South Humberside Main Line

South Humberside Main Line
Legend
Cleethorpes New Clee Grimsby Docks Grimsby Town Barton Line (freight) to Port of Immingham Great Coates Healing Stallingborough Habrough Barton Line to Barton-on-Humber Barnetby Sheffield to Lincoln Line to Market Rasen Sheffield to Lincoln Line to Brigg Scunthorpe Steelworks Scunthorpe Althorpe Crowle Thorne South Hull and Doncaster Branch to Thorne North Hatfield and Stainforth West Riding and Grimsby Railway Kirk Sandall Swinton to Doncaster Line to Conisbrough East Coast Main Line to York Doncaster East Coast Main Line to Retford

The South Humberside Main Line runs from Doncaster and the East Coast Main Line to Thorne where it diverges from the Sheffield to Hull Line. It then runs eastwards to Scunthorpe and the Humber Ports of Immingham and Grimsby, with the coastal resort of Cleethorpes as terminus.

Route

From Doncaster the line forms a joint route with the Sheffield-Hull Line to Hatfield, passing Hatfield Colliery where the lines diverge at Thorne Junction. The line runs across Thorne and Hatfield Moors to run along the Stainforth and Keadby Canal towards the River Trent. Close to Keadby Power Station the route turns around Keadby and crosses the river Trent at Keadby Bridge. The line then climbs and passes over the M181 motorway and on viaduct to cross the Lincoln Edge at Scunthorpe. Through Scunthorpe, the line passes through the steelworks into the Ancholme Valley before crossing under the M180 motorway. To the west of Barnetby the line branches further at Wrawby Junction with the Grimsby - Lincoln - Newark line turning south towards Market Rasen, and the Kirton Lindsey line, (formerly a continuation of the Sheffield to Lincoln Line). After Barnetby railway station the line crosses the Lincolnshire Wolds passing quarries at Melton Ross and passes close to Humberside Airport near to where it diverges with the Barton Line and a branch which serves Immingham Docks close to Ulceby. The main line continues to Grimsby roughly parallel with the A180 road though Habrough railway station, Stallingborough railway station, Great Coates railway station to Grimsby railway station. The route then passes Grimsby Docks railway station which is open only during daylight hours, towards Grimsby Docks, and then on to New Clee railway station running along the humber bank/sea wall to Cleethorpes railway station.

Scunthorpe Railway Station

Passenger Services

The population in station catchments of the line is 470,000.^[1]

The Northern service between Cleethorpes and Barton on Humber uses the line until taking the Barton Line branch. Northern also operate a service between Scunthorpe and Sheffield, calling at intermediate stations.

The Barton Line forms a branch to this line from Ulceby Junction, to Barton upon Humber. Passenger services on the line are provided by Northern until a proposed 2017 transfer to the East Midlands franchise. Services are operated by one Class 153 unit every 2 hours in each direction. Before Class 153s started operating, Pacers and Class 150s were used. On Mondays - Saturdays, the first service of the day from Cleethorpes to Barton-on-Humber, the 06:00 departure, and the 06:58 return are operated by a TransPennine Express Class 185 Desiro unit, although this service does not call at Great Coates and Thornton Abbey due to the low platforms. New Clee is only served by trains on request during daylight hours only.

Service patterns

• 1 train per hour Northern service, Sheffield-Doncaster-Scunthorpe.^[1]
• 1 train per hour TransPennine Express service, Manchester Airport-Doncaster-Cleethorpes.^[1]
• 1 train per 2 hours Northern service, Barton-on-Humber to Cleethorpes.^[1]
• 1 train per 2 hours East Midlands service, Nottingham-Lincoln-Grimsby Town.^[1]

Freight

Imported Coal transported from Immingham passes through Melton Ross

The South Humberside Main Line is one of eight national Seven Day Railway Routes, which target the routes with the strongest business case for investment.^[2] The port of Immingham is located at the end of the South Humberside Main Line from Doncaster. This generates around one fifth of the total UK freight tonnage with potential for significantly more.^[3] This line is therefore a very important route for freight and extra capacity is needed to allow rail to grow with the port. Humber International Terminal stage 2 was completed in 2006 which has doubled the amount of coal the port can handle.^[4]

The route from Doncaster to Immingham via Scunthorpe is a key artery for rail freight services conveying approximately 20% of the total rail freight volume moved in the UK, it includes:^[5]

