Restore Lincolnshire lines

Where does northern England begin? At the Humber? At the Wash?

The geology of Lincolnshire is of the South: limestone and chalk. But culturally and historically, Lincolnshire is northern.

A most brutal deed was inflicted upon Lincolnshire folk, about half a century ago, when more than a half of that county’s railway network was torn up.

If levelling up should ever get beyond talking about it, I venture to suggest that some resources should be directed towards restoring some of Lincolnshire’s railways, starting with reopening the line to Louth (Louth will, of course, need a new station and a ring road to serve it).

A railway station puts a town on the map. Louth will re-appear and (maybe) the economy of east Lincolnshire might cheer up.

It has already been demonstrated that local communities can benefit from a restored railway. Witness the Dartmoor Line, while Bideford expects to prosper once it is reconnected to Devon’s railways (such as they are).

Peter Hemming, Harrow