THE number of freight trains trundling through Brigg will eventually rise further, with an extra 16 more a day set to travel on the line.
Following the £10m overhaul of the line there is already more freight on the Brigg line - with around six of the 40 daily freight movements through Lincoln diverted onto the Barnetby to Gainsborough route.
Following the three month upgrade that en
ded in June, with bridges and embankments repaired and tunnel drainage and level crossings upgraded, more traffic is heading Brigg's way immediately whilst the Lincooln to Barnetby line is closed for six weeks from last Saturday for a £55m upgrade in the city.
Freight serrvices are gradually being stepped up and if local campaigners get their way so too will passenger services that currently only run on Saturdays.
Brian Hastings, spokesman for the rail group RailFuture Lincolnshire said 22 per cent of all rail freight carried in the UK starts or finishes at Immingham.
"That traffic is likely to increase more and more and without the Brigg line that growth in traffic could nbnot be accommodated," he said.
"We see this as a very welcome renaissance of the Brigg route that has had many false dawns over the last few years. It's all set to become a major freight artery."
The Brigg line is especially well placed to serve the coal fired power stations at Cottam and West Burton and with a freight train carrying the equivalent cargo of 50 to 70 lorries, producing ten per cent less carbon dioxide emissions it is regarded as a green solution.
* Do you have views on Brigg being an increasingly important route for freight? Email your thoughts to the Mail on jason.hippisley@jpress.co.uk or write in.
The full article contains 301 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
