Peterborough–Lincoln line
| Peterborough–Lincoln line | |
|---|---|
 The line heads away from Lincoln toward Sleaford | |
| Overview | |
| Status | Operational |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Locale | East Midlands |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 6 |
| Service | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| System | National Rail |
| Operator(s) | |
| Rolling stock | |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 24 mi (39 km) |
| Number of tracks | Two |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 25 kV AC OHLE (part of the ECML at Peterborough) |
Peterborough–Lincoln line |
|---|
All minor stations closed on Sundays
|
The Peterborough–Lincoln line (marketed as The Redwing Line) is a railway line linking Peterborough and Lincoln Central, via Sleaford and Spalding.[1] Between Lincoln and Spalding, the line follows the route of the former Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway.
History
The section between Peterborough and Spalding closed to passengers on 5 October 1970 and re-opened on 7 June 1971. North of Spalding, Ruskington re-opened on 5 May 1975. Metheringham followed on 6 October 1975.[2]
Intermediate stations south of Sleaford did not re-open (see diagram). There has been agitation by local communities to re-open Littleworth on a park-and-ride basis for Peterborough. In 2016 this was costed at £4.3 million as it would need a footbridge and car parking availability.[3]
Description
The towns and villages served by the route are listed below;[4]
- Peterborough
- Spalding
- Sleaford
- connections with Grantham–Skegness line
- Ruskington
- Metheringham
- Lincoln
After an upgrade in 2015, the route through to Lincoln (and beyond to Doncaster) has a regular role as a diversionary route for trains from the East Coast Main Line mostly for slower freight services, but occasionally for passenger trains too. As a result, the route is now open 24 hours per day.[5]
Infrastructure
The line is not electrified.[4] The line is controlled by Lincoln signalling centre from Werrington Junction to Lincoln, worked under track circuit block regulations (TCB). However, Sleaford East box remains for now: resignalling is due around 2019/2020, when the whole area will switch to York rail operating centre (ROC) along with Lincoln signalling centre.[6]
Linespeeds
- Werrington Junction (excl) to Spalding: 70mph (Down – toward Doncaster) 75mph (Up – toward Peterborough)
- Spalding: 50mph
- Spalding (excl) to Sleaford South Junction: 75mph
- Sleaford avoiding lines: 55mph
- Sleaford to Lincoln: 75mph
Incidents
One person died and 30 people were injured in the Nocton rail accident when a train hit a vehicle on the tracks at the site of a removed bridge, on 28 February 2002.[7]
On 6 December 2004 two people died in a collision between a car and a class 153 DMU on a user operated crossing south east of Helpringham.[8]
Proposed developments
A new grade separated junction at Werrington is being built from September 2018 to allow freight and passenger services to cross the East Coast Main Line.[9] It is expected to be open in 2021.[10]
References
- ^ "Route 11 South Cross- Pennine, South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire" (PDF). Network Rail. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
- ^ Slater, J N, ed. (December 1975). "Choral celebration at Metheringham". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 121, no. 896. London: IPC. p. 583. ISSN 0033-8923.
- ^ "New station hopes for South Holland fade as bill rockets to £4.3 million". www.spaldingtoday.co.uk. 21 February 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- ^ a b Brailsford, Martyn (2016). Railway track diagrams 2: Eastern. Frome: Trackmaps. pp. 24–26. ISBN 978-0-9549866-8-1.
- ^ Mawson, Tim (June 2015). "Joint Line Joy". The Railway Magazine. 161 (1, 371). Horncastle: Mortons Media: 42–45. ISSN 0033-8923.
- ^ Rhodes, Michael (2015). "7: East Coast Main Line". Resignalling Britain. Horncastle: Mortons Media. p. 74. ISBN 978-1-909128-64-4.
- ^ "Rail crash victim's final call". BBC News. 1 March 2002. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- ^ "BBC News – Inquiry starts at rail crash site". 7 December 2004. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
- ^ http://issuu.com/railmedia/docs/tre-november-14/18
- ^ Milner, Chris, ed. (November 2018). "Network Rail prepares for £200m Werrington upgrade on ECML". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 164, no. 1, 412. Horncastle: Mortons Media. p. 6. ISSN 0033-8923.
