Gainsborough Central Station

[lincolnshire]

Who unlocks the station to give the passengers access on a Saturday so they can get onto the platforms for the train,s.?

Is this the only railway station locked up in this way ? any more like it.

 

[Geeves]

I think I remember reading the guard unlocked the gate to let anyone in or out how ever that isn't an issue anymore as the gate has been took away. Its just an open exit to the car park now.

 

[lincolnshire]

I think I remember reading the guard unlocked the gate to let anyone in or out how ever that isn't an issue anymore as the gate has been took away. Its just an open exit to the car park now.

Was in Gainsborough yesterday and the gate was there and locked with a Network Rail Padlock and the gate is actually painted white as against the rest of the palisade fencing in its galvanised state.

Why don,t they do the same at Brigg station and save all the problems that they get there from vandals etc.

 

[LowLevel]

Peartree has an electronic gate with an intercom to buzz EMT Control for access and Bordesley is locked up except Saturdays as well.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

With the decline of coal, there seems to be very little freight now using the Brigg line.
As that is the supposed reason for no passenger trains on weekdays, what chance they will be reintroduced?

 

[70014IronDuke]

Was in Gainsborough yesterday and the gate was there and locked with a Network Rail Padlock and the gate is actually painted white as against the rest of the palisade fencing in its galvanised state.
...

Since when have they been locking it up? I went there 8 or 10 years ago, and one could wander along the platforms.

Mind you, does anyone use the Saturday trains that do run, at least at Gainsboro?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

With the decline of coal, there seems to be very little freight now using the Brigg line.
As that is the supposed reason for no passenger trains on weekdays, what chance they will be reintroduced?

Something tells me there's more chance that Leicester will win the Premier League. Oh, hang on ...

But is there any real advantage in taking this route from Sheffield vs via Doncaster? Lovely to see it, but I doubt, outside Summer Saturdays, there is much demand from Worksop, Retford and Gainsborough to Cleethorpes/Grimsby.

 

[lincolnshire]

Since when have they been locking it up? I went there 8 or 10 years ago, and one could wander along the platforms.

Mind you, does anyone use the Saturday trains that do run, at least at Gainsboro?

I was in Gainsborough yesterday and while heading for Marshalls Yard decided to head up the foot path next to Marshalls and have a look at the Central Station and have a look at the station and was surprised also to see a locked gate stopping access to the platforms. I didn,t notice any timetables outside the fence, there was a notice from the Friends of Brigg Line giving the cost of fares to Kirton Lindsey, Brigg, Grimsby, Cleethorpes etc etc. attached to the outside of the fence.

Thats what made me think who opens the gate for passengers? as officially its the station operators job to open the station for passengers to use the train,I guess they rely on the signalman to unlock it as he has to be there for the train
to run on the line.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

If there was a decent service, Central is a much more convenient station than Lea Road. Also quite close to the recent retail development and new council offices.

 

[AnonymousUser1]

If there was a decent service, Central is a much more convenient station than Lea Road. Also quite close to the recent retail development and new council offices.

but facing the wrong direction and on the wrong tracks for the key flows ...

but this is rail uk so we'll not let facts or reality get i nthe way

 

[Baxenden Bank]

but facing the wrong direction and on the wrong tracks for the key flows ...

but this is rail uk so we'll not let facts or reality get i nthe way

Left your social skills at home have we?

Can't cope with someone making a suggestion which doesn't fit squarely with your world view.

Just how busy are these 'key flows' operated by a single car unit to Doncaster half a dozen times a day, or services extended beyond Retford to Lincoln. If they were key flows they would need a 5 or 10 car train.

I'm talking about Gainsborough itself and its potential to attract more passengers by using a station close to the town centre. For inbound and outbound travel. Demand for travel Grimsby - Gainsborough - Sheffield? No worse I'm sure than Grimsby - Lincoln (two hourly service, more capacity needed) or Lincoln - Peterborough (sort of hourly).

 

[lincolnshire]

I was looking to see where a shop was relocating to in Gainsborough and came across an office block to lease very close to where the shop is relocating too in Gainsborough and one of the things pointed out in the blurb about it was how close it was to Gainsborough Central railway station. I hope the potential people to lease it do there homework as they could be in for a big surprise if they think that clients could come by rail to them as they best be open on a Saturday as its the only time that passenger trains run each week.

Gainsborough Lea Road is about 1 mile walk away from the town centre, don,t think thats a busy station either.

Sunday service on that line always makes me look twice as it doesn,t start till afternoon to Lincoln or Sheffield direction. Since the signalling was upgraded in the past few years there is no great reason why there should not be a sunday morning service now as its no longer the cost of manning signal boxes or crossings as the staff have all gone.

