Get Boston Moving

[The Planner]

It's from this:

That's strategic advice. Advice being the operative word. Its effectively a shopping list for people who may want to fund improvements. These have no money allocated and no plans.

 

[Bald Rick]

It's from this:

Yes I know. I know who wrote it. It isn’t a plan. It’s a shopping list, and the buyer doesn’t have any money.

 

[Boston Poacher]

That's strategic advice. Advice being the operative word. Its effectively a shopping list for people who may want to fund improvements. These have no money allocated and no plans.

Fingers crossed money is allocated...

 

[Failed Unit]

I know many times in the past the have suggested a Boston - Lincoln service (making the frequency every 30 minutes Lincoln - Sleaford). I don’t want to say never, but I would be surprise. I remember back in the days (early 1990s) when there were direct Skegness - Doncaster (via Lincoln) services there where not many passengers that remained after Heckington. For some reason back then Heckington had A reasonable flow to Lincoln.

 

[The Planner]

Fingers crossed money is allocated...

I wouldn't hold your breath.

 

[LowLevel]

I know many times in the past the have suggested a Boston - Lincoln service (making the frequency every 30 minutes Lincoln - Sleaford). I don’t want to say never, but I would be surprise. I remember back in the days (early 1990s) when there were direct Skegness - Doncaster (via Lincoln) services there where not many passengers that remained after Heckington. For some reason back then Heckington had A reasonable flow to Lincoln.

Heckington and Boston both had a good flow to Lincoln until EMR came along and destroyed the connections at Sleaford with their rubbish "we weren't expecting to win" timetable change.

The connections have now been reinstated with what is now a very good and robust timetable so hopefully more will come back.

As for the Boston nonsense, it's just that - nonsense. No one is spending loads of money laying railway across miles of empty Lincolnshire.

 

[Boston Poacher]

I feel that there should be services from Boston to Spalding/Peterborough and Lincoln created by simply reversing at Sleaford. Connection times at Boston would be fine for people from Skegness if timed correctly, and it would be very profitable. After all, a Liverpool to Sleaford Saturday service exists now and Sleaford has less than half the population of Boston so surely this can be done! Or even have the current Lincoln - Peterborough services via Sleaford and Spalding reverse at Sleaford for Boston and then reverse again at Boston for Sleaford, vise versa (Tedious and adds journey times but stops the need of new trains and creates a rail connection that the people of Boston will use a lot more than Sleaford). Would like to know people's thoughts on this and why this can't be done.

 

[Grimsby town]

I feel that there should be services from Boston to Spalding/Peterborough and Lincoln created by simply reversing at Sleaford. Connection times at Boston would be fine for people from Skegness if timed correctly, and it would be very profitable. After all, a Liverpool to Sleaford Saturday service exists now and Sleaford has less than half the population of Boston so surely this can be done! Or even have the current Lincoln - Peterborough services via Sleaford and Spalding reverse at Sleaford for Boston and then reverse again at Boston for Sleaford, vise versa (Tedious and adds journey times but stops the need of new trains and creates a rail connection that the people of Boston will use a lot more than Sleaford). Would like to know people's thoughts on this and why this can't be done.

Diverting the Peterborough to Lincoln service via Boston isn't going to happen. It'd add far too much time on journeys like Peterborough/Spalding to Lincoln.

I dont think trying to improve Boston to Spalding rail journeys is a sensible use of tax payer money. The loss of the East Lincs mainline was probably one of Beechings worst decisions given how the line was fairly competitive with the awful roads and how isolated places like Louth and Mablethorpe have become. Unfortunately it's very unlikely to be reopened unless linked to development of nuclear energy or storage. Unfortunately there's too many NIMBYs for that to be likely.

A direct service from Boston to Spalding is going to have a journey time of at least 45 minutes. That's uncompetitive with a journey time of under 30 minutes by car. Even the local bus service has journey time of 57 minutes and will cost £6 for a return ticket. Supposedly the rail fare from Boston to Spalding is £24. While that's shockingly high and could be reduced, I don't think it will be reduced to £6 given that Sleaford to Spalding is £15 for a return.

My solution would be limited stop coach services intergrated with rail timetables and the rail fares system so its possible to buy through tickets. A Spalding to Boston service would make sense to better link the towns and provide alternative connections between Boston and Peterborough.

A through rail service to Lincoln is more likely given it would be far quicker than bus services and compete with the slow road network. The connecting services is a good start which could allow a through service of some sort to be developed in the future.

 

[Boston Poacher]

That is true and the bus service by Brylaine from Boston to Lincoln is infrequent and doesn't always run. A rail service to Lincoln would create an additional service to Sleaford too, potentially timed very well for connecting to Peterborough and Spalding. Boston has a population of more than double Sleaford or Skegness and the demand for these services is a lot more than Sleaford and Skegness. Dualling to poacher line for its entirety would be a start too.

 

[WTT Gremlin]

That is true and the bus service by Brylaine from Boston to Lincoln is infrequent and doesn't always run. A rail service to Lincoln would create an additional service to Sleaford too, potentially timed very well for connecting to Peterborough and Spalding. Boston has a population of more than double Sleaford or Skegness and the demand for these services is a lot more than Sleaford and Skegness. Dualling to poacher line for its entirety would be a start too.

With the amount of single line/single lead in the area I would caution against thinking any WTT would be able to focus on connections because the trade off to accommodate them would likely not be worth the journey time increase/loss of paths via the Joint.

 

[High Dyke]

Referring to the Network Rail document, then a proposal, as shown on the diagram in post #26, the suggestion that converting Absolute Block signalling to Track  Circuit  Block signalling amused me. Previous experience of signalling schemes usually resorts in a like for like change. When the East Nottingham scheme replaced four signal boxes with one centralised location, the amount of signals on the ground actually reduced, so headway margins are now longer.

 

[Boston Poacher]

A bit of a random question, but does anyone know why sleepers are now being stored in piles near to where the signaller at Hubberts Bridge parks? Saw them when I went past today and was confused. They weren't there when I last went past.