For information on train and bus services outside the local area see 'Obtaining Further Information' below or 'Useful Links' in the left hand column.
Barton Line train times
Barton Line services are operated by relatively modern two-car Turbostar class 170 trains. These are reliable, spacious, comfortable and accessible to all with toilet facilities and space provided for bicycles, push chairs and wheelchairs. Mobility scooters are subject to a permit scheme. It is advisable to contact East Midlands Railways in advance (see below) if you intend travelling with any of the above items during busy times.
There are nine return journeys each weekday and four on summer Sundays between Cleethorpes and Barton. All trains call at all stations. The complete single journey takes approximately 50 minutes with Habrough (for connections westward) being exactly half way.
The Friends of the Barton Line are pressing for the re-instatement of the important 08:00 Barton to Cleethorpes commuter service and also for the Sunday service to be expanded from running only in the summer to running all year round.
The following is a summary of the times. EMR's full local timetable 9 can be viewed here.
Mondays to Fridays (from Monday 22nd May 2023 to Friday 8th December 2023 inclusive)
Cleethorpes depart: 06:10 08:56 10:59 12:56 14:56 16:56 18:57 21:07.
Barton depart: 07:08 09:54 11:54 13:54 15:54 17:54 20:08 22:05.
Saturdays (from 27th May 2023 to 9th December 2023 inclusive)
Cleethorpes depart: 06:40 08:54 10:54 12:54 14:54 16:58 18:56 21:04.
Barton depart: 07:45 09:50 11:50 13:50 15:50 17:55 20:01 22:02.
Sundays (from 21st May to 10th September 2023 inclusive)
Cleethorpes depart: 10:02 13:07 15:05 18:07.
Barton depart: 11:10 14:06 16:11 19:06.
N.B. On Bank Holidays the Barton line trains run to a full weekday timetable whereas the bus services run to a Sunday timetable.
N.B. On Christmas eve and New Year's eve trains stop running around 20:00 and start later than normal on 27th December. No local trains run on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Rail fares and facilities
From 3rd March 2024 the adult fare for the whole line is £8.90 Single, £9.90 Off-Peak/Cheap Day Return (not valid before 09:00), and £11.90 Anytime Day Return. Cheaper fares are available for intermediate journeys, through tickets are also available to the wider National Rail network. People aged under 16 travel at half fare whereas bicycles, dogs and children under five (maximum two per accompanying adult) are carried free subject to space being available. Single, Standard Return and Off-Peak Day Return tickets allow you to break your journey as often as you wish provided that you continue in the same direction of travel. The return portion of a Standard Return ticket is valid for up to a month from the date of outward travel. A Rover ticket (giving total flexibility) is not currently available for the Barton line.
Railcards offer a discount of a third on all fares, subject to the following restrictions and exceptions.
Age 16-25 railcards are subject to a minimum fare of £12 prior to 10:00am except in July and August.
Age 26-30 railcards are subject to a minimum fare of £12 throughout the year.
Two Together railcards may not be used before 09:40.
Holders of 16-17 Savers travel at half fare.
Concessionary passes issued by North East Lincolnshire Council entitle their holders to half fare on returns and a third off single journeys between Habrough and Cleethorpes, and intermediate stations, between 09:30 and 23:00 on weekdays and at any time on weekends and public holidays. These passes do not offer any discount to journeys beyond the North East Lincolnshire unitary area, i.e. are valid only between Cleethorpes and Habrough and intermediate stations.
Concessionary passes issued by North Lincolnshire Council bearing one train icon entitle their holders to half fare on returns and a third off single journeys on the line at any time. Passes with two train icons (restricted to people with certain disabilities) entitle the holder to free travel. The passes are only valid for journeys within the area bounded by Cleethorpes, Barton, Crowle, Gainsborough and Lincoln and must start or end in the North Lincolnshire unitary area.
Staffed stations at Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes are able to sell a full range of tickets and also have ticket vending machines which can take card payment for walk-up tickets. If boarding at an unstaffed station, a full range of walk-up tickets can be bought on board from the guard, who will accept payment methods not accepted by the ticket vending machines. If boarding where facilities to obtain tickets are available prior to boarding, passengers are obliged by law to use these facilities.
Visitors from further afield can easily access the Barton Line and its many attractions either by rail to Hull (with its bus connections to Barton) or Habrough, or by bus to Grimsby. Hull is served by direct trains from London, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and Scarborough; Habrough and Grimsby Town are served by direct trains from Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Leicester, Nottingham, Newark and Lincoln. For visitors coming from the continent, the overnight P&O ferries from Rotterdam are met at the dock by buses to Hull transport interchange, and there are convenient KLM air services from Amsterdam Schipol to Humberside airport where taxis can be obtained.
In the event of disruption
At Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes stations, staff are available to help, and customer information screens are also available. Customer information screens are also installed at Healing, Stallingborough and Habrough stations. (FBL is pressing for these to be installed at all the other stations along the line.)
