Marston Vale line

The Marston Vale line is the line between Bletchley and Bedford in England, a surviving remnant of the former Varsity Line between Oxford and Cambridge, most of which was closed in the late 1960s. The line is sponsored by the Marston Vale community rail partnership. The line is to be adopted and upgraded as part of East West Rail, a project underway to re-establish the Oxford–Cambridge route.

Marston Vale line
London Northwestern Railway unit 230004 approaching Ridgmont station
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Buckinghamshire (South East England) Bedfordshire (East of England)
Termini	Bedford Bletchley
Stations	12
Service
Type	Heavy rail
System	National Rail
Operator(s)	London Northwestern Railway
Rolling stock	Class 150
Technical
Line length	about 16.5 miles (27 km)[lower-alpha 1]
Number of tracks	1–2
Character	Rural
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	None
Operating speed	60 mph (97 km/h)
Route map (Click to expand)

v t e Marston Vale line
Legend
Varsity Line to Oxford Swanbourne Siding West Coast Main Line to Euston Bletchley Flyover 0 mi 4 ch 0.08 km Bletchley West Coast Main Line to Milton Keynes Cent. Bletchley TMD 1 mi 5 ch 1.71 km Fenny Stratford Grand Union Canal 2 mi 5 ch 3.32 km Bow Brickhill 4 mi 8 ch 6.6 km Woburn Sands 5 mi 4 ch 8.13 km Aspley Guise Husborne Crawley 6 mi 59 ch 10.84 km Ridgmont 8 mi 49 ch 13.86 km Lidlington 10 mi 5 ch 16.19 km Millbrook 11 mi 17 ch 18.04 km Stewartby Wootton Broadmead 12 mi 76 ch 20.84 km Kempston Hardwick Kempston & Elstow Midland Main Line to St Pancras Bedford–Hitchin line to Hitchin 16 mi 5 ch 25.85 km Bedford St Johns Bedford St Johns (former) 16 mi 55 ch 26.86 km Bedford Midland Main Line to Leicester Varsity Line to Cambridge

History

Bedford and London and Birmingham Railway Act 1845
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act for making a Railway from the Town of Bedford to join the London and Birmingham Railway near Bletchley in the County of Buckingham.
Citation	8 & 9 Vict. c. xliii
Dates
Royal assent	30 June 1845

The line was authorised by the Bedford and London and Birmingham Railway Act 1845 (8 & 9 Vict. c. xliii), and opened in 1846 by the London and Birmingham Railway, though the L&B merged with the Grand Junction Railway to become the London and North Western Railway whilst construction was ongoing – the LNWR ran it from its opening.^[2] The line later became part of the cross-country Varsity line from Oxford Rewley Road to Cambridge (opened in stages between 1854 and 1862). Much of the line was built on land owned by the 7th Duke of Bedford, who supported the line but insisted that any station on his estate (Fenny Stratford, Woburn Sands, Ridgmont and Millbrook) be constructed in half-timbered style.^[3]

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.

Silverlink operated the line from privatisation in 1996 until 2007. Services were initially in the hands of a mixture of heritage slam-door diesel multiple units formed of 2-car Class 117 and single-car Class 121 units until replacement with 150/1s trains inherited from Central Trains.

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 London Northwestern Railway (LNR). An hourly service operates in each direction Monday–Saturday.

The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 18, SRS 18.12 and is classified as a rural line.^[7] It is one of a number of British railway lines that is covered by a Community Rail Partnership, in this case known as the Marston Vale Community Rail Partnership. Like other Community Rail Partnerships around the country, the Partnership aims to increase use of the line by getting local people involved with their local line. They do this by various means, such as holding community events, running special train services, and publicising the line locally.

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

Main article: 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, Silverlink Trains announced an intention to extend the Marston Vale service via the West Coast Main Line to Milton Keynes Central, where a new platform and track would be built alongside the up slow track. Work began on 4 December 2006 at the station to prepare for a service connection.^[19][20] The platform was ready for use in January 2009 but the service did not materialise and there are no longer any published plans for it to do so. A firm service pattern on East West Rail remains to be announced but the illustrative pattern has no Bedford–Milton Keynes Central service; passengers will continue to have to change at Bletchley. There is no east-to-north chord between this line and the WCML: as of December 2020^[update], the route the chord might take is occupied by trade outlets and a warehouse.^{[lower-alpha 2]}

