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Gainsborough Central
Location
Place	Gainsborough
Local authority	West Lindsey
Coordinates	53°23′56″N 0°46′11″W / 53.3990°N 0.7696°W / 53.3990; -0.7696Coordinates: 53°23′56″N 0°46′11″W / 53.3990°N 0.7696°W / 53.3990; -0.7696
Grid reference	SK819898
Operations
Station code	GNB
Managed by	Northern Rail
Platforms in use	2
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail
Annual rail passenger usage
2004/05 *	21
2005/06 *	21
2006/07 *	▲33,217
2007/08 *	▼1,127
History
Opened 1849 (1849)
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Gainsborough Central from Office of Rail Regulation statistics.
UK Railways Portal

Gainsborough Central railway station is a railway station in the town of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England. The town's other station is the busier Gainsborough Lea Road. Until recently, the station was shown to be one of the least busy in the country as trains only call there one day a week.

In the Strategic Rail Authority's 2002/3 financial year, only 5 fare-paying people (excluding season ticket holders) boarded trains at Gainsborough Central station, and 3 disembarked, making it the least busy station in the United Kingdom, with Barry Links.^[1] The 2004/05 figures suggested 21 passengers used the station that year, putting it slightly below Watford West a station which has been 'temporarily closed' since 1996 and on a line which is currently missing both track and bridges.

The real figure for Gainsborough Central was much higher as some tickets can be purchased to "Gainsborough stations" and these journeys are credited to Lea Road, as the group station. Following changes to the system for counting ticket sales, the 2006/7 financial year counted over 30,000 users of the station.

The station was opened in March 1849, and at that time was run by The Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway. Later this company became part of the Great Central Railway, which in turn became a part of the London & North Eastern Railway. The station buildings were demolished in 1974.

The line through the station has recently been upgraded and refurbished to allow it to carry increased levels of freight traffic from the port complex at Immingham to South Yorkshire and the East Midlands. This has been done to reduce congestion on the busy route via Scunthorpe.

Location

Gainsborough Central station was situated close to Gainsborough steel stock holders (since moved) and the new Marshalls Yard Shopping Centre. However, to get to it, one must walk down two roads: a road leading to the former steel stocks and a service road made out of loose stone.

In late 2008, a new carpark was opened next to the station. Good access is available even for the disabled. One takes the road Spring Gardens to the side of Marshalls Yard Shopping Centre entrance.

Services

The present service comprises just three trains per week^[2] each way on Saturdays only between Sheffield and Cleethorpes.

North Lincolnshire Council is, however, campaigning to increase this to an hourly service in each direction. ^[3]

The station's sign

References