Businesses relaunch appeal for direct rail link to London

BUSINESS leaders are renewing efforts to introduce a direct rail service from Grimsby and Cleethorpes to London after it was left out of a draft timetable.

The direct train link to the capital was meant to begin this December under plans by previous franchise-holder National Express East Coast (NXEC)

The company planned to introduce seven daily services between Lincoln and London, with the first southbound and last northbound trains extending to Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

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After the Government took control of the ailing franchise at the end of last year, the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce wrote to Transport Secretary Lord Adonis seeking reassurances and was told the service should be going ahead as planned.

However the draft timetable, published this month, includes daily services, which will begin in May 2011, but not the extensions to and from Grimsby/Cleethorpes. The chamber has now written to the Government-owned franchise-holder, East Coast, asking them to reconsider.

With the franchise set to be handed to a new commercial operator in autumn 2011, the chamber is lobbying the Government to make running the service a requirement for the new operator.

Policy executive at Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce Richard Kendall said: "It is very disappointing that the draft new timetable does not include the direct service to London we thought we had secured.

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"Having a direct link to the capital would be a big selling point for the area and help us to attract more jobs and investment.

"The operator has the rights to run the service and the demand from business people and leisure travellers is there, so it is surprising that they are not taking the opportunity to attract more customers.

"We will continue to lobby with the council and our local MPs to make sure that we get a direct link to London."

The Government took back control of the franchise last November, following the successive failures of two private operators.

National Express won the franchise in 2007, after it was surrendered by GNER.

A review is being carried out into why the line failed to run successfully for the second time in as many years.