Lincoln’s promised extra trains to London have been in the balance since the termination of the Virgin Trains and Stagecoach Group East Midlands Mainline contract – and now it’s looking like the services will be delayed at the very least.
Before the franchise collapse and takeover by LNER, Lincoln’s long lasting campaign for extra links was finally met with the promise of five trains to London and six returns from May 2019.
The 11 trains would have been every two hours and would be direct to and from the capital.
Commuters were given assurances in May by Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling that the scheme would still be upheld.
On Wednesday, MPs met for a House of Commons debate over the East Coast Mainline Investment.
Lincoln MP Karen Lee said she had been led to believe the trains would not come to fruition: “I have heard through the grapevine—even though I am the MP—that we are not now getting those extra trains. Apparently there is a problem with the trains and the timetables.”
Chris Grayling previously gave assurance that the commitments for Lincoln to London trains would be upheld.
She added: “Additional services would provide a huge boost to the local economy. Tourism is a big deal in Lincoln. There would be benefits to residents, businesses and Lincoln’s industry in general.
“For months, I have been fighting to ensure that Lincoln gets the extra services that have long been promised. My constituents should not have to suffer because of the Government’s mismanagement of the rail travel system. Neither should businesses.”
Jo Johnson, Minister of State for the Department for Transport, responded with more commitments to Lincoln’s London rail links.
However, he acknowledged there would be a delay.
“The industry is reviewing proposed changes to the May 2019 timetable as part of a new and strengthened process to ensure that everything is ready before improvements are introduced and avoid the unacceptable disruption that passengers experienced in parts of the country this summer”, he said.
“That process is ongoing for the whole industry, but at this stage LNER has taken the decision to introduce improvements more gradually than was previously planned.
“The hon. Lady will get her services at Lincoln, and the rail industry intends to provide an update on plans for the May 2019 timetable across the country in the coming months.”
An LNER spokesperson said: “We have previously announced plans to introduce additional services to Lincoln in 2019. We are working closely with our industry partners to deliver these improvements as soon as possible.
“The rail industry is reviewing its approach to upcoming timetable changes and it remains our intention to deliver further service enhancements and journey time reductions when it is possible to do so.”
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Drivers in Lincoln will face nearly a fortnight of disruption when electrical works cause a road closure on Skellingthorpe Road from next week (July 11).
Western Power Distribution will install a new electricity connection for a new primary school on Skellingthorpe Road.
The county council has been constructing a new 130-place school on the site of the former Priory Witham Academy Junior School, which will be for St Christopher’s primary-aged pupils.
As a result, Skellingthorpe Road will be closed between Tritton Road and Boultham Park Road between July 11 and July 22.
This is to ensure the safety of engineers and local people while work is taking place.
A diversion will be put in place via Tritton Road, Doddington Road and Newark Road.
Western Power Distribution said: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused while we complete this essential new connection.”
We are investigating a road traffic collision which happened just after 5pm today.
The crash happened on the A15 just south of Waddington and involved a black Peugeot 208 that collided with a tree. The driver of the car, a 56-year-old male, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The A15 was closed just before 6pm and is likely to remain closed for some time.
We are particularly keen to hear from those who were driving along the A15 this afternoon between 4pm and 5:10pm and may have captured dashcam footage of the road during the collision.
If you have dashcam footage or any other information that will assist in our enquiries, there are a number of ways you can get in touch.
By calling 101 quoting incident 285 of 4 July.
By emailing [email protected] quoting incident 285 of 4 July in the subject line.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can report via the independent charity CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.
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