Future Services
For many years, Lincoln had not been served with a direct rail service to London. However, the awarding of two new rail franchises saw this remedied.
On 14 August 2007, it was announced that National Express East Coast would take over the InterCity East Coast Franchise in December 2007. As part of the commitment, NXEC planned to introduce a two-hourly service between Lincoln Central and London Kings Cross, starting in 2009. This service would have alternated with a two-hourly service to York. The InterCity East Coast Franchise was passed to East Coast in November 2009. In late 2009 East Coast along with NetworkRail published details of the ECML proposed new timetable, including the Lincoln-London services. In spring 2010 it was announced that this new service would be cut back. East Coast, citing financial restraints during the credit crunch, announced instead just one direct train in each direction per day, with extra services running only as far as Newark NorthGate station, meaning Lincoln passengers will still have to change trains there. On 22 May 2011 East Coast started direct Lincoln-London Kings Cross services, albeit in a much reduced number than they had originally planned. There is one train a day to London leaving Lincoln at 07:08 Monday-Saturday and a return service leaving London at 19:06 Monday-Sunday. Ironically both East Coast and EMTs services between Lincoln and the capital leave Lincoln within 20 minutes of each other and arrive in Lincoln again within 20 minutes of each other.
In 2006, Humber & City, an open-access operator owned by Renaissance Trains, proposed running services between Cleethorpes and Stratford via Lincoln. Nothing concrete seems to have come of the proposal.
Nottingham County Council, the Department for Transport and Network Rail are in discussion about various improvements to the line towards Nottingham including a doubling of service.
Read more about this topic: Lincoln Central Railway Station
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—Bernice Weissbourd (20th century)