Help points are installed at all stations, East Midlands Railway can also be contacted by telephone on 03457 125 678. If you have the facility, we recommend that you message @EMidsRailway on social media.
In the event of a cancelled service on the Barton line then an accessible replacement bus may be provided. Locations of replacement bus stops can be found on the ‘Station Information’ and ‘Onward Travel Information’ posters at stations. Do bear in mind that the bus could arrive much later than the scheduled time of the train.
Lost property
If personal property is lost on a Barton train then it is handed in at Cleethorpes station where an approach should be made to the TPE staff there for its retrieval. A loss should also be logged on https://missingx.com/.
Bus links
Buses are conveniently available at Barton, Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes railway stations. In Barton, all services call at the Interchange which is adjacent to the station. In Grimsby, stops are located in Bethlehem Street and at the Riverhead Exchange. In Cleethorpes, they are located near the start of the pier.
The main bus services are as follows:
Service 51 from Grimsby to Louth via Holton le Clay, North Thoresby, Ludborough, Utterby and Fotherby.
Service 96 from Barton to Brigg via South Ferriby, Horkstow, Saxby, Bonby, Worlaby, Elsham and Wrawby
Service 250 from Grimsby to Barton via Laceby, Keelby, Ulceby, Wooton, Thornton Curtis and Barrow.
Service 250 and 350 from Barton to Kingston upon Hull via the Humber bridge.
Service 260 from Barton to Barrow, New Holland, Goxhill, Thornton Abbey, East Halton, North Killingholme, South Killingholme and Immingham.
Service 350 from Barton to Scunthorpe via South Ferriby via Winteringham, Winterton and Roxby.
Single fares on the above services, excluding service 96, are capped at £2.50 until 30th November 2024. 'Plus Bus' tickets (when purchased with a rail ticket) offer advantageous fares for rail passengers using buses within Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Hull.
The bus services between Barton Interchange and Hull Paragon Stand 10 run up to three times per hour during much of the day on Mondays to Saturdays. There is also an occasional 255 service which runs between Hull and Wren Kitchens via Barton Interchange. On Sundays and Bank Holidays there are six runs of the 350 route each way. Approximate journey times are Barton-Hull 32 minutes and Barton-Scunthorpe 48 minutes. The service is run jointly by Stagecoach and East Yorkshire Motor Services. The timetables for the Stagecoach bus services can be viewed here.
Connections with P & O ferries
Barton line passengers wishing to sail on the overnight P & O ferries from Hull should take the 250 or 350 bus service from Barton to Hull interchange and change to the 70 bus at stand 3 to the ferry port. This service departs Hull interchange daily at 17:30 to arrive at the ferry terminal at 18:00. The return service departs from the ferry terminal at 08:00 (weekdays) and at 09:00 (weekends and bank holidays), again taking thirty minutes.
Obtaining further information
Printed train and bus timetables are no longer generally available but can be downloaded from the respective operator's web site. As a special service to promote travel by public transport, FBL will print and post some of these in a clearer format upon request to prospective passengers free of charge, although a small donation would of course be appreciated. Public transport information, including maps, can also be obtained from the NELC and NLC web sites, the Tourist Information Centres or by telephoning Traveline (see below). Many local printed maps, leaflets and a guide to the line can also be obtained by post from us in return for two 2nd class stamps.
Train telephone enquiries and sales can be made at any time through National Rail on 03457 48 49 50.
Train Tracker supplies up-to-the-minute train times (e.g. when enquiring about possible delays) using voice recognition prompts on 0871 200 49 50. You can also text your station name to 84950 (but you will be charged for the return message as well as your own).
The East Midlands Railway Helpline number (not for timetable information) during extended office hours is 03457 125 678 (local rate). The British Transport Police control centre at Leeds can be contacted on 0800 40 50 40.
In the event of complaints unresolved with the train operating company concerned you can take the matter further by writing to Passenger Focus at PO Box 4257, Manchester, M60 3AR (tel: 08453 022 022; fax: 0845 850 1392; textphone: 0845 850 1354).
For taxi information visit Traintaxi.
Other useful telephone contacts:
Barton Tourist Information Centre
01652 631500
Brigg Tourist Information Centre
01652 657053
Cleethorpes Tourist Information Centre
01472 323111
Hull Tourist Information Centre
01482 223559
Traveline (calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras)
0871 200 22 33
TransPennine Trains (was TransPennine Express)
0845 600 1671
Northern Trains
0800 200 6060
First Hull Trains
08450 710 222
East Coast trains
08457 225 225
Network Rail Helpline
08457 11 41 41
Crimestoppers
0800 555 111
East Yorkshire Motor Services
01482 592929 / 01482 327142
Stagecoach
0845 605 0 605
Hornsbys
01724 282255
Just Go (NLC demand-responsive service run by EYMS)
01482 592959
Finally a wealth of further information can be found on our Useful Links page.