The Anonymous Widower

Do LNER Have Plans For Lincolnshire?

I ask the question in the title of this post, for two reasons.

• In Azuma Test Train Takes To The Tracks As LNER Trials Possible New Route, I talked about how LNER  had run a test train to Cleethorpes.
• In First Tri-Mode Long Distance Trains For The East Coast Main Line, I talked about LNER’s order for tri-mode long distance trains.

Note.

1. London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes via Newark and Lincoln is just over 200 miles.
2. Around eighty miles between London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes is not electrified.
3. The Cleethorpes/Grimsby area is doing well because of all the offshore wind and the power stations at Keadby.
4. I am fairly sure, that Lincolnshire will attract more energy-related businesses or ones that need a lot of energy.
5. Lincoln is a city that is becoming more important for business and education.
6. Lincoln probably needs a train service to the capital of at least one train per hour (tph).

For a train to do the round-trip between London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes, without refueling or charging the batteries at Cleethorpes, needs a train with a range without electrification of over 150 miles.

It seems to me, that LNER’s new CAF tri-mode long distance trains would be ideal to run a one train per two hours (tp2h), between London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes.

• The service could call at Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Newark Northgate, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town.
• I estimate that the trip would take about 0ne hour and 55 minutes to Lincoln and two hours and 55 minutes to Cleethorpes.
• The CAF tri-mode long distance trains could probably easily handle the 160 miles without wires.
• Cleethorpes can handle a ten-car train.

The current London King’s Cross and Lincoln service and the future London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes would be timed to give Lincoln an hourly service to and from London King’s Cross.

Serving Sleaford And Spalding

It must surely be possible to route the Cleethorpes trains to the South of Lincoln, via Sleaford, Spalding and the new Werrington dive-under, so that Sleaford and Spalding would have a direct service to London.

Don’t Forget Skegness And Boston

Consider.

Skegness, Boston and other places are connected to the East Coast Main Line, by an hourly train to Nottingham via Grantham.

They are also connected to Lincoln and Peterborough at Sleaford.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the lines at Sleaford.

Note.

1. Sleaford station is marked with the blue arrow.
2. The orange track is the Peterborough and Lincoln Line, that avoids Sleaford.
3. The yellow track going East-West is the Grantham and Skegness Line.
4. There is a loop from the Peterborough and Lincoln Line, so that passenger trains can go through Sleaford station.

I think that there are possibilities to improve the experience at Sleaford.

One possibility must be to build a Park-and-Ride station, where the two lines cross.

How Many Trains Would Be Needed For London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes Via Peterborough?

I estimate that the journey time could be around two hours and 45-50 minutes, so perhaps a six-hour round trip would be possible.

To run an hourly service would need six trains, with three needed for one tp2h.

New Infrastructure Required

The only new infrastructure required, might be some method of refuelling the CAF tri-mode long distance train at Cleethorpes.

November 18, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | CAF Tri-Mode Train, Class 800 Train, Cleethorpes Station, King's Cross Station, Lincoln Station, LNER, Peterborough Station, Sleaford Station, Spalding Station, Werrington Dive Under