railways reached lincoln in august 1848, 15 years after the first proposal. the wakefield, lincoln and boston railway hoped to build railways in the area, and negotiated with the proprietors and those of the fosdyke. under the arrangement, they would take over both navigations, and guarantee a fixed income for the proprietors. they would then merge with the london and york railway. both proposals had been absorbed into the great northern railway (gnr) by the time an act of parliament was obtained, but the original agreement was retained, and the gnr leased the witham for 999 years for a payment of £10,545 per year to the proprietors. this figure represented the average profits for the previous three years, plus five per cent. the railway company also agreed to pay the interest on mortgages amounting to £24,692 which the proprietors held, but had redeemed them by 1857. the railway from lincoln to boston ran along the eastern bank of the river, and opened on 17 october 1848.