The new Castle Line timetable starts on Monday

Rail passengers in Newark Castle and Nottingham can look forward to extra services and quicker journeys from Monday 18 May with the launch of the new Castle Line timetable. As announced by East Midlands Trains in September 2014, services between Nottingham, Newark Castle and Lincoln Central are being significantly improved following more than £2million of local and government funding. Passengers will enjoy:

• Additional 25 trains every weekday between Nottingham and Newark Castle
• Faster journey times on the majority of services to Lincoln
• Majority of the current Matlock to Nottingham services extended through to Newark Castle
• More trains for all stations, with intermediate stations enjoying more weekday services than ever before

The increase in services is a further boost to the economy and communities of the region and is perfectly timed to support the opening of the Newark’s National Civil War Centre, as well as the nation’s celebrations of the 800^th anniversary of Magna Carta and the reopening of Lincoln Castle following a £22million investment. The timetable improvements by East Midlands Trains have been developed and funded in partnership with the Department for Transport, Nottinghamshire County Council, Lincolnshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, City of Lincoln Council, Newark & Sherwood District Council, Newark Business Club, North Kesteven District Council, Gedling Borough Council as well as the Local Enterprise Partnerships for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire (D2N2) and Lincolnshire. Simon Taylor, Head of Network Development for East Midlands Trains, said: “I am absolutely delighted that we are introducing our new and much improved services for the communities and businesses along the Castle Line. “The new services are a particular boost to the smaller, intermediate stations along the route as many of them will now have more services than they have ever had in more than a century. This is a real boost for the region and we are over the moon to have worked closely with so many partners and supporters to make this happen. “However, we are far from complacent and know there is still more we can do to improve services for the Castle Line and we will continue to work hard, with our partners, to make further improvements.” Jennifer Spencer, Chief Executive, Experience Nottinghamshire, added: “We’re already seeing an increase in visitors to Newark thanks to the opening of the National Civil War Centre, and we’ll be encouraging visitors to travel by rail thanks to the very timely launch of the Castle Line. The line is iconic, linking three great castles and destinations, and is also well placed for planned improvements at Nottingham Castle.” The new timetable is available on www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk Photo (l-r): Jennifer Spencer of Experience Nottinghamshire, Lilian Greenwood MP for Nottingham South, Sheriff of Nottingham Councillor Jackie Morris, Sarah Turner, Route Manager for East Midlands Trains, King John and Robin Hood.