Milton Keynes Central railway station
Milton Keynes Central London Northwestern Railway | |
---|---|
Line(s) | West Coast Main Line |
Platforms | 7 (numbered 1–2, 2A, 3–6) |
Construction | |
Accessible | Lifts to platforms, step up to trains |
Other information | |
Station code | MKC |
Classification | DfT category B |
History | |
Original company | British Rail |
Key dates | |
17 May 1982 | Opened |
29 December 2008 | Platforms 2A and 6 added |
Passengers | |
2018/19 | 7.039 million |
Interchange | 0.469 million |
2019/20 | 6.936 million |
Interchange | 0.470 million |
2020/21 | 1.207 million |
Interchange | 68,926 |
2021/22 | 4.239 million |
Interchange | 0.227 million |
2022/23 | 4.510 million |
Interchange | 0.190 million |
Location | |
Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
Milton Keynes Central railway station serves Milton Keynes and surrounding parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire (England). The station is located on the West Coast Main Line about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of London. The station is served by Avanti West Coast intercity services, and by West Midlands Trains regional services.
This is the principal station for the city, one of seven serving the Milton Keynes urban area.[a] Milton Keynes Central, which opened on 17 May 1982,[1] is by far the busiest and most important of these, as well as being the largest in terms of platforms in use, having overtaken Bletchley when platforms 2A and 6 became operational.
History and development
A new station for Milton Keynes
A new station to delimit the western end of the new central business district of Milton Keynes was a key objective for Milton Keynes Development Corporation (MKDC).[2] In the cash-strapped circumstances of the 1960s and 1970s, British Rail (BR) was unenthusiastic but eventually came round after a deal was done in 1978 on cost sharing.[2][3] In 1979, MKDC architect Stuart Mosscrop designed the station building and office blocks to either side,[2] framing a new Station Square and the vista uphill along Midsummer Boulevard (and the midsummer sunrise).[4]
Opening
The station opened on 14 May 1982, with an official opening by
2006–08 developments
In May 2006, the Department of Transport announced a plan to upgrade the station.
Platforms and layout
Milton Keynes Central has a total of seven platforms. Platforms 1 and 3 are the south and northbound slow platforms,[8] while 4 and 6 are the south and northbound fast platforms.[8] Platforms 2 and 5 are reversible, being slow and fast respectively.[8] Platform 2 is used mainly by terminating stopping services from London Euston, whilst platforms 1 and 3 are used by West Midlands Trains services between Euston and Northampton, Birmingham New Street or Crewe.[8] Platforms 4, 5 and 6 are used by Avanti West Coast inter-city express services between London and the West Midlands, north Wales, the north-west or Scotland.[8]
Platform 2A is a five-car south-facing bay platform,
The station is generally accessible: there are no unavoidable steps and there are lifts from the concourse to each platform.[9] As with all mainline railway stations, passengers with mobility limitations may need to pre-book assistance to get from the platform to the train.[10] Ticket gates are in operation.
Local facilities and interchange
The station building has a shop and café. There are other shops and restaurants on the south side of the station square. There are a number of hotels on Midsummer Boulevard (which begins opposite the station and leads up into the central business district).
The station forecourt is the terminus or key intermediate destination for many bus services; almost all
Stagecoach East operate four major long-distance
The
Also in the station forecourt, there is a taxi rank (to the left on exit) and a pick-up space for
The station square itself is a favourite site for
Services
Current services
London Northwestern Railway
Milton Keynes Central is a principal start and terminus for
- 1 tph to Crewe via Rugby and Stafford[20]
- 2 tph to Birmingham New Street via Northampton and Coventry[21]
- 5 tph to London Euston, of which 2 are stopping services, 2 call at Bletchley, Leighton Buzzard and Watford Junctiononly, and 1 is non-stop to London.
Avanti West Coast
Many Avanti West Coast inter-city services call here, with three calls an hour in each direction off-peak on weekdays:[22]
- 3 tph to London Euston, fast
- 1 tph to Liverpool Lime Street, calling at Crewe and Runcorn
- 1 tph to
- 1 tph to Preston via Birmingham New Street, extending alternately to Edinburgh Waverley or Glasgow Central. 2 trains per day run to Blackpool North instead of Glasgow Central.
