Local organisations and residents have celebrated the return of a full timetable to the Marston Vale Line.
Monday 19 February saw the return of an hourly service which will operate Monday to Saturday and Bank Holidays. 17 trains will run daily in each direction on the Line.
This is the first full service on the Marston Vale Line for over 14 months following Vivarail entering administration in December 2022 and challenges with sourcing alternative rolling stock due to the short platforms at stations along the Line.
To welcome the return of the service, a special ticket offer was also launched on 19 February. Until 20 May, a single journey between any two Marston Vale Line stations is just £1 for adults and 50p for children, offering a discount of up to 90% on the usual fare.
The launch of the full timetable and £1 ticket took place at a special event at Bletchley Station and was attended by Iain Stewart MP for Milton Keynes South, Mohammad Yasin MP for Bedford & Kempston, Marston Vale CRP, London Northwestern Railway, Bedford to Bletchley Rail Users’ Association, Friends of Bletchley Station, Friends of Ridgmont Station and a large number of passengers. Volunteers distributed timetables, pens and special cakes courtesy of Gunn’s Bakery in Sandy.
Stephen Sleight, Transport Team Leader (Rail) at Marston Vale CRP, said: “I am delighted a full train service has resumed on the Marston Vale Line, which is a lifeline for communities and means an enormous amount to local people who rely on it for education, work and leisure.
“The Line offers a wide range of opportunities for great days out too including Ridgmont Station Heritage Centre, the Forest Centre and Millennium Country Park and Bletchley Park. It is also a key connecting route for those making longer journeys beyond Bedford and Bletchley.
“The new ticket offer is fantastic news for passengers, particularly at the start of half term. We have a number of exciting plans to celebrate the relaunch of the Line, including a new promotional film to be released in time for Easter.”
The full timetable can be viewed here.
Keep up to date with future news, project and events from Marston Vale CRP via their website.
Top photo credit: London Northwestern Railway.
