Grantham rail passengers have one day left on LNER timetable revamp consultation

Rail passengers have just one more day to have their say on significant changes to the rail timetable planned for Grantham from next year.

London North East Railway (LNER), which runs services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland through Grantham, expects to bring in changes from May 2022.

The eight-week consultation comes to an end on Friday, August 5.

The proposed timetable will see five LNER trains per hour into and out of London King’s Cross increase to six, enabling the introduction of new, faster services throughout the day. It says there will be 39 additional LNER services per weekday and many more at the weekend.

London to Edinburgh services will be about 15 minutes faster with up to 1,500 more seats per day, each way; and London to Newcastle services will be about 10 minutes faster, with up to 7,500 more seats per day, each way.

The proposed May 2022 timetable has been developed by Network Rail with all train and freight operators on the East Coast Main Line. It has involved balancing long-distance, high-speed, regional and local services, alongside the needs of the rail freight sector.

When the consultation opened back in June, David Horne, LNER managing director, said: “Our new consultation gives us the opportunity to hear the views of our customers and communities across LNER’s route on the proposed improvements we’d like to make from next May, including faster services and more seats between London, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

“We are confident of the future of long-distance rail travel on the East Coast route and that, by delivering to our customers the full benefit of our new trains and upgraded tracks, we can help level up and connect the country, protect the environment and support our communities and destinations.”

In the weeks following the consultation, LNER will publish a report on what it heard and any changes the company will seek to make in response from May 2022 or later timetable changes.

A dedicated website has been set up to give information about the changes and accept comments. It can be found here.