The Brigg Line: is there anything that can be done?

[backontrack]

Branching off from a discussion about it elsewhere on the forum, are there any measures that could potentially increase usage of this line?

Brigg isn't the tiniest place in the world - although I understand it's hardly the biggest, either - and I'm sure there must be untapped potential, but then again the nearest large town by far is Scunthorpe, from which there aren't any trains to Brigg. Grimsby might provide some kind of passenger incentive I suppose.

Retford and the ECML are potential markets, though, so is there capacity to trundle a Class 150 from Retford to Brigg and back? Hell, maybe you could even extend it to Grimsby or Barton.

To me, the Brigg Line looks like one of a few in the UK that probably won't survive the next 50 years (the others are lines via Snaith, Pontefract Baghill, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Denton). Is eventual closure inevitable, or can anything be done (and should it be done) to increase services and passenger numbers?

After all, the line does - at the very least - have a user group. That stands it in relatively decent stead. And extra services to Gainsborough Central were secured before the pandemic hit.

 

[Bevan Price]

Railway geography has served some places badly, including Brigg. Ideally, it probably needs services to Scunthorpe and to Lincoln. In practice, it has direct services to neither.

Denton & Reddish South have a similar problem - they would be a lot more useful if they had good services to Manchester.

 

[ainsworth74]

Close it?

 

[YorksLad12]

To me, the Brigg Line looks like one of a few in the UK that probably won't survive the next 50 years (the others are lines via Snaith, Pontefract Baghill, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Denton). Is eventual closure inevitable, or can anything be done (and should it be done) to increase services and passenger numbers?

I think the line will survive, even if the passenger service doesn't.

I'm generally in favour of trying to build a market, especially on lines where services have been run down over the decades - but someone has to pay for it. With the Treasury owning everything via it's DfT delivery vehicle I can't see that happening outside Combined Authorities / the former metropolitan county areas.

 

[backontrack]

I think the line will survive, even if the passenger service doesn't.

I'm generally in favour of trying to build a market, especially on lines where services have been run down over the decades - but someone has to pay for it. With the Treasury owning everything via it's DfT delivery vehicle I can't see that happening outside Combined Authorities / the former metropolitan county areas.

I think if you're closing a station, you have to offer it an improved service first. The market needs to be tested. Obtain forecasts on what potential usage could look like, see if it matches up to those levels (or even exceeds them), and urge people to use or lose the trains. If it becomes clearly that they do not justify the increased level, then they end up on the chopping block.

So for Brigg, that would probably look like a full Mon-Sat service, with 2pd or 3pd - or infrequent extensions of the Gainsborough Central service that was withdrawn during the pandemic.

 

[Failed Unit]

I remember when it did have 3tpd but it didn’t do well.

I doubt you could do all these:

improve connections at Retford (for London)
improve Connections at Worksop (for Nottingham)
decent connectivity at Barnetby.

however realistically you are moving existing passengers around. Grimsby - London / Nottingham can be done via both Scunthorpe and Lincoln so no new business. i can’t see Brigg / Kirton Lindsey supporting the line which is why we BR thinned it down to nothing in 1992.

 

[backontrack]

Railway geography has served some places badly, including Brigg. Ideally, it probably needs services to Scunthorpe and to Lincoln. In practice, it has direct services to neither.

Denton & Reddish South have a similar problem - they would be a lot more useful if they had good services to Manchester.

Yes, I think this is the main issue. Through a quirk of history, Brigg's railway lies at the wrong diagonal.

There's probably no real solution other than to keep muddling on until closure.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Railway geography has served some places badly, including Brigg. Ideally, it probably needs services to Scunthorpe and to Lincoln. In practice, it has direct services to neither.

Denton & Reddish South have a similar problem - they would be a lot more useful if they had good services to Manchester.

With Victoria more important these days, a half hourly Stockport-Victoria would be useful, but could not be pathed before HS2 2b.

 

[Kite159]

If Covid hadn't happened then Northern could have done an trial to extend the Gainsborough Central stoppers to Barnetby at the cost of an extra unit to see if there was any demand. However I suspect for the majority of residents of Brigg they probably have found ways around the limited train service and either drive or taking the bus. Might have the occasional trip to Sheffield/Cleethorpes during the summer time

 

[johnnychips]

If Northern have to run a parliamentary service over the line, the way they have done it is quite canny and will probably minimise the loss. Shopping opportunities in Sheffield or Grimsby
all year round for Kirton Lindsey and Brigg; a summer Saturday out in Cleethorpes for anyone from Darnall to Brigg; and the chance to undercut TPE with advances from Sheffield to Barnetby and points east.

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

Solution is a Scunthorpe to Lincoln service, and not the silly route via Sheffield.
Simply reverse at Barnetby for Brigg, Lincoln, and Scunthorpe, there's demand for these journeys and the track allows reversals.
Or Lincoln to Grimsby could make the Brigg detour for about an extra 10 minutes?
Kirton in Lindsey is a station miles from the very small town.
Gainsborough Central is happy enough with it's trains to (East) Retford.
Just close the rural section in the centre.