View source for Nottingham–Lincoln line

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox rail line
| name                            = Nottingham–Lincoln line
| color                           = 
| logo                            = 
| logo_width                      = 145px
| image                           = East Midlands Trains Class 153 Lincoln.jpg
| image_width                     = 300px
| caption                         = An East Midlands Trains Class 153 at Lincoln
| type                            = Heavy rail
| system                          = [[National Rail]]
| status                          = Operational
| locale                          = {{ubl|[[Lincolnshire]]|[[Nottinghamshire]]|[[Leicestershire]]|[[East Midlands]]}}
| start                           = [[Nottingham railway station|Nottingham]]<br />{{coord|52.9471|-1.1467|type:railwaystation_region:GB|display=inline|name=Nottingham station}}
| end                             = [[Lincoln railway station|Lincoln]]<br />{{coord|53.2263|-0.5398|type:railwaystation_region:GB|display=inline|name=Lincoln station}}
| stations                        = 13
| routes                          = 
| daily_ridership                 = 
| open                            = 4 August 1846
| close                           = 
| owner                           = [[Network Rail]]
| operator                        = {{ubl|[[East Midlands Railway]]|[[London North Eastern Railway]]}}
| character                       = 
| depot                           = 
| stock                           = {{ubl|[[British Rail Class 170|Class 170 "Turbostar"]]|[[British Rail Class 158|Class 158 "Express Sprinter"]]|[[British Rail Class 222|Class 222 "Meridian"]]|[[British Rail Class 800|Class 800 "Azuma"]]}}
| linelength                      = 
| tracklength                     = 
| tracks                          = Two
| gauge                           = {{RailGauge|4ft8.5in}}
| electrification                 = 
| speed                           = {{convert|70|mph|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} maximum
| elevation                       = 
| map                             = [[File:Nottingham–Lincoln line.png|300px]]<br />([[:commons:File:Nottingham–Lincoln line.png|Click to expand]])
| map_state                       = uncollapsed
}}
{{Nottingham-Lincoln Line RDT|collapse=y}}
The '''Nottingham–Lincoln line''', marketed as the '''Castle line''', is a [[railway line]] in central [[England]], running north-east from [[Nottingham]] to [[Lincoln, Lincolnshire|Lincoln]].

==History==
The Nottingham to Lincoln line was built by the [[Midland Railway]] and engineered by [[Robert Stephenson]].<ref name="LC1846"/> The contractors for the line were Craven and Son of Newark and Nottingham<ref name="LC1846">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Opening of the Nottingham and Lincoln Railway |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000354/18460807/008/0003  |newspaper=Lincolnshire Chronicle |location=England |date=7 August 1846 |access-date=2 March 2016 |via = [[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription  }}</ref> who also built many of the stations. [[Lincoln St. Marks railway station|Lincoln railway station]] was built by the contractor Mr. Burton of Lincoln. The line was inspected by General Pasley on 31 July 1846 and opened on 4 August 1846.

Originally the line ended at Lincoln Midland station (later renamed St. Marks) which was built as a terminus. The line was later extended to a junction just east of [[Lincoln Central railway station]] (the former [[Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)|Great Northern]] station), enabling through running from Nottingham to the South Humber ports and [[Cleethorpes]]. This extension led to over a hundred years of pedestrian and driver frustration in central Lincoln because there were two mainline level crossings on the High Street within 350 metres, resulting in congestion and traffic chaos.{{Citation needed|date=May 2015}} Lincoln St. Marks station was closed (along with its High Street crossing) in the mid-1980s when a diversionary curve was laid to allow services from [[Nottingham railway station|Nottingham]] to enter Lincoln Central. The old station building is now part of a shopping centre and houses Lakeland.

