New Skegness train travel rules announced for holidaymakers

Passengers are being urged to pre-book train tickets to Skegness this summer

New rules for people wanting to travel by train to Skegness will be introduced this summer, an operator has said.

Passengers wanting to guarantee a space on trains to the Lincolnshire resort would have to pre-book, East Midlands Railway (EMR) said.

A new queuing system which would prioritise those who had pre-booked would operate at Nottingham and Skegness stations, EMR added.

The new rules would apply between 9 July and 9 September, the firm said.

Skegness has long been a favourite destination for rail passengers

Neil Grabham, EMR's customer services director, said: "Skegness remains a very popular destination for holidaymakers and this year will be no different.

"We want our customer's holiday to start as smoothly as possible and that's where booking a place beforehand comes in.

"Booking ahead allows them to have peace of mind and guarantees a place on board."

There would be separate queues for those who had pre-booked and those who paid on the day, the firm said.

If there were no spaces on services, passengers could either board an alternative service to Grantham and then change to a rail replacement bus service to Skegness and/or Butlins, it added.

Rail replacement bus services will be available at Grantham, East Midlands Railway says

Returning from Skegness, there would be a rail replacement bus to take passengers to Grantham, where they could switch to a train service to Nottingham.

"The alternative is to wait to see if there is a space on the next direct train, although we can't guarantee which service you'll be able to travel on," EMR's website stated.

Meanwhile, the company has recommended that passengers bring only one bag per person "as space is limited on trains".

Free vacuum packs, which can be used to shrink the amount of space taken up by luggage, would be available, it said.