Apart from a very few expresses ad around major sporting events, passengers have been able to turn up and buy train tickets on the day with a normal assurance that they can travel. Is that now changing? The line to Skegness was a last bastion stamping ground of the
HST▸ on Summer Saturday specials but now that they have gone and diesel rolling stock is being trimmed back until the pips squeak, this "common carrier" approach seems to have been broken.
From
the Grantham JournalThere will be new rules for passengers travelling on a train line between Grantham and Skegness this summer.
East Midlands Railway (EMR» ) has announced a new queuing system that will give priority to those that pre-book tickets on their services between Nottingham and Skegness, which stops at Grantham Station.
The system will be implemented from July 9 and will run until early September.
Those who wish to pay on the day will still be able to board a train at Nottingham or Skegness if there is space available.
However, EMR said that if there are no spaces, customers can either board an alternative service to Grantham and change to a rail replacement bus service from Grantham to Skegness and/or Butlins.
For those travelling from Skegness, there will be a rail replacement bus to take customers to Grantham, where they can then switch to a train service to Nottingham.
EMR added: “The alternative is to wait to see if there is a space on the next direct train, although we can’t guarantee which service you’ll be able to travel on.”
