Peterborough to Lincoln Line

Peterborough to Lincoln Line
Legend ( To Doncaster ) Lincoln Central Branston and Heighington Potter Hanworth Nocton and Dunston Metheringham Scopwick and Timberland Digby Ruskington ( To Grantham ) Sleaford ( To Skegness ) Helpringham Donington Road Gosberton Pinchbeck Spalding Littleworth St James Deeping Peakirk ( To Grantham ) Peterborough ( To Stevenage and London ) All minor stations closed on Sundays

The Peterborough to Lincoln Line is a railway line linking Peterborough and Lincoln Central, via Sleaford and Spalding.^[1]

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.

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.

Description

The towns and villages served by the route are listed below.

• Peterborough
• Spalding
• Sleaford
  • connections with Grantham to Skegness Line
• Ruskington
• Metheringham
• Lincoln

The route has a regular role as a diversionary route for trains from the East Coast Main Line.

The route is now open 24 hours per day.

Infrastructure

The line is not electrified. 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.

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

Level Crossings

There are a large number of level crossings - Automatic half barriers (AHB), Manually controlled with CCTV (MCB-CCTV) and manually controlled with obstacle detection (MCB-CTTV).

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 December 2002.

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.^[2]

Proposed developments

A new grade separated junction at Werrington is to be built around 2019 to allow freight and passenger serves to cross the East Coast Main line.^[3]

References

Railway lines in the East of England Primary North–South East Coast Main Line Hertford North Stevenage Peterborough Midland Main Line Luton Airport Parkway Luton Bedford West Coast Main Line Watford Junction London–Norwich Great Eastern Main Line Shenfield Ingatestone Chelmsford Hatfield Peverel Witham Kelvedon Marks Tey Colchester Manningtree Ipswich Stowmarket Diss Norwich Secondary Hertford Loop Line Lea Valley Lines London, Tilbury and Southend Line Thameslink Watford DC Line West Anglia Main Line Cambridge Others Abbey Line Birmingham to Peterborough Line Bittern Line Braintree Branch Line Breckland Line Crouch Valley Line East Suffolk Line Ely to Peterborough Line Felixstowe Branch Line Fen Line Gainsborough Line Hertford East Branch Line Hitchin–Cambridge Line Ipswich to Ely Line Marston Vale Line Mayflower Line Peterborough to Lincoln Line Shenfield to Southend Line Sunshine Coast Line Wherry Lines Heritage Colne Valley Railway Epping Ongar Railway Lincolnshire Wolds Railway Mid-Norfolk Railway North Norfolk Railway Mangapps Farm Railway Mid-Suffolk Light Railway