Tom Gooding

City Council Leader Ric Metcalfe and Framework Chief Executive Andrew Redfern at the official opening of the new homeless shelter

Nineteen new units of homeless accommodation on Beaumont Fee are already full, just two weeks after the first occupants moved in.

The Pathways Centre, which cost over £2.6 million to develop, was formally opened on December 7 by Councillor Ric Metcalfe, Leader of City of Lincoln Council.

The project is part of a wider partnership between the homelessness charity Framework and The Nomad Trust, which has campaigned for many years to make the building a reality.

Framework Chief Executive Andrew Redfern said: “Homelessness and rough sleeping are serious problems in the City of Lincoln – a problem highlighted by the immediate popularity of the Pathways Centre.

“The combined efforts of Framework and The Nomad Trust have facilitated the building of this wonderful new centre, which will allow a safe and secure environment from which homeless and vulnerable people can rebuild their lives.”

City Council Leader Ric Metcalfe said: “Having worked closely with The Nomad Trust over the years, and more recently with Framework, to improve services for homeless people in Lincoln, we are incredibly proud that the city can now offer such a high quality facility for people who are homeless.

“Reducing poverty and disadvantage is one of the council’s priorities, and it is reassuring to know that these two well experienced organisations are working together to help some of our most vulnerable people.”

Photo by Dominic Clark for The Lincolnite

The morning direct rail service between Lincoln and London will now depart earlier as part of East Midlands Trains’ new timetable.

From December 11, direct Lincoln to London trains will depart at 07.04am, calling additionally at Lowdham, and arriving at St Pancras station at 10am.

There will also be an additional weekday afternoon service between Lincoln and Newark North Gate, departing at 15.44.

In addition, the 18.25 Leicester to Nottingham service will be extended to run to Lincoln, with an arrival time of 20.17.

On Sundays, the 17.25 Lincoln to Newark North Gate and the 17.56 Newark to Lincoln services will additionally run throughout the year.

Winter contingency plans

East Midlands Trains and Network Rail say they are better prepared than ever before to deal with severe weather following last year’s harsh winter.

A special anti-freeze that can withstand temperatures as low as minus 28 degrees Celsius will be used in on-train coolant systems.

Other winter contingency measures include special timetables agreed in advance with Network Rail to help keep main routes open and plans to help with removing snow from stations and maintenance depots.

The East Midlands Trains Twitter account (@EMTrains) will now also alert passengers to how services are running.

David Horne, Managing Director for East Midlands Trains, said: “We will always face challenges in times of severe weather disruption, but the plans we have in place for this year will help us to make sure that we can offer our passengers the best possible service and the most useful information in these difficult circumstances.”

Martin Frobisher, Route Managing Director for Network Rail, added: “We have learned some useful lessons following the extreme weather last year. Our teams are well prepared and, working with East Midlands Trains, we are confident we can deliver the best possible service this winter.”