Marston Vale Line
From Freepedia
| Marston Vale Line |
| Principal stations Bletchley |
The Marston Vale Line is the railway line from Bletchley to Bedford. It is the passenger carrying remnant of the Oxford to Cambridge "Varsity Line". The line beyond Bletchley through Winslow to Bicester is closed.
Passenger services are operated by Silverlink using Class 150/1 diesel multiple units.
The towns and villages served by the line are as follows:
- Bletchley
- Fenny Stratford
- Bow Brickhill, Caldecotte, Tilbrook and Walton
- Woburn Sands, Wavendon
- Aspley Guise
- Ridgmont
- Lidlington
- Millbrook
- Stewartby
- Kempston Hardwick
- Bedford St Johns
- Bedford (Midland)
Re-opening campaign
- Main article: Varsity Line
There is a campaign to re-open the line to passenger traffic from at least Bicester and ideally rebuild it from Oxford right through to Cambridge.
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). A further increase in service frequency seems likely if the National institute for research into aquatic habitats (NIRAH) succeeds in its bid to build the world's largest freshwater aquarium to be built in Stewartby.