• Steel to/from Scunthorpe Steelworks which is normally 10 trains per day
• Waste to Scunthorpe Roxby Gullet which is normally 6 trains per day
• Coal from Immingham to various Power Stations in the Aire and Trent Valley which is normally 40 trains per day
• Petroleum from Humber and Lindsey Oil Refineries which is normally 8 trains per day
• Petrochemical traffic from Immingham to Preston and Stalybridge which is normally 2 trains per day
• Steel from Immingham to Avesta Works Sheffield (Outokumpu) which is normally 2 trains per day*

These services are also affected:

• Hatfield colliery which is normally 6 trains per day (1 train per day has been operating under the temporary method of working)
• Doncaster to Goole/Hull via Thorne which is normally 8 trains per day

Totals: 68 freight trains per day, journey each way = 136 paths

There are three tracks between Brocklesby and Wrawby, two in the Doncaster direction and one in the Immingham direction.^[3] The line speed also restricts capacity, between Ulceby and Doncaster the line speed is predominately 55 mph, with Wrawby Junction only 30 mph. The line speed between Immingham and Ulceby is mainly 30 mph. Loaded freight trains generally run at 60 mph on other lines, with some modern unloaded trains being capable of 75 mph.^[3]

History

The line was initially part of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway until the company changed name to the Great Central Railway in 1897. In 1916 the section of route between Wrawby and Brocklesby was quadrupled to cope with the growing amount of freight traffic heading for the docks at Immingham and Grimsby.

Incidents

August 7 2015 a freight train derailed at Foreign Ore junction, Santon near Scunthorpe closing the line.^[6] A train previously derailed in this area in 2008.^[7]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to South Humberside Main Line.

• Network Rail gallery of Hatfield & Stainforth slip works

Railway lines in the East Midlands
Primary	Chiltern Main Line Cross Country Route East Coast Main Line Midland Main Line West Coast Main Line
Local	Birmingham to Peterborough Line Buxton Line Crewe-Derby Line Derwent Valley Line Doncaster to Lincoln Line Glossop Line Ivanhoe Line Northampton Loop Line Nottingham-Grantham Line Nottingham-Lincoln Line Oakham to Kettering Line Poacher Line Robin Hood Line Sheffield to Lincoln Line South Humberside Main Line
Freight only	Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line Shirebrook to High Marnham
Heritage	Battlefield Line Chasewater Railway Churnet Valley Railway Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Foxfield Railway Great Central Railway (Leicester) Great Central Railway (Nottingham) Lincolnshire Wolds Railway Midland Railway - Butterley Nene Valley Railway Northampton & Lamport Railway Peak Rail Rushden, Higham & Wellingborough Railway Rutland Railway (Cottesmore)

Railway lines in Yorkshire and the Humber
Primary	To London East Coast Main Line Midland Main Line To Exeter Cross Country Route
Others	Inter-regional Hallam Line Hope Valley Line Leeds to Morecambe Line Doncaster to Lincoln Line Sheffield to Lincoln Line Settle–Carlisle Line Intra-regional Airedale Line Askern Branch Line Barton Line Calder Valley Line Dearne Valley Line Esk Valley Line Harrogate Line Huddersfield Line Hull to Scarborough Leeds-Bradford Lines Leeds-Northallerton Railway Northallerton–Eaglescliffe Line Penistone Line Pontefract Line Selby Diversion Selby Line South Humberside Main Line Swinton to Doncaster Wakefield Line Wharfedale Line York to Scarborough
Defunct	Barnsley-Doncaster Brockholes-Holmfirth Dearne Valley Railway Gilling and Pickering Harrogate-Church Fenton Hull-Barnsley (Cudworth) Hull and Holderness Hull and Hornsea Knaresborough-York Leeds-Harrogate Malton-Driffield Middlesbrough-Guisborough Middlesbrough-Guisborough-Normanby Huddersfield-Bradford Lockwood-Meltham Nunthorpe–Battersby Otley-Ilkley Pilmoor-Knaresborough Queensbury lines Rosedale Railway Scarborough-Whitby Seamer-Pickering Selby-Driffield Selby-Goole Shipley Windhill Line Sowerby Bridge-Rishworth Skipton-Grassington Skipton-Ilkley Thirsk and Malton Line Wetherby-Cross Gates(Leeds) Whiby-Loftus Woodhead Line York-Market Weighton-Beverley York-York (Foss Island)
Heritage	Derwent Valley Light Railway Elsecar Heritage Railway Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Middleton Railway North Bay Railway North Yorkshire Moors Railway Wensleydale Railway
Light Railways	Nidd Valley Light Railway North Holderness Light Railway Sand Hutton Light Railway