The Nottingham–Grantham line is a branch line between the city of Nottingham and the town of Grantham in the East Midlands of England. For most of its length it runs parallel to the A52.
At Grantham, the line meets the East Coast Main Line and also the Grantham–Skegness line. Not all Skegness-bound trains stop at Grantham, and the express service (limited stop) has its first stop at Sleaford, splitting from the Grantham line near Allington onto the Grantham Avoiding Line at Allington junction.[1] The journey on this route to Skegness saves 30 minutes of the 2 hours 20 minutes journey via Grantham.
Services were disrupted in July 2012 when an embankment collapsed near Allington.[3][4] The line also closed for some six weeks in the summer of 2013, as part of a large-scale improvement to Nottinghamshire's rail network.[5]Skegness councillors were critical of the decision to close the line during the height of the tourist season, but Network Rail, the rail infrastructure company, stated that the summer was the quietest time on the line.[6]
Cotgrave Colliery branch
The branch to Cotgrave Colliery left the Grantham line at the east end of the viaduct over the River Trent and headed south for about 2 miles (3.2 km). It was built in 1960. The major engineering work was the 360 yards (330 m) long, 30 feet (9.1 m) high, concrete viaduct,[7] formed of 37 spans of about 30 feet (9.1 m) each, where the branch left the main line. Most of the line was on a bank about 21 feet (6.4 m) high, formed of about 300,000 cubic yards (230,000 m3) of fill from a borrow pit alongside the main road. Most of the line was on a 1 in 392 gradient, with 1,030 yards (940 m) at 1 in 199.[8] The colliery closed in 1993 and the track was lifted in 2012.[7]