Arriva Sets Sights on Direct Services for Cleethorpes, Grimsby & London
The Arriva Group has announced the submission of an open access application for a slew of direct services between Cleethorpes, Grimsby and London.
The Arriva Group has announced the submission of an open access application for a slew of direct services between Cleethorpes, Grimsby and London.
The application, which will be handed to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for consideration, aims to utilise Grand Central’s existing open access route toward Doncaster, extending current services.
If approved, the extended route will offer improved connectivity and additional capacities, with four new return services per day between Cleethorpes, Grimsby and London’s Kings Cross expanding services by up to 775,000 additional seats per year.
Amanda Furlong, Interim Managing Director of Arriva’s UK Trains division, said:
Arriva wants to make travelling by train as accessible as possible and this proposal will offer a much-needed, direct connection between major Lincolnshire towns and the capital, providing significant connectivity benefits for communities and businesses and driving long-term economic growth for the region.
Arriva has stated that it expects a strong response from communities, organisations and businesses throughout East Lincolnshire. The decision follows several years of local campaigns demanding the reintroduction of direct links to the capital, with Cleethorpes not having had a direct service since 1992, more than 30 years.
Melanie Onn, Labour MP for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, said:
A direct rail service between Cleethorpes and London would significantly boost our local economy. It has been an ongoing project for many years to try and reestablish the direct service and one that is backed by business, local leaders, and the community as a whole.
This isn’t just about attracting future investment into our town, it’s about addressing missed economic and social opportunities due to current poor connectivity.
The new services are expected to generate up to 30.1 million GBP per year for the region and follow previous proposals from Arriva for two additional daily return services between Bradford and London, as well as an early morning and late return service between York and London, both of which are currently awaiting approval from the ORR.