SIGNAL FAILURE CAUSES MAJOR DELAYS ON BRIGG LINE

BY PAUL JOHNSON, STATION PORTFOLIO MANAGER, GAINSBOROUGH, RETFORD & BRIGG BUS AND RAIL GROUP (GRaB), pictured above at Brigg station


Our friends at BBC Weather got the forecast slightly wrong for Northern Lincolnshire but the 0803 Sheffield to Cleethorpes service and 1520 Cleethorpes to Sheffield Midland were around 90% full. 
Sadly, a major signalling failure at Gainsborough Trent Signal Box led to major delays.
The 1114 Cleethorpes to Sheffield Midland left Gainsborough Central 5 mins late, ran around the corner and then was stuck for 55 minutes!
The 1203 Sheffield Midland to Cleethorpes was held at Worksop and Retford because of the delays and ended up at Gainsborough Central 63 minutes late 
Praise to the guard on this service who from Gainsborough Central to Cleethorpes dealt with each customer and filled out a delay form for them to claim back part of the ticket cost. 
Due to arriving in Cleethorpes 58 minutes late, the crew needed a registered break, so the 1520 Cleethorpes to Sheffield Midland service left at 1550. Most of the passengers understood why but, with a number of families on board, children were becoming very restless.
The 1832 Cleethorpes to Sheffield Midland gained an 18 minute delay in the Habrough area, but there are no details yet as to why.
The case for real time information on parts of the Brigg line get stronger each week as the delays pile up this year.