Marston Vale Line

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Marston Vale Line
m-ch (km)
exLUECKE
 Former Varsity Line to Oxford 
xENDEa
Swanbourne Siding
HLUECKE KRZo HSTR STRlg
 West Coast Main Line to London Euston 
ABZlf STRlg BHF
0-00 (0.00) Bletchley
ABZrg KRZo ABZrf
STR STRlf ABZlg
STR LUECKE
 West Coast Main Line to Milton Keynes Central 
BHF
1-17 (1.95) Fenny Stratford
BHF
2-09 (3.40) Bow Brickhill
BHF
4-15 (6.75) Woburn Sands
BHF
5-10 (8.25) Aspley Guise
BHF
6-64 (10.95) Ridgmont
BHF
8-56 (14.00) Lidlington
BHF
10-06 (16.20) Millbrook
BHF
11-22 (18.15) Stewartby
BHF
13-00 (20.90) Kempston Hardwick
HLUECKE KRZu HSTR STRlg
 Midland Main Line to London St Pancras 
xABZld HHST ABZlg
16-07 (25.90) Bedford St Johns (current site)
exHLUECKE exKRZ exHSTR eABZlg
16-07 (25.90) Bedford to Hitchin Line
exBHF STR
Bedford St Johns (former site)
exSTR BHF
16-67 (27.10) Bedford
exLUECKE STR
former Varsity Line to Cambridge
LUECKE
Midland Main Line

The Marston Vale Line (Network Rail route MD 140) is the railway line from Bletchley to Bedford in England. It is one of two passenger-carrying remnants of the Oxford to Cambridge "Varsity Line".

It was designated by the Department for Transport as a community rail line in November 2006.

Contents

[edit] Operations

As the line is not electrified diesel traction is used on this route.

[edit] Silverlink (1996 to 2007)

Silverlink operated the link from privatisation in 1996 until the franchise renewal in 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 Class 150/1 trains inherited from Central Trains.

[edit] London Midland (From November 2007)

Passenger services are operated by London Midland, using Class 150/1 diesel multiple units. It is planned that operation of the line will be switched to use of Class 153 single-car trains once train-crew training is complete.

[edit] Places Served

The towns and villages served by the line are as follows:

[edit] Re-opening campaign

Main article: Varsity Line

There is a campaign ("The East-West Link") to re-instate the Oxford-Cambridge "Varsity Line", of which the Marston Vale Line is one of the last remaining parts still in use.[1] The campaign's current work concentrates on the section between Bletchley and Oxford. The present status of the line is: from Oxford to Bicester, it is open and in use; from Bicester through Winslow to Bletchley, it is closed but could be reinstated; from Bletchley to Bedford, it is open and in use; and from Bedford to Cambridge, the line has been built over. (see main article for details).

[edit] Extension to Milton Keynes Central

In June 2005, Silverlink announced their intent to extend their service to Milton Keynes Central in 2007 (via the West Coast Main Line), when a new platform with associated track is to be built there (alongside the slow mainline "up" track, mirroring the present arrangement for the "down" side). On 4 December 2006, work began at Milton Keynes Central to prepare for a service connection from the Marston Vale line, with completion scheduled for December 2008.[2][3]

A further increase in service frequency seems likely if the National institute for research into aquatic habitats [4] succeeds in its bid [5] to build the world's largest freshwater aquarium in Stewartby. Additionally, in 2008 Marston Vale made the shortlist of 15 potential locations for the building of 10 new "eco towns" in England. If this goes ahead, it will involve the construction of 15,000 new homes in the vale, in addition to the several thousand already authorised.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/reports/documents/GRIPStage2Report.pdf 5.1 p38
  2. ^ Transport Briefing — UK transport news, data and jobs
  3. ^ http://www.mk-news.co.uk/news/milton%20keynes/2006/dec/6/new%20rail%20platform%20on%20time%20for%202008.lpf
  4. ^ NIRAH
  5. ^ BBC NEWS | UK | England | Beds/Bucks/Herts | Government backs aquarium project

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Railway lines in South-East England:
Eastern  (Kent)
Primary Routes:
Secondary Lines:
Minor/Branch Lines:
Central  (Sussex)
Primary Routes:
Secondary Lines:
Minor/Branch Lines:
Western  (Wessex)
Primary Routes:
Secondary Lines:
Minor/Branch Lines:
Northern  (Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire)
Primary Routes:
Secondary Lines:
Minor/Branch Lines:
v • d • e
Railway lines in the East of England:
InterCity lines:
Main lines:
Commuter lines:
Rural lines: