A NEW Saturday train service running direct from Sheffield could prove a lifeline for businesses in Cleethorpes.
Traders have reported a drop in takings since the Doncaster to Cleethorpes line was disturbed by a landslip at Hatfield in February.
With repairs ongoing, passengers travelling to and from the resort currently have to transfer to coaches for parts of their journey.
But First TransPennine Express has announced that from the end of May a Saturday service will run directly from Sheffield on the Brigg line – providing a welcome boost for the resort.
Owen Taylor, managing director of Taylor Made Fun, said: "The lack of trains has added to the cocktail of bad weather and the poor economy over the last few months.
"This isn't the perfect solution but it will definitely help with weekend trade and bringing more day trippers back into the resort."
Cleethorpes MP Martin Vickers welcomed the news, but said much more needs to be done.
He said: "A skeleton service of at least one daily service is the very least we should be aiming for and I will continue to lobby for that.
"Transpennine has told me that they are losing 10,000 passengers into Cleethorpes a month and 7,200 of those are leisure journeys.
"That is a huge amount of spending power from tourists who are vital to the local economy."
Karen Webb-Meek, from In The Pink Jewellery, said her staff have been avoiding making journeys while the line has been blocked.
She added: "The sooner the full service can get back up and running the better. This has hit the resort hard."
Melanie Tillett, chairman of the Seaview Street and Cleethorpes Traders' Association, said it was "great news".
She added: "It's great there will be a train running again. Not everyone wants to get on a coach."
FTPE managing director Nick Donovan said: "We know how important tourism is to the resort and we have worked hard to ensure that we are able to bring as many day trippers and holidaymakers into the resort as possible."
First TransPennine Express managing director Nick Donovan said: "We are delighted that from the end of May we are able to offer a Saturday rail service between Sheffield and Cleethorpes. We know how important tourism is to the historic resort of Cleethorpes and we have worked hard to ensure that we are able to bring as many day trippers and holiday makers into the resort as possible. "Network Rail are working as quickly as possible to restore a normal train service through Hatfield and Stainforth, although this is a challenging and time consuming task. We have therefore trained our drivers, had our trains cleared for use and found an opportunity to run a train via a different route. "This is great news for passengers and Cleethorpes and we hope our 2 4 1 offer will also attract more people into the resort. "We will of course be continuing to operate our 40 replacement bus services and will continue to provide additional staff at stations. My team is also looking forward to meeting representatives from Cleethorpes council to discuss how we can support the marketing and promotion of this great British seaside town."