See also

v t e Stations in and around Milton Keynes
Legend
West Coast Main Line towards Glasgow Central Northampton loop to Northampton Roade Bedford–Northampton line towards Northampton Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway Salcey Forest Hanslope Junction Castlethorpe Olney Wolverton and Stony Stratford Tramway towards Bedford Deanshanger Old Stratford Wolverton–Newport Pagnell line Stony Stratford Newport Pagnell Wolverton Works Great Linford Wolverton Bradwell East West Rail / Marston Vale line to Bedford Woburn Sands Milton Keynes Central Bow Brickhill Denbigh Hall Fenny Stratford Bletchley TMD Bletchley with planned high-level platforms former Varsity Line / planned East West Rail to Oxford Bletchley Flyover Leighton Buzzard West Coast Main Line towards Euston

v t e Railways in Bedfordshire
Legend
Midland Main Line to Kettering & Leicester Northampton & Peterborough Rly to Stamford & Peterborough Northampton–Market Harborough line to Market Harborough Wellingborough Brixworth Ditchford Spratton Wellingborough London Road Pitsford and Brampton Rushden Northampton and Lamport Railway Rushden, Higham & Wellingboro' Rly Boughton Higham Ferrers Northampton loop to Rugby via Long Buckby Irchester Northampton Castle Ashby & Earls Barton Northampton St. John's Street Billing Northampton Bridge Street Sharnbrook Tunnel West Coast Main Line to Rugby via Stowe Hill tunnel Hunsbury Hill Tunnel Blisworth Sharnbrook Roade Geismar Depot Tiffield Piddington Stoke Bruern Salcey Forest Towcester East & West Jct Rly to Fenny Compton & Stratford Olney Northampton & Banbury Jct Rly to Banbury Merton Street Turvey Castlethorpe Newport Pagnell Oakley Great Linford Wolverton works │ Bradwell Wolverton Wolverton & Stony Stratford Tramway Stony Stratford Old Stratford East Coast Main Line to Huntingdon & Peterborough Deanshanger Varsity Line to Cambridge Milton Keynes Central Sandy Bedford East Coast Main Line to Hitchin & London King's Cross Bedford Gas Company Girtford Halt River Ivel Blunham Bedford Cauldwell Walk depot Willington Bedford St Johns Kempston and Elstow Halt Bedford St Johns (former) Kempston Hardwick Cardington Wootton Broadmead Halt Southill Forders (Stewartby) Shefford Stewartby Henlow Camp Millbrook Bedford–Hitchin line to Hitchin & London King's Cross Lidlington Ridgmont Lafarge Stone Terminal Husborne Crawley Halt Wixams Aspley Guise Ampthill Woburn Sands Flitwick Bow Brickhill Harlington Fenny Stratford Midland Main Line to Luton & London St Pancras Leagrave Bletchley West Coast Main Line to Leighton Buzzard & London Euston Newton Longville Newton Longville landfill Varsity Line (East West Rail) to Oxford

v t e Stations around Bedford
Legend
Midland Main Line Bedford Bedford station sidings River Great Ouse Bedford Cauldwell Walk depot Bedford St Johns Bedford St Johns (former) Varsity Line Bedford–Hitchin line Marston Vale line Midland Main Line

• Marston Vale

Footnotes

1. more precisely, 16 miles 51 chains (16.64 mi; 26.78 km).^[1]
2. on Third Avenue and James Way, Denbigh West (52.0009,-0.7343)

References

1. Engineer's Line References: Bletchley south junction to Bedford RailwayCodes.org
2. "Bedford Railway"Disused Stations Site Record; Retrieved 7 September 2016
3. Wade-Matthews, Max (2000). Classic Railway Journeys of the West. London: Lorenz Books. pp. 82–83. ISBN 0-7548-0624-3.
4. Central Publicity Unit 1979, p. 0.
5. Central Publicity Unit 1979, p. 2.
6. Central Publicity Unit 1979, p. 8.
7. "Route 18 – West Coast Main Line" (PDF). Network Rail. 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
8. "New Marston Vale livery revealed as contract for new trains is signed". 22 August 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
9. "Vivarail official statement – Marston Vale line". Vivarail. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
10. "All Vivarail sets delivered for Marston Vale line". therailwayhub.co.uk.
11. "First Class 230 begins passenger services between Bletchley and Bedford". West Midlands Trains. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
12. "Marston Vale Line: Hourly timetable has now resumed". London Northwestern Railway. 20 February 2024.
13. "Marston Vale Line trains not returning until autumn, says LNR". BBC News. 15 April 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
14. "Class 150s for Marston Vale… but not until 2024?". Rail Magazine. No. 977. 22 February 2023. p. 16.
15. "Bletchley to Bedford | Timetable from Monday 20 November 2023". London Northwestern Railway.
16. "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.
17. Wilson, Mark (19 February 2024). "Marston Vale Line sees Full Timetable Restored". Rail Advent. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
18. "East West Rail Grip Stage 2 Report, Section 5.1" (PDF). p. 38. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 September 2008.
19. "UK transport news, data and jobs". Transport Briefing. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007.
20. "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.

External links

• Marston Vale Community Rail Partnership
• East West Rail Link consortium

52.02249°N 0.61478°W / 52.02249; -0.61478