Brigg residents may be surprised to see and hear heavy trains running through the town today (Sunday, November 10).
We understand that the line through Brigg, Kirton Lindsey and Gainsborough is to be used by some freight trains diverted because the Barnetby-Scunthorpe-Doncaster route has been affected by flooding in South Yorkshire.
However, we gather this switch of tracks is not being extended to passenger services, with buses operating instead to get travellers to and from Doncaster railway station until normal service is resumed.
Additional freight trains will result in some hold-ups for drivers on the A1084 at the Bigby High Road level crossing.
The Brigg line is a useful diversionary route whenever the main one between Barnetby, Scunthorpe and Doncaster is unvailable - generally due to engineering repair work or improvements.
When a landslip blocked the Scunthorpe-Doncaster line in South Yorkshire for a lengthy period some years ago, passenger company TransPennine ran a few test/training trains (if that's the right phrase) along the Brigg line (see picture above) but we can't recall any operated commercially.
Things are more complex today. Once there was just British Railways/British Rail, with all its faults in many eyes, operating the tracks, stations and signalboxes and operating freight and passenger trains.
Now there's Network Rail looking after the infrastructure and numerous other companies moving people and goods about the country.
