Passengers were left frustrated after rail replacement buses between Cleethorpes and Brigg failed to show up, disrupting travel plans for several days.
From January 6 to January 10, a rail replacement service was supposed to run. It was the only way for people to travel between Cleethorpes and Brigg.
When passengers arrived at the stations, they found no buses waiting for them. This left many people changing their plans unexpectedly.
Paul Johnson from the Independent Brigg Line Rail Group explained the situation. He said the bus service was meant to run from Retford to Cleethorpes.
One man tried to catch the bus for three days but it never arrived. He even contacted the station staff for help, but they couldn’t get answers from Northern Railway.
Afterward, he filed a Freedom of Information request. He learned that the request for buses wasn’t sent in time. The issue was only discovered on January 8.
Other passengers faced similar problems. A woman with a buggy was also left waiting at Brigg Station. Everyone was understandably upset.
In 2023, the weekday train service resumed in Brigg after being limited to Saturdays for 30 years. The train leaves Sheffield at 9:54 AM and arrives in Brigg at 11:07 AM.
It then continues to Cleethorpes, arriving at 11:44 AM. Passengers can only stay in Brigg for about three hours before needing to leave again.
Changes to the timetable are expected in May. Paul hopes this will add more trips between Brigg and Cleethorpes.
A Northern spokesperson acknowledged the missed buses and apologized for the inconvenience. They stated that internal errors caused the issue with the replacement service.
