Sir Edward Leigh and the Leader of West Lindsey District Council have both welcomed additional railway services that will connect Market Rasen.

Sir Edward commented:

“It is great news that Market Rasen could get additional services. The return of regular, direct services to Nottingham and Leicester would be a real boost to the town for both leisure and business travellers. It would also be great to see hourly services between both Grimsby and Lincoln, especially with the five direct trains to the capital now from the city.”

East Midlands Railways, who took over the franchise of East Midlands Trains in 2019, are looking to make significant changes to the railway services that will directly affect services at the station in Market Rasen. There plans include:

• More evening weekday services to Newark Castle from Lincoln
• Services between Lincoln and Grimsby will extend to Leicester every two hours providing the first direct service to Nottingham and Leicester in over 10 years
• On the Lincoln-Grimsby service more services will run throughout the day with more consistent timings

Cllr Giles McNeill said:

“Consultation is currently underway by East Midlands Trains which are seeking views on extending services in and out of our district.

 “The proposals would directly affect Market Rasen Train Station, which recently underwent a major refurbishment and was opened by the Princess Royal in 2018. It  would see more services connecting to Lincoln, Grimsby and Leicester and is further proof of clear investment by third parties into our district.

 “I would encourage as many people as possible to take part in the consultation, as the extra services would improve connections for people who live and visit West Lindsey and beyond.”

In 2019 the Market Rasen Station Community Project won a West Lindsey Community Award for its Contribution to Arts and Culture.

The active group of station adopters, the Friends of Market Rasen Station also won Gold in the ‘It’s your Station Category’ at the 2019 Association of Community Rail Partnership Awards for the work they do to make the station welcoming and attractive.

The station is covered by the North Notts and Lincolnshire Community Rail Partnership, the officer for which is hosted by Council.

If you would like to find out more about this consultation or make a representation people should visit www.eastmidlandsrailways.co.uk/december2020. The consultation closes on Friday, 14 February.