Future services
East West Rail
From 2025, services are planned to operate (over a rebuilt
Former services
Connex South Central
In June 1997,
It was cut back to terminate at Milton Keynes in December 2000 before being withdrawn in May 2002 due to capacity constraints on the West Coast Main Line while the latter was being upgraded.Southern
Service summary
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Terminus | London Northwestern Railway WCML London commuter services | |||
London Northwestern Railway Birmingham–Northampton–London | ||||
London Euston |
||||
Avanti West Coast WCML Manchester–London | ||||
Avanti West Coast WCML Liverpool–London | ||||
Avanti West Coast WCML Glasgow/Edinburgh/Blackpool–Birmingham–London | ||||
Future services | ||||
Terminus | East West Rail Milton Keynes Central – Oxford |
Bletchley | ||
Previous services | ||||
Terminus | Bletchley |
Location
Stations in and around Milton Keynes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The station is at the western end of
In film
The station and its plaza were used in the 1987 movie Superman IV: The Quest for Peace as a substitute for the United Nations building. Other scenes were shot in the Central Milton Keynes area.[33][34]
References
- ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- ^ ISBN 0906782724., page 133–136
- ^ "No station for Milton Keynes". Railway Gazette International. No. February 1969. p. 121.
- ISBN 978-0-904847-34-5. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ISSN 0033-8923.
- ^ a b c West Coast Main Line: Progress Report – May 2006 Archived 6 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Oxford-Cambridge Varsity Line reopening proposals gather steam". Rail Technology Magazine. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Rail Accident Investigation Branch (2010). Special Investigation: RAIB review of the railway industry's investigation of an irregular signal sequence at Milton Keynes, 29 December 2008 (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Milton Keynes Central (MKC): Accessibility and mobility access". nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Information for disabled passengers". National Rail. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ Network Rail; London Northwestern Railway (July 2018). "Milton Keynes Central Station: Onward Travel Information" (PDF). Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "MK bus routes map" (PDF). Milton Keynes Council. August 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Timetables and routes". Milton Keynes Council. November 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "99 Bus Route & Timetable: Luton Airport - Milton Keynes". Stagecoach. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
- ^ Helen Thakrar (June 2018). "New redway map pinpoints pedallable culture". pedallingculture.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ "Milton Keynes parking map" (PDF). Milton Keynes Council. July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "sk8m8 : Sk8MK Skate Plaza – Milton Keynes". sk8m8.com.
- ^ "Best practice don't repel the borders". Local Government Chronicle. 19 April 2006. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- ^ GB National Rail Timetable December 2022 – May 2023, Tables 66 & 67
- ^ "Timetable | Crewe to London via Nuneaton | 21 May to 9 December 2023". London Northwestern Railway. 21 May 2023.
- ^ "Timetable | London Euston-Milton Keynes Central-Northampton-Birmingham New Street | 21 May to 9 December 2023". London Northwestern Railway. 21 May 2023.
- ^ GB National Rail Timetable December 2022 – May 2023, Table 65
- ^ "Chancellor accepts East West Rail targets and strengthens plans with extra cash". www.railtechnologymagazine.com. 22 November 2017.
- ^ "Transport Secretary officially launches East West Railway Company at Bletchley Park" (Press release). East West Rail Co. 22 November 2017.
- ^ "'A landmark moment': Consortium delight as 'central section' route is announced" (Press release). East West Rail Co. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ Whitehead, Martin (1 October 2019). Network Rail (East West Rail Bicester to Bedford improvements) order 201[ ]; application for deemed planning permission; applications for listed building consent (PDF) (Report). Department for Transport (published 3 February 2020). Retrieved 19 February 2020. (Inspector's report) page 26
- Rail Magazine. No. 305. 21 May 1997. p. 10.
- Rail Express. No. 15. August 1997. p. 7.
- ^ New Timetable means more services to and from Euston Network Rail 14 December 2008
- ^ "Southern extends to Milton Keynes". The Railway Magazine. No. 1296. April 2009. p. 10.
- ^ Changes to National Rail Timetable National Rail 15 May 2022
- ^ "Engineer's Line References: London Euston to Crewe Line | London Euston to Rugby Trent Valley Junction". RailwayCodes.org. 18 October 2019.
- ^ "Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987)". movie-locations.com.
- ^ "Superman IV (1987)". british-film-locations.com.
Notes
- ^ The others are Wolverton (north-west Milton Keynes), Bletchley (south-west Milton Keynes), Fenny Stratford (also south-west Milton Keynes), Bow Brickhill (south-east Milton Keynes), Woburn Sands and Aspley Guise (both in the far south-east of the built-up area)
External links
- Train times and station information for Milton Keynes Central railway station from National Rail
- Pendolino rounds Wolverton bend before coming to a stop at Milton Keynes Central