Column: Town's trend services buck the trend

Don't believe everything you see and hear in the media.
More trains will now serve Gainsborough than ever before. Photo: Barry CowardMore trains will now serve Gainsborough than ever before. Photo: Barry Coward
More trains will now serve Gainsborough than ever before. Photo: Barry Coward

While railway passengers in the South East and Manchester are experiencing a torrid time new train services are running well in other areas, including Gainsborough.

Trains now operate every hour between Lincoln and Leeds, Monday to Saturday .

The Pacer trains have been replaced by comfortable, smooth riding trains, many of them air conditioned.

For now Pacers still appear on Sundays when the hourly train service operates between Lincoln and Huddersfield or Sheffield.

It was back in 2014 when GRaB, the local rail users group, lobbied for a Lincoln to Leeds service and hourly trains on Sundays and we now have both.

Northern Rail has introduced advanced fares on the Lincoln-Leeds service .

They are available up to midnight on the day before travel.

The lowest singe fares from Gainsborough are now £6.50 to Leeds, £5 to Wakefield, Barnsley. Meadowhall or Sheffield.

If you don’t want to pay in advance there are some great fares to be had on the train if you travel after 9.30am Monday to Friday or anytime at weekends.

Buy a return to Wakefield for only £11.90 even if you are only going to Barnsley, Meadowhall or Sheffield – it is cheaper.

The fare to Leeds at £23.60 return does not seem such a bargain but the answer is to buy two tickets – Gainsborough to Wakefield and Wakefield to Leeds – for a combined total of £18.20

On Sundays some trains serve Penistone, a popular centre for walking in the Pennines and a day return is just £12.

One inexplicable consequence of the new train service is that Northern only show Lincoln to Sheffield on their timetables.

North Notts and Lincs Community Rail Partnership (NNLCRP) has a downloadable timetable for the complete service to Leeds ( and on Sundays to Huddersfield) available from NNLCRP’s Facebook page.

The old 7.22am to Sheffield has been replaced by two trains leaving Gainsborough Lea Road at 7.23am to Sheffield and 7.44am to Leeds.

From December an hourly service from Gainsborough Central to Sheffield is planned and Gainsborough, poorly served by the railways for years, will have more trains than ever.

But NNLCRP is not resting with these improvements.

The group is in discussions with the three bidders for the new East Midland franchise, due to start in August 2019, for more trains to Doncaster and services to Cleethorpes and Nottingham.