The original station at Grantham,
Old Wharf, was opened when the
Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston and Eastern Junction Railway opened its line from Nottingham on 15 July 1850. This line was taken over by the
Great Northern Railway (GNR) in 1854. This was replaced by the present station which opened on 1 August 1852; the Old Wharf station closed the following day. The new station was on the GNR's direct line between Peterborough and (the
Towns Line), which was completed in 1852. The alternative route via and (the
Fens Loop Line) had already opened in 1850. The
Boston, Sleaford and Midland Counties Railway opened their line from
Barkston Junction, north of Grantham, to in 1857 and on to Boston in 1859. This railway was taken over by the GNR in 1864. The Grantham to Lincoln line, which branched off the Sleaford line at , was opened in 1867. Finally, the
Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Railway was opened in 1879. This ran from and in the south, through
Melton Mowbray to Nottingham and Newark in the north, crossing the Grantham to Nottingham line near . The GNR operated a Grantham to Leicester service via this route. In 1937, the LNER announced that they planned to lengthen the
down platform. At long, it was too short to accommodate the increasing length of the main line express trains and the work would extend it to . At the same time, the whole platform length was to be raised to a standard height of and a new awning over the platform opposite the station buildings would be added.
Accidents and incidents Two train crashes have occurred at Grantham: • 7 July 1898: The 9.25pm up express from Manchester collided with a goods engine which was crossing from the up sidings to the down main line. Six passengers, the guard and both drivers were slightly injured. • 19 September 1906: the
Grantham rail crash, where a sleeper train was derailed after overrunning signals and passing through the station at excessive speed. Fourteen people were killed and seventeen were injured. The early life of the station was marred by some unfortunate accidents to individuals: • On 25 July 1868, William Collins, a GNR cleaner, was run over by a guard's van and killed. • On 4 November 1868, John Boswell, aged 80, was walking along the line near the station when he was killed by a down train. • On 23 May 1873, Thomas Robinson, a GNR engine driver, was struck fatally by a ballast-engine whilst crossing the yard at the station. • On 12 March 1887, Eli Addlesee, a driver, was killed by some wagons being shunted in the station. • On 27 November 1898, John William Frisby, a GNR shunter, was killed whilst crossing the line near to the station. ==Layout==