Train expert and station adopter Tony Cave brings us the latest news from our local railways…
Temporary revised timetable
This will continue until the new timetable commences on 12th December. These trains will run, subject to any short term problems, so always check before travelling:
CARLTON
Platform 2 (Newark direction). 05.49, 07.43, 08.03, 08.41, 08.58, 11.05, 13.02, 14.04, 16.03, 17.58, 18.40, 18.57, 20.37, 22.43 All Mondays to Fridays.
On Saturdays at 06.01, 08.04, 09.08, 11.05, 13.02, 14.02, 16.02, 18.04, 18.40, 19.00, 20.36, 21.38. On Sundays the usual timetabled trains are shown to run. Platform 1 (Nottingham direction). 06.29, 06.53, 09.03, 10.02, 12.02, 14.03, 15.02, 16.20, 17.05, 18.27, 19.08, 20.05, 21.35, 23.55 All Mondays to Fridays.
On Saturdays at 06.29, 09.03, 10.06, 10.20, 12.02, 14.03, 15.04, 17.02, 18.18, 20.03, 21.34, 22.34. On Sundays the usual timetabled trains are shown to run.
NETHERFIELD
The normal service will operate until the timetable change in December. The Skegness line is one which has largely been exempt from service cuts.
Netherfield
SKEGNESS SERVICE: Saturday, July 31 was the first day the Summer 09.59 to Skegness ran. It was formed of 4 coaches and there were a number of spare seats, as it follows the 09.45 from Nottingham. Five passengers and a dog joined at Netherfield, all for Skegness I believe.
BRIDGE ARTWORK: On August 9 the road bridge at Netherfield station was transformed by an artist from London and the work being commissioned by Network Rail. On the Nottingham side of the bridge ‘WELCOME TO NETHERFIELD’ has been painted in large letters across the bridge with space at each end for an arrow pointing to Netherfield at one end and Colwick at the other, as the bridge is the boundary between the two places.
The station entrance side has artwork to correspond with what local schoolchildren dreamt up.
Anyone arriving at the station, who hasn’t been to the area before, will be helped by the direction signs facing them as they emerge up the steps.
An official ‘unveiling’ ceremony was held on the bridge at 11am on Friday, August 13th with the Mayor Councillor Meredith Lawrence and Mayoress officiating. Representatives from EMR, Network Rail, Poacher Line, the artist and a photographer from Gedling Borough Council were present.
The Mayor gave a short speech in which he mentioned that the station used to be called Netherfield & Colwick, and Carlton was Carlton & Netherfield, which helped to locate where they were. The Poacher Line Community Rail Officer said they had hopes of more trains calling at Netherfield in the future. The artwork has been treated with anti-graffiti paint.
Carlton
August 4 was the 175th anniversary of the Nottingham to Lincoln line, and celebrations were held at stations along the line, with a singer and some dancers singing their way up the line, stopping off at Newark en-route. Sweets and chocolates were handed out to passengers.
At Lowdham there was Jive dancing, and Lowdham signal box, now in the garden of the Station House, and fully restored to its 1950s working order, was open for authentic demonstrations of how the signal box worked. Visits had to be booked in advance.
Stations, including Carlton, had bunting put up, and station adopter Francis Rodrigues provided balloons for our station. History boards have been erected at each station, that at Carlton located at the entrance to platform 2, giving a history of the opening of the line and photographs of Carlton Station in years gone by, which were obtained by Francis.
Thanks to those who have complained to EMR regarding a reduced lack of trains at peak times to and from Nottingham. The current reduced service is worst than at any time in the last 100 years with a gap of 2 hours 10 mins between the 06.53am and 0.9.03am to Nottingham (In 1922 trains were at 07.12, 07.58 and 08.40).
Burton Joyce fares even worse (same gap in the morning) with apparently only 8 trains calling in each direction, with the parish council saying there was an ‘urgent need’ for more regular trains to stop at their station after the reduced service was introduced in June.
As they say, they need a timetable that provides connectivity for people, promotes use of public transport to assist the environment and reduces vehicle use and congestion, something which particularly applies at Carlton and Netherfield with UK traffic returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Saturday, August 14th: The 10.20am to Leicester arrived full and standing. 5 were waiting at Carlton and they managed to squeeze on. So perhaps it would be best to use the 10.06 and change at Nottingham. Other weeks it has been ‘comfortably’ full.
