Skegness railway station

Main article: Firsby to Skegness railway branch line

Statue of the Jolly Fisherman

The line to Wainfleet was opened in August 1871 by the Wainfleet and Firsby Railway. ^[1] This line was then extended to Skegness; the station opened on 28 July 1873. ^[2]

Skegness was dubbed "the Blackpool of the East Coast" or "Nottingham by the Sea". It has a mascot, the Jolly Fisherman, designed by John Hassall in 1908 for the Great Northern Railway; its slogan, "Skegness is so bracing", is a reference to the chilly prevailing north-easterly winds that can and frequently do blow off the North Sea. ^[3] A statue of The Jolly Fisherman now greets passengers as they arrive at the station, when entering through the main entrance.

Up until 1966, the railway station had a goods yard with sheds; however, this area along with platform one was demolished between 1980 and 1983. This area is now used as a car park belonging to nearby offices. Seacroft railway station was located just outside Skegness, but this has also now closed. The next station on the line is Havenhouse.

In 2006, all locomotive-hauled services to Skegness were halted due to the weight of the locos buckling the rails frequently; however, this ban has since been lifted after Network Rail began a track renewal scheme which is now entering the final phase.

Remodelling in 2011

Network Rail and Lincolnshire County Council announced a major renovation programme costing £290,000, ^[4] which has seen the derelict buildings demolished, the customer toilets being modernised and the gents relocated. There was much debate in Skegness about the old stationmaster's house being part of Skegness' heritage and should have been refurbished, rather than demolished.

Facilities

The current station has toilet facilities, with a baby change and a specialist service for the disabled and a small refreshment/newsagent stall. There is 24-hour CCTV in operation at this station and there are staff patrolling the concourse area to give information when trains are due to arrive or depart. There is also a ticket office, staffed for part of the traffic day and a self-service ticket vending machine (TVM) has been installed; this also enables customers who have booked their tickets online to collect them outside office hours. ^[5]

Six platforms remain in place (numbered 2 to 7), however platforms 2 and 7 are now out of use and in practice only two platforms (4 and 5) are used regularly.

Services

Skegness has an hourly service to Nottingham, via Grantham; services are operated by East Midlands Railway. ^[6]

Skegness
The station concourse
General information
Location	Skegness, East Lindsey England
Coordinates	53°08′35″N0°20′02″E / 53.143°N 0.334°E / 53.143; 0.334
Grid reference	TF562631
Managed by	East Midlands Railway
Platforms	6
Other information
Station code	SKG
Classification	DfT category E
History
Opened	1873
Original company	Wainfleet and Firsby Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Northern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
28 July 1873	Station opened
Passengers
2019/20	323,202

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Havenhouse		East Midlands Railway Poacher Line		Terminus
	Disused railways
Seacroft		Great Northern Railway Firsby to Skegness railway branch line		Terminus

Connections

The station has good public transport links:

• Adjacent to the railway station is the town's bus station, which facilitates frequent services up the coast as far as Mablethorpe, Louth and Alford. There are also routes to Lincoln and Boston. Routes are operated predominantly by Stagecoach East. ^[7]
• There is a taxi rank at the front of the station.

References

Citations

1. Bradshaw's 1905 , p. 112
2. Butt 1995 , p. 213
3. "Jolly Fisherman". Archived from the original on 8 November 2005.
4. "Funds to revamp Lumley Lodge at Skegness Train Station could be in jeopardy". Skegness Standard. 16 June 2010.
5. Skegness station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 26 August 2024
6. "Timetables". East Midlands Railway. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
7. "Skegness Bus Services". Bus Times. 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.

Sources

• Bassett, Herbert (1905), Bradshaw's Railway Manual, Shareholders' Guide and Directory, Henry Blacklock & Co., Ltd.
• Butt, R.V.J. (1995), The Directory of Railway Stations, Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd, ISBN   1-85260-508-1, R508

External links

• Train times and station information for Skegness railway station from National Rail

• 1950s video of diesel unit arriving at Skegness (at end of video)

1. https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/media/3150/download?inline