its associates over the last few years basically by abandon in these people.

TransPennine are still the favourites because there is a crew depot at Cleethorpes with also fuelling and washing facilities for the trains, and there is also a crew depot at Sheffield.

 

[nr758123]

Sadly Northern are out of the equation when it comes to running this service as their reputation has been damaged along with its associates over the last few years basically by abandon in these people.

TransPennine are still the favourites

If you think Transpennine are the answer, then you cannot be aware of just how poor their service has been on all their routes recently. Over several months they have shown themselves incapable of providing a reliable and punctual service on any of their existing routes. They would be just as incapable of taking on an additional route.

 

[InkyScrolls]

Sadly Northern are out of the equation when it comes to running this service as their reputation has been damaged along with its associates over the last few years basically by abandon in these people.

TransPennine are still the favourites because there is a crew depot at Cleethorpes with also fuelling and washing facilities for the trains, and there is also a crew depot at Sheffield.

Surely EMR, with its depot at Nottingham (which signs as far as Worksop) would be superior? Especially if the Nottingham to Worksop services were extended along the Brigg line to Cleethorpes and Grimsby.

 

[Philip]

Most Doncaster and Scunthorpe passengers don't go further west than Sheffield, so I wouldn't say it is essential that the Manchester service continues using this route. However, if the TPE did start running via Gainsborough, Northern would need to provide a replacement shuttle between Sheffield-Doncaster-Cleethorpes.

 

[STINT47]

It does seem a bit ironic that the government is running a restoring your railway competition/scheme whilst there is a line in Lincolnshire that could have a useful service restored to it tomorrow.

If EMR are keeping their 158s then they could run this as an add on from Worksop. If the Robin Hood Line is retimed to offer good connections with Northern then reaching Sheffield shouldn't be a big issue,plus it will open other journey options.

The only reasons this probably will not happen is that opening a new line gets publicity, increasing services not so much.

 

[Bevan Price]

It won't happen - not only because it is currently unaffordable - but the best way to serve the Brigg line might be a new East to South curve at Gainsborough, allowing through trains to/from Lincoln.

 

[IBLRG]

It won't happen - not only because it is currently unaffordable - but the best way to serve the Brigg line might be a new East to South curve at Gainsborough, allowing through trains to/from Lincoln.

£25 million was the quote from Network Rail around 5 years ago.

 

[stssts1985]

I'd love to see the brigg line with a better service, even when it was running the connection up from KX to Retford was nearly 2 hours before getting on the Brigg line. Then there was a Retford to Gainsborough C train which seems to have gone itself (I could wait at Gainsborough an hour for an ongoing train to Brigg. I only did it for the Novelty as it was pretty inconvinient versus going to Scunthorpe. There is no stopping train to Scunthorpe anymore, i wonder why that is? No Brigg train, a TPE only ever few hours on sunday. What's going on in N. Lincs/S Humberside. All of this since the Pacer has gone? Conincidence ? :P

 

[JonathanH]

There is no stopping train to Scunthorpe anymore, i wonder why that is?

The only places it uniquely serves are Crowle and Althorpe, both relatively small settlements. With limited resources, I guess Northern / DfT don't think it worth running this service any more, with a bus substitution covering the service.

 

[stssts1985]

The only places it uniquely serves are Crowle and Althorpe, both relatively small settlements. With limited resources, I guess Northern / DfT don't think it worth running this service any more, with a bus substitution covering the service.

thanks - this might sounds stupid but why havent train services (mainly up north?) just been put back to how they were before covid?

 

[JonathanH]

thanks - this might sounds stupid but why havent train services (mainly up north?) just been put back to how they were before covid?

There is some discussion here - https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...from-4th-jan-2022.226355/page-15#post-5584342 - which effectively explains why routes like Brigg and the stopper to Scunthorpe don't run.

 

[Neptune]

The only places it uniquely serves are Crowle and Althorpe, both relatively small settlements. With limited resources, I guess Northern / DfT don't think it worth running this service any more, with a bus substitution covering the service.

The 2 hourly Doncaster - Scunthorpe stopper returns in December as does the peak hours Huddersfield - Castleford service.