 

[70014IronDuke]

Gainsborough Lea Road is about 1 mile walk away from the town centre, don,t think thats a busy station either.

Almost 142,000 in 2014-15. that comes out to almost 400 a day (so 200 on, 200 off)

I think that is a remarkable usage, given the distance from the town centre, and the miserable Sunday service. (A bit of a drop cf 2011 figures, when it was 154,000, which is roughly 3,000 a week.)

Indeed, at nearly 22,000 popn, Gainsborough is larger than I thought. I suspect its main traffic flow is towards Retford and Sheffield.

The problem with trains using Central station (approx 1,300 pax per year) is - what service would use it? Not much chance of Nottingham - Mansfield - Worksop being extended that far, and it wouldn't really do the job in any case. If Robin Hood Airport were to take off, could it justify a Doncaster - Gainsborough Central shuttle? big if though.

In any case, it would need turning facilities to be installed beyond the station - I don't suppose they come cheap.

All in all, as far as passenger rail is concerned, Gainsborough is just not in the right place!

 

[AnonymousUser1]

Left your social skills at home have we?

Can't cope with someone making a suggestion which doesn't fit squarely with your world view.

Just how busy are these 'key flows' operated by a single car unit to Doncaster half a dozen times a day, or services extended beyond Retford to Lincoln. If they were key flows they would need a 5 or 10 car train.

I'm talking about Gainsborough itself and its potential to attract more passengers by using a station close to the town centre. For inbound and outbound travel. Demand for travel Grimsby - Gainsborough - Sheffield? No worse I'm sure than Grimsby - Lincoln (two hourly service, more capacity needed) or Lincoln - Peterborough (sort of hourly).

Unlike the anorak wearing , flask of weak lemon drink toting kings of hobbies who propose increasingly outlandish 'solutions' to problems that don't exist or serve to fuifill onanistic fantasies about their particular favourite piece of track or type of stock i don't feel the need to shoe horn these fantasies into every concievable topic on the forum.

demand from travel towards Sheffield ( and Meadowhall) from the South Bank is met by existing services which also serve Doncaster which retains a reasonable degree of importance as somewhere to interchange to intercity services.

demand from Gainsborough for travel towards Sheffield ( via Retford and Worksop) is met by the services which serve Lea Road and would require reversals etc to serve Central instead ...

Gainsborough is considerably closer to Lincoln than it is to Grimsby, and Lincoln is the adminstrative and governmental centre for Gainsborough rather two top level authorities away Grimsby ( as North Lincs sits between with it's adminstrative centre in Sunny Scunny )

the flow Lincoln- Grimsby is minimal as there is little reason to go to Grimsby ( impoverished provincial town with a tin pot DGH ) from Lincoln ( a growing university city and County town with some sepcialist and tertiary services at it's Large DGH) vs. heading towards Nottingham or Sheffield - again large university cities with good shopping ( meadowhell for sheffield), county towns and home to specialist and tertiary health services ) and of course heading towards Nottingham provides links to the ECML and MML and headign towards Sheffield provides links to the ECML at Retford and XC services at Sheffield)

 

[rishtonlad]

With regard to central I suspect that there service would need to go towards Lincoln and Suncthorpe at the other end, but I don't think there is anyway of accessing either direction with out reversals.

 

[lincolnshire]

Thats a surprise as to how many people are using Gainsborough Lea Road station each year, more than I thought used the train.

A Doncaster, Robin Hood Airport & Gainsborough Central service I think is a none starter as Robin Hood Airport would need a station building to serve it and even then it would be quite a way from the terminal building. It already has a bus service from Doncaster Interchange. Also Gainsborough Central signal box would require manning to operate the service. I think we can forget that one then.

Until they run a train service midweek on the line I think Gainsborough Central will just have to stay asleep all week till a Saturday when it all happens. A far cry from when the post and paper train ran through that way 40 years ago about 5-00am in the morning.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

With regard to central I suspect that there service would need to go towards Lincoln and Suncthorpe at the other end, but I don't think there is anyway of accessing either direction with out reversals.

You would have to proceed back to Trent Junction and change ends on the unit to get towards Lincoln and the other way you would have to go Barnetby and change ends on the unit there to get towards Scunthorpe.

Also you would need the boxes to be staffed at more expense before you start your service.

 

[70014IronDuke]

..

Until they run a train service midweek on the line I think Gainsborough Central will just have to stay asleep all week till a Saturday when it all happens. A far cry from when the post and paper train ran through that way 40 years ago about 5-00am in the morning.

When did regular services actually cease? And what were they, do you know? Was it just a sparse three trains a day all week?

 

[Kite159]

Who unlocks the station to give the passengers access on a Saturday so they can get onto the platforms for the train,s.?

