“pete,you do indeed need to purchase a rail ticket to use the bus. i never saw the works advertised as i dont get the telegraph and rarely use the station. i am annoyed that i was able to buy tickets for a train journey that doesnt exist without being warned”

“Julie, i do agree fares are not always cheap, but if you book in advance on the internet you can make some very big savings, and yes i know not everyone has the internet, and these fares are no good if you only decide to travel on the day. And as for trains not running next month, the rail compnaies have advertised quite cleary for months now that no trains will be running between Scunthorpe and Doncaster until early September. Not ideal, but in theory we will have better tracks leading to better services once the work is completed, and they work has to be carried out at some point. And you will fins that if you use the TPE the trains don't creep to Doncaster via the villages, it is a direct service, though admittely slow due to the crappy tracks other side of Crowle.”

“The reference to the train speeds available in Italy was to illustrate the comparitve low investment on rail infrastructure made in the UK compared to the continent. In addition the UK has the most expensive service. Most services, even to small towns, in western europe are electrified and run faster services then in the UK, where a recent survey found that some services were slower then in Victorian times. The trans pennine route connects to inter city serices and Manchester Airport. It should be modern, fast and reliable, but it is none of these. I guess some people accept such low standards that they yearn for the good old golden years of steam, even maybe a coach and four. But I find that Spooky.”

“I have just checked on the internet and lo and behold I have bought tickets for scunny to donny in order to get to the Wembley Cup next month and yet again no trains running! last october we went to doncaster for the races - no trains running! thats five pccasion now that me and my partner have been messed trying to get to and from scunny! wonderful!”

“Spook, one set of tickets is got to cheaper than 2 sets of tickets if only by a few pounds plus the train could head straight down south or north without creeping to doncaster via the villages.

At the end of the day my partner and I have done trips to london twice in the couple of years and on neither occasion have we been able to successfully use trains between scunthorpe and doncaster.

The train fares are shocking now - last time I looked it was £17 return to go to Doncaster on a saturday!”

“The rail service from Scunthorpe is totally inadequate.3 coach trains on a service from Manchester to Cleethorpes are a joke.Once again a company (TPE) that only bothers about their profits and not passenger comfort or safety.Even now they could not see enough interest to run a Scunthorpe - Cleethorpes service.Scunthorpe station is also poor,very limited disabled facilities especially to the Doncaster bound platform.Station staff needed to escort passengers over the boarded crossing, very handy when the station is not manned all hours trains are running! Surely we deserve a better standard of service because by heck we pay enough for what we get now.”

“Paw, another whining moaning letter. Do you think this 300kph train will stop at every town village and hamlet in Italy, don't talk wet, it will be an inter city service, and if you think that we will get a train of that speed between Scunthorpe and Doncaster or Grimsby your totally living in cloud cuckoo land.”

“bilun, north lincs - "What rail network? One line from cleethorpes through Scunthorpe,and one from Barnetby through Lincoln.Hundreds of square miles,that's hardly a network!"


This just about sums up peoples thoughts about our community. We are not a large built up area we are mainly a large rural area with one fairly large town with a few other smaller towns scattred around. We get what we can support - whether road, rail or whatever!”

“Once the upgrade work is completed the rail net work is fine. It is annoying that prior to the up grade work trains would crawl between Crowle and Doncaster, but this is being dealt with, so i don't see the problem. Its all well and good supposedly 100% of polled people saying the network is no good. Bilun, what exactly do you think would be considered a network, you criticise but don't give your alternative to what we currently have. And Julie, considering that trips north or south go via Doncaster, how would a direct service as you want would make your trip cheaper, you have to pay between Doncaster and Scunthorpe however you get there, direct or change. And finally Chrsi, you say no traisn run at all to Scunthorpe from Doncaster, since when, or do you mean since the rail upgrade work commenced, whereas in that case there is a bus service between Scunthorpe and Doncaster. Your leetr is confusing.”

“The rail connection for North Lincolnshire is appalling. Especially when you consider that Labour is taxing people out of their cars and on to public transport , but when it comes to train services there is only a substandard provision. The trans pennine route should have been modernised and electrified years ago and trains should be travelling at 140 mph, not 20mph. Several years ago the early morning train was rescheduled to miss the connection for the 7-30 non stop Doncaster-KX service. This shows the contempt that Scunthorpe is held in by Railtrack. Italy is currently introducing a 300kph train service. Britain is a banana republic by comparison.”