Villagers send petition in fury at cuts to train services to Langwith

The petition, signed by more than 600 residents, urges Transport Secretary Mark Harper to back the villagers’ campaign to have their “vital” Robin Hood Line train services reinstated.

The petition was launched up by Nether Langwith Parish Council after East Midlands Railway, which operates services on the Robin Hood Line between Nottingham and Worksop, via Sutton, Kirkby, Mansfield and Shirebrook, announced half of the route’s stops at Langwith-Whaley Thorns and Whitwell would be dropped.

Since May, EMR has operated alternate hourly calls to the two stops, which were chosen as the places with “lowest customer demand”, following a service survey.

EMR said the timetable changes were to increase the overall service’s punctuality.

However, a number of residents who signed the petition said the reduced service would cause more reliance on car use and create issues for those without cars to go to work and school or college.

One resident said: “When the government talks about levelling up, it seems like we’ve been levelled down.

“We're a rural community, on the edge of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, and seem to fall between two stalls, but we don't seem to get any investment whatsoever.

“The one thing we did have that was a massive bonus to us was having that train that could take people into Mansfield or Nottingham.

“At the end of the day, if they say not enough people use it and halve the services, then less people are going to use it, which would lead me to believe the next time EMR does a service survey, it will be that we won't have the Robin Hood Line at all.”

Coun Matthew Evans, Nether Langwith Parish Council chairman, said: “I want to thank the residents who joined me in signing my petition to ask Transport Secretary Mark Harper to work with us to reverse the decision made by EMR to remove services on the Robin Hood Line.

“I have met with Brendan Clarke-Smith, Bassetlaw MP, who supports our campaign and is actively campaigning to extend the Robin Hood Line to Retford, opening up new opportunities for residents.

“I will also be asking Mr Harper to meet with myself and local residents to discuss retaining this vital service for our local communities.”

An EMR spokeswoman said: “We understand the decision to introduce alternate hourly calls at Whitwell and Langwith-Whaley Thorns has come as a disappointment to local residents, but believe it is in the best interests of the line as a whole, including our aspiration to return to two trains per hour on the Robin Hood Line throughout the day.

“We will continue to work with the wider rail industry to find solutions to the longer-term challenges which would enable enhancements to the current timetable.”