A plea to reopen Donington railway station, and some thoughts on Mothering Sunday
Here are the Spalding Guardian letters from Thursday, April 7, 2022.
Station must reopen by end of 2023
I read your article on the troubles at Woolram Wygate level crossing with much interest as I am leading a campaign to reopen Donington Road railway station which is on the same line.
For a number of years, I have long been very vocal about the need to replace as many level crossings as practical for everyone’s safety – despite the cost.
The conflict between the highways and the railways should not be underestimated. The mid-Lincolnshire line is used as a bypass for the East Coast Main Line (ECML). The Rail Freight Group plan to expand its operations by creating an eastern freight bypass for Lincoln which means not only more freight from Doncaster using the merged Barnetby-to-Peterborough line as a bypass for the East Coast Main Line but also, more southbound freight from the south Humber factories, so that trains on the ECML can go all the more faster.
The problem of freight vs passengers is that passenger trains do 50mph and stop at stations, while the freight trains potentially do 90mph and expect to pass straight through.
I have nothing against putting more freight off the roads and on to rail –Lincolnshire’s passenger services do not make a profit, and the freight trains is that which keeps our railways open. The more lorries taken off the road, the better – less potholes.
The downside of that is it will put a squeeze on mid-Lincolnshires passenger train services – and 20% of people in this country do not have access to a car. People in south Lincolnshire might be unaware that we have no Sunday train services.
Our public transport systems in Lincolnshire are vital to the villages and small towns that they serve.
This increased freight traffic will adversely effect all of the villages and small towns with railway crossings from Barnetby down to Tallington.
In the next couple of years, there will be a severe increase in passenger numbers by Australians travelling to Donington to pay homage to Captain Matthew Flinders, one of their national heroes. It is sheer irony that Britains most hated and despised railway (HS2) is responsible for returning Flinders’ remains to the village of his birth. This influx of Australian passengers will reach its peak in 2024 when the villagers of Donington will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of that birth.
Ergo, the merged Barnetby-to-Peterborough line will need a massive investment to cope with the dramatic increase in raiI use by passengers and freight.
If we don’t get stations reopened, we don’t get the passengers; without the passengers, we can’t generate the income to reinvest in our railway.
If that railway station in Donington is not in place by the end of 2023, it will be a nightmare. The public transport in-between Spalding, Sleaford and Boston simply will not cope.
Graham Lilley
Railfuture Lincolnshire
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Mothering Sunday
In the UK, Mothering Sunday is best kept on the fourth Sunday of Lent. In the USA, the second Sunday in May is called Mothers Day. What is it about motherhood that is so significant that we keep a special day every year to celebrate it?
Jesus came to tell us that love comes from God, and Our Lord’s ministry was all about telling us what God’s love was like. In Psalm 84, we read: “What are human beings that you are mindful of them?”
From the beginning of history, people have wondered about their place in the great scheme of things. A fundamental theme of the Christian doctrine of creation is that humanity has been created ‘in the image of God.’ Although humanity is not divine, it possesses the potential to enter a relationship with God, which is different from that of other creatures. We are meant to exist in a relationship with our creator and redeemer.
Jesus was born into the earthly family of Mary and Joseph and as He grew, He showed us how to relate to God. His life on earth was full of suffering, but He kept in touch with His heavenly Father, through prayer.
Jesus loved, and He said this about Himself: “I am the good shepherd and I know my sheep and I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
The human family was ordained by God to imitate that relationship which Jesus had with His family. Indeed a loving family may have countless sorrows to bear. By following the example of Jesus we will not fall into bitterness or despair and will be enabled to keep the bond of peace.
Penny Adams
St Mary & St Nicolas Church, Spalding