Most passenger trains were taken over by diesel units from 14 April 1958, taking about an hour between the two cities.<ref>Railway Magazine June 1958 p. 432</ref>

===Incidents===
Due to fog, 14 cows were killed, at Staythorpe, when hit by a three-carriage train, on the evening of Sunday 16 October 1977. There were 40 passengers.<ref>''Times'' Tuesday October 18 1977, page 1</ref><ref>''Lincolnshire Echo'' Monday 17 October 1977, page 1</ref>

==Current operations==
Passenger services on the line are provided by [[East Midlands Railway]], using a mix of mainly [[British Rail Class 156|Class 156]] [[diesel multiple unit]]s, [[British Rail Class 158|Class 158]] diesel multiple units, and pairs of [[British Rail Class 153|Class 153]] diesel multiple units. At certain times Class 156 and Class 153 trains run coupled together. Many trains on this route continue southward from Nottingham to [[Leicester railway station|Leicester]] via the [[Midland Main Line]]. Some trains call at [[Newark Northgate railway station|Newark Northgate]] (this is generally the first two and last two trains of the day) by running down the spur at the side of the [[East Coast Main Line]] and then reversing back again. Many trains also run between Newark North Gate and Lincoln throughout the day, usually timed to provide connections to [[London King's Cross railway station|London King's Cross]] and other stations on the East Coast Main Line. Every other hour this service continues to [[Grimsby Town railway station|Grimsby]] from Lincoln, with the first and last trains of the day continuing to Cleethorpes. Summer Sundays see a scheduled Newark NG–Lincoln–Cleethorpes service. As of August 2019, [[London North Eastern Railway]] runs one train a day in each direction from London to Lincoln.

The line between [[Newark-on-Trent|Newark]] and Lincoln is currently only cleared for {{convert|50-70|mph|km/h|sigfig=1|adj=on}} speeds. [[Nottinghamshire County Council]] has paid for a study into {{convert|90|mph|km/h|adj=on}} running.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/90mph-plan-slash-rail-times-Newark-Nottingham/story-11204582-detail/story.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913210228/http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/90mph-plan-slash-rail-times-Newark-Nottingham/story-11204582-detail/story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 September 2012|title=90mph plan to slash rail times|date=8 April 2008|work=[[Lincolnshire Echo]]|publisher=Northcliffe Media|access-date=18 February 2012}}</ref>

The line serves the following places.
*[[Nottingham]]
*[[Carlton, Nottinghamshire|Carlton]]
*[[Burton Joyce]]
*[[Lowdham]]
*[[Thurgarton]]
*[[Bleasby, Nottinghamshire|Bleasby]]
*[[Fiskerton, Nottinghamshire|Fiskerton]]
*[[Rolleston, Nottinghamshire|Rolleston]]
*[[Newark-on-Trent|Newark]]
*[[Collingham, Nottinghamshire|Collingham]]
*[[Swinderby]]
*[[Hykeham railway station|Hykeham]]
*[[Lincoln, Lincolnshire|Lincoln]]

==Service==
The timetable has been improved on the line since 2015, with additional trains introduced between Newark Castle and Nottingham in addition to the primary Nottingham to Lincoln ones. The Sunday service on the line has also been increased since the May 2017 timetable change, with the former afternoon-only timetable improved to an hourly frequency each way starting from mid-morning and the intermediate stations served at least every two hours.<ref>{{NRtimes|May 2017|27}}</ref>

 
One train daily on a Monday to Saturday runs along the line from Lincoln to [[St Pancras railway station|London St Pancras]] in the morning, and from London St Pancras back to Lincoln in the evening. It only calls at the busier stations along the line, namely Collingham, Newark Castle, Lowdham (evening journey only) and Nottingham. The train travels along the Midland Main Line for the Nottingham–London portion of the journey. There is also a few trains a day in each direction run by [[London North Eastern Railway]] from Lincoln to [[London King's Cross railway station|London King's Cross]] which leaves/joins the Nottingham to Lincoln line at the [[Newark flat crossing]] with the ECML just north of Newark North Gate station.<ref>{{NRtimes|May 2022}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}<!--added above categories/infobox footers by script-assisted edit-->

==External links==
* [https://discover.bbcrewind.co.uk/asset/60daf3b7955aab001f46e7fc Midlands Today January 1991]


{{GeoGroup}}
{{Railway lines in the East Midlands}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nottingham-Lincoln line}}
[[Category:Rail transport in Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:Rail transport in Nottinghamshire]]
[[Category:Rail transport in Leicestershire]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1846]]
[[Category:Railway lines in the East Midlands]]
[[Category:Standard gauge railways in England]]
[[Category:1846 establishments in England]]