Editing Lincolnshire (section)

===Railways: history and present day===
The low population density of the county means there are few railway stations and train services, considering the county's large area. Many of the county's railway stations were permanently closed following the [[Beeching cuts|Beeching Report]] of 1963. The most notable reopening has been the line and two stations between Lincoln and [[Sleaford]], which reopened within months of the Beeching closure. Most other closed lines in the county were lifted long ago and much of the trackbed has returned to agricultural use.

Prior to 1970, a through train service operated between [[Cleethorpes railway station|Cleethorpes]] and [[London King's Cross railway station|London King's Cross]] via [[Louth railway station|Louth]], [[Boston railway station|Boston]] and [[Peterborough railway station|Peterborough]]. The part of this line in Grimsby is now the [[A16 road (England)|A16 road]], preventing reinstatement as a railway line, and a small section of the line is now the [[Lincolnshire Wolds Railway]], with an extension towards Louth in progress.

A daily through train service operated between Cleethorpes and London King's Cross via [[Grimsby railway station|Grimsby]], [[Market Rasen railway station|Market Rasen]] and [[Lincoln railway station|Lincoln Central]] until the late 1980s. The ''Humberlincs Executive'', as the service was known, was operated by an [[InterCity 125]], but was discontinued following the electrification of the [[East Coast Main Line]]. Passengers to/from London now have to change trains at [[Newark North Gate railway station|Newark North Gate]]. However, the East Coast Main Line passes through the western edge of the county and one can catch direct trains to London from [[Grantham railway station|Grantham]].
[[File:Lincsroad.jpg|thumb|A rural road in Lincolnshire]]

Most rail services are currently operated by [[East Midlands Railway]] and [[Northern Trains]]. [[London North Eastern Railway]] (LNER), [[Hull Trains]] and [[CrossCountry]] have services which pass through the county, with LNER trains frequently passing and stopping at Grantham, on the East Coast Main Line and a service every other hour to [[Lincoln railway station|Lincoln]], while CrossCountry trains stop at Stamford on their way between [[Birmingham New Street railway station|Birmingham]] and [[Stansted Airport railway station|Stansted Airport]]. Stations along the Humber are served by [[TransPennine Express]] services between [[Manchester Airport railway station|Manchester Airport]] and Cleethorpes. One of the most infrequent services in the UK is in Lincolnshire: the [[Sheffield railway station|Sheffield]]-[[Gainsborough Central railway station|Gainsborough Central]]-Cleethorpes line has passenger trains only on a Saturday, with three trains in both directions. This line is, however, used for freight. Hull Trains also stops at Grantham before continuing its journey to either Kings Cross or Hull.

On 22 May 2011, [[East Coast (train operating company)|East Coast]] started a Lincoln-London service, initially one train a day each way, and there is a northbound service on a Sunday. This was increased in 2019 to a service every two hours. East Midlands Railway also run a daily (Mon-Sat) service each way between Lincoln and [[St Pancras railway station|London St Pancras]], though this is a stopping service which takes around three hours via [[Nottingham railway station|Nottingham]], compared to LNER's service to London King's Cross which takes around 1 hour 50 minutes.