Butlin's Check-Out Times Could Ease Train Crowds in Skegness

Butlin's in Skegness, a popular holiday destination, could be asked to stagger check-out times at its resort to help ease overcrowding on trains leaving the town. The request comes after passengers travelling to the town on East Midlands Railway (EMR) trains this summer complained of overcrowding in 30C heat. EMR said approaching Butlin's was one of the options being considered, but the holiday park declined to comment.

Speaking to Lincolnshire County Council highways and transport committee, EMR stakeholder engagement manager George Selby said heatwaves had impacted performance in terms of air conditioning units and engine difficulties. Each year the population of Skegness swells from 20,000 to around 250,000, due to tourists visiting the coast. With more than 1,000 rooms, chalets, apartments, lodges and caravans, the Butlin's holiday camp is a popular choice for holidaymakers.

In August, passengers reported standing in corridors and a lack of air conditioning on a train between Nottingham and Skegness, even though it was 30C outside. Selby told the committee that EMR would like to engage with Butlin's to see if there is something they could do around their exit times to avoid a large number of passengers heading to Skegness station at the same time. Installing lockers at Butlin's to encourage travellers to arrive earlier in the day and offering cheaper tickets during off-peak times is also being considered.

Check-out days at Butlin's are Mondays and Fridays and guests can leave up to 12noon. Councillor Kevin Clarke asked if the trains have enough carriages, questioning whether the trains were simply being overloaded. Selby said EMR is running the rolling stock that it has from the Department for Transport and puts on four carriages on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays during the summer, but that this often is not enough and results in overcrowded services.

Paul Collins of Skegness Town Council, who has campaigned for improved services, said varying check-out times is not a new idea. He also said Skegness already has luggage storage. Collins said people have cut short their holidays because they do not want to travel home on the really busy trains or they come over the day before and stay somewhere else before they check-in to Butlin's.

EMR is expected to transfer into public ownership by the end of 2027. In a statement following the meeting, EMR said it provided 8,200 more seats per week on the service during the summer and that the air-conditioning system on the nearly 30-year-old fleet was operating at the maximum capacity available. It said increasing the number of carriages is subject to wider constraints and would require approval from the Department for Transport and Network Rail. The Department for Transport said performance on EMR's Skegness route during the summer fell below the standards passengers rightly expect and that EMR needs to do everything they can to resolve the issues.