The Kirkstead and Little Steeping Railway, locally known as the New Line, was a railway line in England built to shorten the route between Lincoln and Firsby in Lincolnshire, England.
It was built by the Great Northern Railway (GNR), and opened as a double track line in 1913. It was authorised under a Light Railway Order, which simplified the legal process. Long distance holiday and excursion passenger trains to the east coast resports were routed over the line, which also carried an ordinary rural passenger and goods service.
In 1915 the line was closed and the materials from one track were lifted and sent to France for tactical use there. The track was reinstated and normal operation was resumed in 1923.
When the direct line from Lincoln to Boston was closed east of Coningsby Junction in 1960, some Lincoln stopping trains ran to Coningsby to terminate their journeys. The New Line itself was closed on 5 October 1970.
Before the New Line
In 1848 the Great Northern Railway opened two main lines: part of its Loop Line (or Lincolnshire Loop) from Boston to Lincoln, and the East Lincolnshire Line from Boston to Grimsby. The GNR leased the East Lincolnshire Line from the owning company. From the 1860s seaside holidays and excursions became increasingly popular, and a nominally independent branch line was opened from Firsby to Skegness in 1873. Mablethorpe was connected to the East Lincolnshire Line at Louth in 1877 and additionally at Willoughby further south, in 1888. The railway connections encouraged the huge popularity of the seaside, and the towns and the railways did excellent business in the season.
The approach to Skegness and Mablethorpe from the Midlands was rather circuitous, involving a sweep through Boston, reversing there in the case of trains running via Lincoln.
Demand for a quicker route
Although the GNR thought it had treated Skegness well, the Town Council approached the GNR chairman in November 1910, asking for a better passenger train service from Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds. They suggested a new line from Spilsby to or through Horncastle, shortening the journey to Lincoln and beyond. They said they would ask the Midland Railway, which ran to Lincoln from Nottingham, for help if the GNR would not do something. The GNR board undertook to investigate an alternative new line, and promised improved services. In the summer of 1911, the long-distance trains were indeed improved and accelerated.
In April, the Board noted that a light railway from Kirkstead to Little Steeping would give a more direct route from the north, Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln, avoiding the Boston reversal. The estimated cost was £207,164; the board approved this scheme. The Light Railway Commissioners held an inquiry at Boston on 18 July, and granted the order, and this was confirmed on 27 December 1911. The light railway authorisation did not impose any particular restrictions on the operation of the line when completed, but merely streamlined the legal authorisation process in non-controversial situations.
No time was lost in getting on with the construction of the line. A tender from a Mr Arnold for the earthworks and track in the amount of £93,993 was accepted in February 1912. McKenzie and Holland supplied the signals.
Opening
The line was 15 miles in length; it was built as a double line. It opened for all traffic on 1 July 1913. There were stations at Coningsby, Tumby Woodside, New Bolingbroke, Stickney and Midville. In summer through carriages from Manchester and Sheffield, and the Leeds train, were diverted to the new route, besides services to Sutton-on-Sea and Mablethorpe. Local traffic was always slight, usually four trains each way daily between Lincoln and Skegness. It was immediately dubbed "The New Line" by railwaymen, and so it remained for all its life.
World War I
During World War I heavy holiday traffic continued to the Lincolnshire coastal resorts in the 1915 and 1916 summers. The Kirkstead and Little Steeping line was less than two years old, and its passenger service was reduced to two each way by May 1915, but a daily Lincoln-Skegness through train continued throughout the war.