Marston Vale line

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.

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.^[13] 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".^[14] 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;^[13] 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]}

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.

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.

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.^[b]

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       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

• Central Publicity Unit (1979). Railway Electrification. British Railways Board [Winter, 1979]. pp. 0–2, 8.

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

52°01′21″N 0°36′53″W / 52.02249°N 0.61478°W / 52.02249; -0.61478