Grimsby Docks railway station

Grimsby Docks railway station serves the Freeman Street area of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire, England. This is one of the oldest parts of the town, close to the Freeman Street Market and the town's docks both commercial and fish, the railway entrance to both being over the level crossing at the Cleethorpes end. The docks offices can be seen in the photograph in the distance, in which the line to Cleethorpes swings round to the right. In the 1970s, this area of the town has been redeveloped with tower block accommodation as well as new housing. Now, in 2019, the tower blocks have recently been demolished and the area is being redeveloped again. The market and its lively pubs are a feature.

Location map of Grimsby Docks railway station
Railways around Grimsby Docks railway station in 1914

Grimsby Docks
LocationGrimsby, North East Lincolnshire
England
Coordinates53.574°N 0.076°W / 53.574; -0.076
Grid referenceTA274103
Managed byNorthern Trains
Platforms1
Other information
Station codeGMD
ClassificationDfT category F2
Passengers
2015/16 4,060
2016/17 4,574
2017/18 4,502
2018/19 4,830
2019/20 4,820
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The station had miles of sidings for the storage of fish vans to its rear and was double track.

Between 19 September and 2 October 1993, the main line east of Brocklesby Junction was closed to allow for the completion and commissioning of the Grimsby area Resignalling scheme. The double track line east of Grimsby Town was reduced to single and the whole line was resignalled to colour lights operated from Pasture Street signal box. A short passing loop, enough for the present day traffic, is located towards Pasture Street. Signalling control on the line was transferred to the York Rail Operating Centre in January 2016 and the box at Pasture Street was decommissioned and demolished.

Although the train service through Grimsby Docks has been chiefly passenger trains, a thriving freight service originated from the nearby Fish Docks. Prior to the building of the present Cleethorpes Road bridge, a complex railway junction and level crossing was situated on the Cleethorpes side of Grimsby Docks station. The loss of the fresh fish traffic from rail to road eventually resulted in the removal of the junction. The level crossing, being on a major route between Grimsby town and Cleethorpes, was the cause for many delays on Cleethorpe Road. In the mid-1960s, it was subsequently removed in favour of a concrete-built road bridge. The bridge itself caused the wholesale demolition of several buildings housing numerous businesses, banks, public houses and a major hotel (run by the parents of actress Patricia Hodge) but by the time of its completion in 1967 the changes in transportation of fish had made both the bridge and the station redundant.

The town's main railway station is Grimsby Town, located in the town centre.

The station has the PlusBus scheme where train and bus tickets can be bought together at a saving: it is in the same area as Grimsby and Cleethorpes stations.

Facilities

The station is unstaffed and has very basic amenities (bench seating, a waiting shelter, timetable poster board and public telephone). All tickets have to be purchased prior to travel or on the train. Step-free access is available from the entrance and car park to the platform.[1]

Services

On Monday to Saturday there is a two hourly service eastbound to Cleethorpes and westbound to Barton-on-Humber. Since the December 2013 timetable change, one early morning train from Scunthorpe to Cleethorpes also calls here.[2] The service is operated by a Class 153 single unit railcar.

On summer Sundays there are four trains in each direction, but there is no service on Sundays in winter.

Preceding station   National Rail   Following station
Northern Trains
Historical railways
Line and station open
Great Central Railway
Line and station closed
Great Central Railway
Line open, station closed

References
  1. "Grimsby Docks (GMD)". National Rail Enquiries.
  2. GB National Rail Timetable 2016-17, Tables 28 & 29
  • Milnes, Roger (ed.). "Grimsby Area Resignalling". Great Central Year Book. the Great Central Railway Society.
  • Dow, George (1959). Great Central. Vol 1. Locomotive Publishing Co.
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