Is this the only railway station locked up in this way ? any more like it.

I believe Polesworth is another railway station 'locked' up for most of the day other than for the time the single train which calls there is due (when I visited last year, there was a bored looking gentlemen in a NR vehicle, probably waiting to lock up the gates)

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

mph1977, Grimsby has shops and markets for day trip shoppers to visit. Alot of industry nearby for workers to commute to. And the seaside in Cleethorpes for leisure trips. Grimsby has about the same urban population as Lincoln, I doubt county hall makes a massive difference.
The service flow on Grimsby to Lincoln is often way overcrowded.

The line deserves a service all the way through, Robin Hood Airport shuttle service is not important, Brigg and Kirton need trains too.
And the Saturday Cleethorpes to Sheffield train isn't lightly used either.

 

[AnonymousUser1]

mph1977, Grimsby has shops and markets for day trip shoppers to visit.

Freshney Place is hardly up there with Meadowhell or the Viccy Centre as a Shopping destination is it ?

from the point of view of shopping etc what does Grimsby have that Lincoln doesn;t ?

Alot of industry nearby for workers to commute to.

irrelevant when you are talking about people commuting by public transport from Gainsborough or Lincoln, rather than locals or people travelling on dedicated bus services run by employers / agencies ...

And the seaside in Cleethorpes for leisure trips. Grimsby has about the same urban population as Lincoln, I doubt county hall makes a massive difference.
The service flow on Grimsby to Lincoln is often way overcrowded.

Grimsby is the adminstrative Centre of NE Lincs unitary District, not WLDC or Lincs County Council - which is who the residents of the Gainsborough locality are interested in from a 'town hall ' / 'county hall ' point of view - WLDC's HQ being in Gainsborough as the largest settlement in the WLDC catchment and face to face contact services for WLDC also offered in Market Rasen )

The line deserves a service all the way through, Robin Hood Airport shuttle service is not important, Brigg and Kirton need trains too.
And the Saturday Cleethorpes to Sheffield train isn't lightly used either.

what are the flows from Gainsborough to Grimsby - gainsborough looks to itself or the lincoln area for most of it's services - from the gainsborough side of West Lindsey Grimsby may aswell be 2 'counties' away ( as the South bank Distrcts are uniatary authorities)

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

The Waterside Shopping Centre is not exactly Meadowhall standard either, but people still travel to shop there. And in what way is Lincoln shopping better than Grimsby? A Toys R Us and Debenhams don't make much difference to most shoppers.
I know all the councils borders quite well locally, but I still fail to see why a potential train passenger wouldn't travel across two boundaries they'd probably not know about.
The train is reasonably well used on Saturday, a weekday service should have greater numbers onboard, the line deserves better.

 

[ashworth]

Indeed, at nearly 22,000 popn, Gainsborough is larger than I thought. I suspect its main traffic flow is towards Retford and Sheffield.

The problem with trains using Central station (approx 1,300 pax per year) is - what service would use it? Not much chance of Nottingham - Mansfield - Worksop being extended that far, and it wouldn't really do the job in any case. If Robin Hood Airport were to take off, could it justify a Doncaster - Gainsborough Central shuttle?

I totally agree that there is not much chance of Nottingham-Mansfield-Worksop being extended as far as Gainsborough. However, although I know it won't happen that could be an idea for the whole route through to Cleethorpes.

There were originally plans for the Robin Hood Line services from Nottingham to run through to Retford. Nottinghamshire County Council did originally look at this and it would provide Retford with a through link to other communities in Nottinghamshire including Nottingham and Mansfield.

Extending about half a dozen of these trains a day through to Cleethorpes via Brigg would open up easier journey opportunities from Gainsborough Central. Services to Mansfield and Nottingham would provide an alternative to Sheffield and Doncaster. There are plenty of journey opportunities from North Lincolnshire to Sheffield but I'm not sure that there are really any strong links between the area with Sheffield and Nottingham could be a welcomed opportunity. Also with the service from Grimsby to Lincoln being so poor passengers may welcome an alternative route to Nottingham even via a roundabout route. There may also be a leisure market, especially in summer, from the Mansfield area to Cleethorpes. With plenty of advertising and some attractive fares Cleethorpes could be a popular destination.

 

[AnonymousUser1]

The Waterside Shopping Centre is not exactly Meadowhall standard either, but people still travel to shop there. And in what way is Lincoln shopping better than Grimsby? A Toys R Us and Debenhams don't make much difference to most shoppers.

some what irrelevant when speaking of Grimsby as a shopping destination for those living in Lincoln or Gainsborough ...

I know all the councils borders quite well locally, but I still fail to see why a potential train passenger wouldn't travel across two boundaries they'd probably not know about.

