PASSENGERS VISIT BRIGG INSTEAD OF LINCOLN CHRISTMAS MARKET

BY PAUL JOHNSON, BRIGG RAILWAY LINE CAMPAIGNER

We were delighted to see 2H03 - the 08:03 Sheffield to Cleethorpes train via Brigg - was booked of platform 3A on Saturday (December 3) at Sheffield Midland station.
Normally, Brigg line services are booked from Platform 1b where the TPE services to Cleethorpes leave just a few minutes later, which leads to bedlam for the customers not used to travelling on the railways.
The first train to Cleethorpes via Brigg normal comes out of the sidings but the 08:03 was formed of the 06:41 Leeds to Sheffield service which arrives at 07:57.
We hope this will continue as it opens up a market from West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire for new customers to explore the Brigg Line.
Sadly, track adhesion problems between Gainsborough Central and Brigg meant that the train could not pick up track speed and the connection at Barnetby with the 2T30 train for Lincoln and Newark at 09:39 was missed - again!
On the return, news came in that the 2T21 East Midland Trains 09:33 Newark to Grimsby Town service had been cancelled between Barnetby and Habrough due to animals on the track.
Due to the missing train, 2H00 - the 11:14 Cleethorpes to Sheffield via Brigg - picked up a large number of passengers.  By the time it got to Brigg, however, it was 9 minutes late.
On the plus side, between 25-30 passengers alighted at Brigg around 11:56, deciding to spend time in Brigg rather than the Lincoln Christmas Market.
Sadly, timekeeping on the 11:14 service to Sheffield is causing some concern as it has been late between Barnetby and Retford around 95% of the time since the running was tweaked.
2H05 - 12:03 Sheffield to Cleethorpes via Brigg - also left Sheffield Midland from platform 3 and the Link 1 Sheffield guard reported no problems with customers getting on the wrong train by mistake.
Due to a coal train running up the Brigg line (4R33), the track had been cleaned so it was pleasing to see the passenger service run on time.
2H06 - the 16:01 Sheffield to Cleethorpes via Brigg - was late running from Kiveton Bridge as the 15:44 service to Lincoln left Sheffield 16 minutes late and was stuck behind it.
We suggest  the 12:03 & 16:01 services are looked at to see if they can run a bit later, as a 15-minute gap between the XX44 Lincoln services is too close together. As long as the units get to Barnetby for XX45 to connected with the XX52 TPE services to Scunthorpe and Doncaster, then we'd have a better situation.

PICTURED ABOVE: Paul Johnson on Brigg station, which only sees passenger trains on Saturdays.