Marston Vale reopening to be celebrated with train naming
in our last issue, a full rail service resumed on the Marston Vale Line between Bletchley and Bedford from February 19. Now, route operator London Northwestern Railway has announced that one of the dedicated Class 150/1 diesel multiple units used on the route is to be named following a competition to find an appropriate name for the DMU. A partial service has been running on the line since LNR acquired three Class 150/1 DMUS – 150137/139/141 – from Northern to operate services on the route, with a limited daily service in operation since November 2023. Rail replacement bus services had been in operation since December 2022 after Vivarail, the company which maintained the Class 230 trains previously used on the route, entered administration. Reintroduction of the Class 230s was quickly ruled out by LNR, but due to the short platforms on the Marston Vale Line, only certain types of train can be used on the route, with the Northern Class 150/1 identified as being a suitable replacement.
The competition to name a train closed on March 4, with the operator seeking suggestions which celebrate people and places along the Marston Vale line between Bedford and Bletchley. An official naming ceremony is planned to take place at a later date at Bletchley station.
LNR community strategy manager Cara Higgs said: “We are delighted to celebrate the return of the full timetable on the Marston Vale Line by offering the opportunity to name a train on the route. We are looking forward to seeing the suggestions and holding the official naming ceremony after the competition closes.
“We are also running a major ticket offer on the line. For the next three months, a single journey between any two stations on the Marston Vale Line will cost just £1 or 50p for children.”
Under the full timetable, there are 17 daily departures in each direction between Bedford and Bletchley from Monday to Saturday, although there are currently no Sunday services operated on the Marston Vale Line. Until May, LNR is also offering passengers on the route bargain fares of just £1 for adults or 50p for children on a single journey between any two stations, representing a discount of up to 90% on the usual fare, depending on the journey.