Sorry if this has been covered before. I've tried to read the whole thread but I may have miissed it.
There is much talk throughout this thread about trains stopping alternate hours at Grantham/Newark, some trains stopping at Grantham and Retford, others at Newark only etc etc etc....
One market that has always been neglected (especially so in recent years) is travel on this section of the ECML between local stations. Grantham, Newark and Retford are all sizable market towns, which if they were situated on a local or inter urban service would have a regular, at least hourly service between them. This being a fast intercity line local travel between these towns is not really considered. Travelling directly by train between Newark and Retford is almost impossible with a 5 hour gap between 1128 and 1629 northbound and a 4 hour gap between 0950 and 1355 southbound!
Bus services between these towns are quite slow and sparse and so with conveniently timed trains and resonably priced off peak day return fares there could be a market to be tapped.
What is really needed is an hourly service between Peterborough and Doncaster that calls at Grantham, Newark and Retford. Even 2 hourly would be a great improvemt on the current service. Perhaps this could be a semi fast service between Kings Cross and Yorkshire which could also call at a few selected principle stations south of Peterborough.
EMT (more so MML) in the past used to run this sort of service between Loughborough, Leicester, Market Harborough, Kettering, Wellingborough, Bedford and Luton. In the distant past (pre 1980's) trains on this route also used to call at St Albans which would today make a useful addition.
However, recent timetables and suggested changes on the MML seem to point towards a move away there too from providing travel between intermediate stations. Try travelling to/from Luton to the north easily these days!
There is much talk throughout this thread about trains stopping alternate hours at Grantham/Newark, some trains stopping at Grantham and Retford, others at Newark only etc etc etc....
One market that has always been neglected (especially so in recent years) is travel on this section of the ECML between local stations. Grantham, Newark and Retford are all sizable market towns, which if they were situated on a local or inter urban service would have a regular, at least hourly service between them. This being a fast intercity line local travel between these towns is not really considered. Travelling directly by train between Newark and Retford is almost impossible with a 5 hour gap between 1128 and 1629 northbound and a 4 hour gap between 0950 and 1355 southbound!
Bus services between these towns are quite slow and sparse and so with conveniently timed trains and resonably priced off peak day return fares there could be a market to be tapped.
What is really needed is an hourly service between Peterborough and Doncaster that calls at Grantham, Newark and Retford. Even 2 hourly would be a great improvemt on the current service. Perhaps this could be a semi fast service between Kings Cross and Yorkshire which could also call at a few selected principle stations south of Peterborough.
EMT (more so MML) in the past used to run this sort of service between Loughborough, Leicester, Market Harborough, Kettering, Wellingborough, Bedford and Luton. In the distant past (pre 1980's) trains on this route also used to call at St Albans which would today make a useful addition.
However, recent timetables and suggested changes on the MML seem to point towards a move away there too from providing travel between intermediate stations. Try travelling to/from Luton to the north easily these days!
Posted that some time ago. I'm sure the return trip was the Glasgow service.
No Southbound I can see. That's some improvement at least!
