Marston Vale line
Marston Vale line | |||
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standard gauge | |||
Electrification | None | ||
Operating speed | 60 mph (97 km/h) | ||
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The Marston Vale line is the line between
History
The line was opened in 1846 by the
The line was threatened in the late 1950s and again in 1964 – though the Bletchley to Oxford and Bedford to Cambridge sections succumbed in December 1967, the Bletchley to Bedford section survived.[2]
In 1977 the Parliamentary Select Committee on Nationalised Industries recommended that electrification of more of Britain's rail network be considered.[4] By 1979 British Rail presented a range of options to do so by 2000,[5] some of which included the Marston Vale line.[6] The proposal was not implemented.
The line was operated by London Midland from 2007 until 2017. They used a mixture of Class 150/1 and Class 153 multiple units, inherited from Silverlink. On 10 December 2017, West Midlands Trains took over the franchise, staff and rolling stock, operating as London Northwestern Railway.
Operation
Passenger services are operated by
The line is part of the
From December 2018 LNR were to introduce Class 230 D-Trains, built by Vivarail, onto the route replacing the Class 150 Sprinters,[8] but the introduction was delayed[9] until 23 April 2019.[10][11] In November 2022, Vivarail, the manufacturers and maintainers of the Class 230, entered administration: consequently LNR introduced a rail replacement bus service from December 2022.[12]
In February 2023, Rail magazine reported that the operator planned to replace the Class 230 fleet with Class 150 DMUs. LNR told BBC News that "due to the unreliable nature of the Class 230 fleet and the short platforms on the route, there are only a limited number of trains in the country suitable for use [...], which has hampered progress".[13] In February 2023, LNR did not expect to receive the 150s until 2024, which is when they were due to be released by Northern Trains;[14] but 2 of the 3 units cascaded from Northern entered service on 20 November 2023 for peak time services, with all day services operating from 19 February 2024.[12][15][16][17]
Infrastructure
Apart from a short length of single track at both ends, the line is double track, and is not electrified. It has a loading gauge of W8 and a line speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h).[7] The line's signalling centre is at Ridgmont.
Proposed developments
East West Rail
The Marston Vale line is one of the two remaining sections of the former Varsity line still in passenger use.[18] The programme aims to reinstate the entire Oxford-Cambridge line, including changes to current Marston Vale line stations.
Extension to Milton Keynes Central
In June 2005, the then franchisee,
See also
Stations in and around Milton Keynes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Stations around Bedford | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Footnotes
- ^ more precisely, 16 miles 51 chains (16.64 mi; 26.78 km).[1]
- ^ on Third Avenue and James Way, Denbigh West (52.0009,-0.7343)
References
- ^ Engineer's Line References: Bletchley south junction to Bedford RailwayCodes.org
- ^ a b "Bedford Railway"Disused Stations Site Record; Retrieved 7 September 2016
- ISBN 0-7548-0624-3.
- ^ Central Publicity Unit 1979, p. 0.
- ^ Central Publicity Unit 1979, p. 2.
- ^ Central Publicity Unit 1979, p. 8.
- ^ a b "Route 18 – West Coast Main Line" (PDF). Network Rail. 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
- ^ "New Marston Vale livery revealed as contract for new trains is signed". 22 August 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
- ^ "Vivarail official statement – Marston Vale line". Vivarail. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
- ^ "All Vivarail sets delivered for Marston Vale line". therailwayhub.co.uk.
- ^ "First Class 230 begins passenger services between Bletchley and Bedford". West Midlands Trains. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
- ^ a b "Marston Vale Line: Hourly timetable has now resumed". London Northwestern Railway. 20 February 2024.
- ^ "Marston Vale Line trains not returning until autumn, says LNR". BBC News. 15 April 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- Rail Magazine. No. 977. 22 February 2023. p. 16.
- ^ "Bletchley to Bedford | Timetable from Monday 20 November 2023". London Northwestern Railway.
- ^ "London Northwestern Railway: Full timetable to resume on Marston Vale Line as £1 tickets launched". London Northwestern Railway. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ Wilson, Mark (19 February 2024). "Marston Vale Line sees Full Timetable Restored". Rail Advent. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "East West Rail Grip Stage 2 Report, Section 5.1" (PDF). p. 38. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 September 2008.
- ^ "UK transport news, data and jobs". Transport Briefing. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007.
- ^ "New Rail Platform on Time for 2008". Milton Keynes News. 6 December 2006.[dead link]
Sources
- Central Publicity Unit (1979). Railway Electrification. British Railways Board [Winter, 1979]. pp. 0–2, 8.