This line ran from Sheffield, through Retford, Torksey, Lincoln and Market Rasen before reaching Barnetby – then on to Grimsby.

A year later, the section of route between Gainsborough and Barnetby was opened, establishing the village's future as a railway centre.

The most important connection – and still is to this day - was the building of the Trent, Ancholme and Grimsby Railway in 1866 – through the steel town of Scunthorpe.

As well as developing Grimsby, the company invested heavily in Immingham Docks was unique among the Humber ports in that a deep water channel made easy access for ships at all states of the tide.

This suited the GCR as one of its chief flows of traffic was coal from the South Yorkshire and East Midlands coal-fields.

were demolished in the late 1980s and replaced by shelters, but the main building next to the footbridge still stands (it is used as office accommodation by Network Rail).

During World War II, Barnetby served as the railhead used for nearby RAF Elsham Wolds, a bomber base.

Australian Don Charlwood, in his memoir, "No Moon Tonight," writes movingly of standing on the platform with 20 other young men, part of four newly arrived crews for RAF bombers flying night raids on Germany from Elsham Wolds.

There are waiting shelters on each island platform (but no other permanent buildings), along with customer help points, digital information screens and timetable poster boards.

[5] Services at the station are operated by East Midlands Railway, Northern Trains and TransPennine Express.