If you live in west Lindsay, I can see no adminstrative or governmental reason you would need to go to Grimsby , rather than going to Gainsborough / Rasen or Lincoln ...

 

[Merthyr Imp]

When did regular services actually cease? And what were they, do you know? Was it just a sparse three trains a day all week?

I have a 1974 timetable and it shows five trains a day Sheffield to Cleethorpes on Mondays to Saturdays (although one of these called at Gainsborough and Brigg to set down only at between 4am and 5am). There were also five trains in the other direction - but all these at reasonable times of the day.

On Sundays there were three trains a day each way (although, again, one of these in the Cleethorpes direction was in the early hours)

 

[70014IronDuke]

I have a 1974 timetable and it shows five trains a day Sheffield to Cleethorpes on Mondays to Saturdays (although one of these called at Gainsborough and Brigg to set down only at between 4am and 5am). There were also five trains in the other direction - but all these at reasonable times of the day.

On Sundays there were three trains a day each way (although, again, one of these in the Cleethorpes direction was in the early hours)

Very interesting, thank you. I suspect the idea at the time was to split Sheffield - Cleethorpes traffic between the Gainsborough and Scunny routes? And that early morning train carried the papers?

 

[Merthyr Imp]

.And that early morning train carried the papers?

Quite possibly. I notice it started from Manchester Piccadilly.

 

[Grimsby town]

the flow Lincoln- Grimsby is minimal as there is little reason to go to Grimsby ( impoverished provincial town with a tin pot DGH ) from Lincoln ( a growing university city and County town with some sepcialist and tertiary services at it's Large DGH) vs. heading towards Nottingham or Sheffield - again large university cities with good shopping ( meadowhell for sheffield), county towns and home to specialist and tertiary health services ) and of course heading towards Nottingham provides links to the ECML and MML and headign towards Sheffield provides links to the ECML at Retford and XC services at Sheffield)

I'm pretty fair to Grimsby and I acknowledge its not the most attractive place but to say there is little reason to go is unfair. Cleethorpes attracts millions of vistors a year. These are mainly seasonal but the hotels of the area are generally busy all year around. There are specialised jobs in the food industry and wind energy industry and the possibility of a national wind energy college being located near the Docks station.

People aren't suggesting a half hourly service. Personally I think a single unit providing a service between Cleethorpes and Worksop (for Nottingham and Sheffield connections) would be a massive improvement and provide for many flows (eg all stations to Cleethorpes, Brigg to Lincoln, Healing, Stallingborough and Great Coates to the west etc.)

The line has seen services full and standing on a number of occasions and while this won't occur everyday, it's only fair to the area to proviede a limited weekday service.

 

[70014IronDuke]

I totally agree that there is not much chance of Nottingham-Mansfield-Worksop being extended as far as Gainsborough. However, although I know it won't happen that could be an idea for the whole route through to Cleethorpes.

There were originally plans for the Robin Hood Line services from Nottingham to run through to Retford. Nottinghamshire County Council did originally look at this and it would provide Retford with a through link to other communities in Nottinghamshire including Nottingham and Mansfield.

Extending about half a dozen of these trains a day through to Cleethorpes via Brigg would open up easier journey opportunities from Gainsborough Central. Services to Mansfield and Nottingham would provide an alternative to Sheffield and Doncaster. ...

all that you say is true re "journey opportunities", but how many people would make use of any Nottingham - Mansfield - Retford - Gainsborough - Cleethorpes service? Doing the whole trip to Nottingham that way would not be competitive, would it?

Given that it had five services each way to Sheffield back in 74, I can't help thinking that this should be the best goal for any future developments, given the size and importance of Sheffield. (Of course, by changing at Worksop, you'd getter reasonable access to the Mansfield area.)

It strikes me that the cornerstone to any changes would be an effective, cooperative, but relentless grass-roots "friends of the line" campaign origination from Gainsborough and Brigg. eg the results of the "Trans-Wilts" campaign group have been astonishing over the past decade. Of course, this needed just one spare 153 to achieve - a two-hourly Sheffield via Brigg to Cleethorpes would need more than that.

I think it would need to focus on just one service type - and the best bet would be a Sheffield service. Bring in the idea of a Mansfield service would, i fear, split the forces available.

 

[Class 170101]

I might consider extending the Nottingham - Worksop service to Retford but probably no further. The only reason for extending this service via Gainsborough Central would be so as not to add another service between Sheffield and Worksop.

 

[AndyHudds]

Peartree has an electronic gate with an intercom to buzz EMT Control for access and Bordesley is locked up except Saturdays as well.

Bordesley is only open on Birmingham City home matchday isn't it and not every Saturday?