Skegness Summer timetable

[Failed Unit]

EMR has a lot of problems on this route, no trains, too many passengers and at the moment not enough staff.

Looking to the future would it be possible to have 2 trains per hour on the route in the summer?

Train 1
Lincoln / Grantham - Skegness for the local traffic

Train 2
Nottingham - Skegness only calling at Sleaford and Boston in the busy periods allowing for longer trains to be used?

I know of 2 challenges— 1 can the line actually take 2 trains per hour reliably? Would EMR be able to get the stock for the local service without cutting into other busy routes in the region. From what I can see all EMR regional routes are busy at the weekend. The don’t have the stock at Birmingham that CT used to do that was needed Monday.- Friday but isn’t at the weekends.

 

[PTR 444]

Under your plan, how would the local stations between Nottingham and Grantham be served?

 

[TheBigD]

It is possible to run 2 trains and hour to Skegness, though I doubt it would be reliable. The infrastructure is pretty limited, for example, you can't have a train approaching Heckinton in to the platform whilst an eastbound train is coming off the single line from Sleaford.

The current hourly service passes at Heckington (only a few minutes apart off/on to the single line) and again around Bellwater Jn. The current summer Saturday 0824 ex Nottingham extra passes the existing hourly service at Boston with an extended dwell. Similarly for the return extras which also pass at Boston. The other summer Saturday extra at 0940 ex Nottingham goes via Grantham, gets overtaken, and has around 15 minutes of extra time between Grantham and Sleaford.

Though others may disagree, I think EMR generally got it right with the service provision last year, though you would probably want to have the remaining 2 car weekday diagram up to a 3 car.

It would he nice to have some express services to separate out the day trip market and holiday camp change over, but with existing resources it's unlikely to happen.

Assuming what has been posted on here is correct...

This year's summer Saturdays will be a challenge with the equivalent of 6 less vehicles ex Nottingam approx 0745-1145, and ex Skeness approx 1015-1415. Not just with the loss of seats but also the loss of luggage space that the 156s had in the bike/ex parcels area.

There will also be 4 vehicles less ex Skegness between approx 1615 and 1915 as the services will be 3 car vice last years 4 car which will impact on the day trip market.



I wonder whether we will see 810s on the summer extras once they are in service with EMR (next year?).

 

[Failed Unit]

Under your plan, how would the local stations between Nottingham and Grantham be served?

The same way as now, I wasn’t clear but the it is just after Grantham the service would be sped up.

 

[30907]

The same way as now, I wasn’t clear but the it is just after Grantham the service would be sped up.

So not direct to Sleaford then? I could see some mileage in running a couple of extras direct as on past summer Saturdays, but not 2tph all day.

 

[zwk500]

So not direct to Sleaford then? I could see some mileage in running a couple of extras direct as on past summer Saturdays, but not 2tph all day.

I would think the most effective thing is to get enough stock to lengthen the existing trains.

 

[Failed Unit]

That was my thinking, even 1 train every other hour/s from Lincoln - Skegness may make the service useable for the local stations and provide extra capacity. Likewise people from the North such could change at Lincoln for Doncaster / Sheffield (although Doncaster would really only ever go via Grantham).

I remember back when I was younger BR used to run trains from Leeds / Newcastle / Sheffield - Skegness via Lincoln. Interest traction and coaches - never really looked very full. But the BR could have old Coaches sat around for the weekend.

 

[TheBigD]

I remember back when I was younger BR used to run trains from Leeds / Newcastle / Sheffield - Skegness via Lincoln. Interest traction and coaches - never really looked very full. But the BR could have old Coaches sat around for the weekend.

Late 80s/early 90s, the summer Saturday extras were usually a number of loco hauled sets and a selection of Tyseley's "finest" DMUs. Capacity wasn't an issue though the quality of the Tyseley units often was! Trains like the Leicester and Burton to Skegness were often 8+ car Tyseley suburban DMUs with a lot of seats.

 

[RobShipway]

EMR has a lot of problems on this route, no trains, too many passengers and at the moment not enough staff.

Looking to the future would it be possible to have 2 trains per hour on the route in the summer?

Train 1
Lincoln / Grantham - Skegness for the local traffic

Train 2
Nottingham - Skegness only calling at Sleaford and Boston in the busy periods allowing for longer trains to be used?

I know of 2 challenges— 1 can the line actually take 2 trains per hour reliably? Would EMR be able to get the stock for the local service without cutting into other busy routes in the region. From what I can see all EMR regional routes are busy at the weekend. The don’t have the stock at Birmingham that CT used to do that was needed Monday.- Friday but isn’t at the weekends.

Not sure if they have the stock for it, but could the service be run by either Cross Country trains or West Midland Trains? Or if either have any spare stock, then EMR uses stock from either of these two TOC's?

Admittedly, if you could find the trains, you still would having the staffing issues and staff that may need to be trained on the stock being used depending on what prior training that they have had in the past.

Any units I would have thought should be coming from Nottingham Eastcroft depot, rather than being down in Birmingham.