Future prospects of the Marston Vale line?

[Silverlinky]

Moderator note: Split from

Marston Vale line suspension over - services start running - class 150 in use

Iain Stewart, the Tory MP for Milton Keynes South and chair of the Transport committee, has written to minister of state for rail Hew Merrian about the suspension of service on the Marston Vale line which runs in his constituency. A link to the letter is below. It has a few inaccuracies that...

www.railforums.co.uk

Let's be honest, even when the 230's were running, the service was not that popular. I'm not sure if there are many "regulars" to win back. Some will have found other ways of getting to work, and many will have found other ways of doing their work (Teams/Zoom)

Commuting has changed, even on the mainline on some days passenger figures are nowhere near what they used to be, there is hardly ever a car parked on the upper deck of the car park at Bletchley for example!

The users group are pushing for a speedy return to Saturday services on the MV line to cater for the leisure travellers. Tracsis were handing out cards at Bletchley today asking for responses to a survey they are running on behalf of East West Railway to "further develop their understanding of rail travel in the area", I doubt they'd get many takers!

 

[Peter Sarf]

Lets be honest, even when the 230's were running the service was not that popular. I'm not sure if there are many "regulars" to win back. Some will have found other ways of getting to work, and many will have found other ways of doing their work (Teams/Zoom)

Commuting has changed, even on the mainline on some days passenger figures are nowhere near what they used to be, there is hardly ever a car parked on the upper deck of the car park at Bletchley for example!

The users group are pushing for a speedy return to Saturday services on the MV line to cater for the leisure travellers. Tracsis were handing out cards at Bletchley today asking for responses to a survey they are running on behalf of East West Railway to "further develop their understanding of rail travel in the area", I doubt they'd get many takers!

I have wondered before. Does less passengers make it easier to streamline the number of stations on the Marston Vale Line prior to East West Rail ?.

I seem to recall EWR was not going to stop at all stations ?. Would make sense as a longer distance service would probably be too slow if there are too many intermediate stops.

I do wonder though, post Covid, how much life is left in the full EWR to Cambridge ?.

 

[12LDA28C]

I have wondered before. Does less passengers make it easier to streamline the number of stations on the Marston Vale Line prior to East West Rail ?.

I seem to recall EWR was not going to stop at all stations ?. Would make sense as a longer distance service would probably be too slow if there are too many intermediate stops.

I do wonder though, post Covid, how much life is left in the full EWR to Cambridge ?.

It would be pretty pointless stopping EWR trains at the ten intermediate stations between Bletchley and Bedford. I don't see why Covid should make a huge difference in the business case for EWR - passenger numbers are almost back to pre-pandemic levels already.

 

[Magdalia]

I do wonder though, post Covid, how much life is left in the full EWR to Cambridge ?

People working in life sciences work in laboratories using highly specialised equipment, they are not working from home.

People working in the 3, soon to be 5, hospitals on the Biomedical Campus do not work from home.

The changes to working patterns in other parts of the economy, resulting from covid, are of no consequence for EWR.

 

[paul1609]

It would be pretty pointless stopping EWR trains at the ten intermediate stations between Bletchley and Bedford. I don't see why Covid should make a huge difference in the business case for EWR - passenger numbers are almost back to pre-pandemic levels already.

Not in Kent & East Sussex theyre not! Once you get over an hour from London theyre typically now back to 33 to 50% of pre pandemic figures. Leisure traffic probably exceeds the pre pandemic figures but the morning peak is particularly a shadow of its previous self. Stations like Tonbridge and Headcorn have huge car parks that still have tumbleweed blowing across them.

 

[Silverlinky]

There is

I have wondered before. Does less passengers make it easier to streamline the number of stations on the Marston Vale Line prior to East West Rail ?.

I seem to recall EWR was not going to stop at all stations ?. Would make sense as a longer distance service would probably be too slow if there are too many intermediate stops.

I do wonder though, post Covid, how much life is left in the full EWR to Cambridge ?.

Two concepts for the EW service on the MV line:

1. The cheap option: Stopping at two stations only, Woburn Sands and Ridgmont. Ridgmont station would have to be moved and rebuilt. 4tph (trains per hour)
2. More expensive option: Stopping at five stations, Woburn Sands (4 tph), Ridgmont (4tph), Lidlington (2tph), Stewartby (2tph), Bedford St Johns (2tph). All these stations would be rebuilt and/or relocated. 2tph

There is wholesale opposition to the extension of the line to Cambridge, and the National Audit Office is looking at the claims and benefits of the line as a whole.

 

[12LDA28C]

There is wholesale opposition to the extension of the line to Cambridge, and the National Audit Office is looking at the claims and benefits of the line as a whole.

By whom? Local residents by any chance? Not by potential passengers, local businesses and the Government I suggest.

 

[AlastairFraser]

An important change in circumstances has just happened - Universal Studios are exploring building an amusement park and have purchased the land on the former Stewartby brickworks site, adjacent to Stewartby Station on the Marston Vale.

This could provide a significant amount of additional passengers for the line.

Article here:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-67761926
Quotes here -
"Universal Studios has said it is "exploring" the possibility of building a park and resort on a former brickworks site in Bedfordshire.
Universal Destinations and Experiences said it had purchased 480 acres of land at Stewartby as it was "always looking at new locations around the world".

It was in the "early stages of exploring its feasibility".
The land has had planning permission for 1,000 homes, but they were not built.
A spokeswoman for the company behind Universal Studios said: "We recently acquired land in Bedford and are at the early stages of exploring its feasibility for a potential park and resort at this site.

"It will be many months before we are ready to make a decision to proceed and we look forward to engaging with all relevant stakeholders and the local community."

It was in the "very early" stages in the planning process.

The former industrial site once had 167 chimneys, for producing bricks, but the final four were demolished in 2021.
In a statement the company said: "We are always looking at new locations around the world, including in Europe, and the UK is an attractive place for a potential project.

"The UK has a large population, creative industries, strong tourism, and transportation infrastructure with close proximity to other parts of Europe," said the Universal spokeswoman.

The area was chosen, due to its "transportation connectivity to London and Europe with more than half of the UK population within two hours, including just 45 minutes outside of London".

It also highlighted its proximity to Luton Airport.

"We support Bedford's vision of becoming a prosperous place to live, work and visit," the statement added.
The US-based company said: "We take a proactive approach to partnering with local communities and stakeholders (like Bedford Borough Council) when pursuing potential projects."
Tom Wootton, the elected mayor of Bedford Borough Council, said: "The suggestion of a major business investment is of course positive, nevertheless these are early days and much detailed work is required before any decisions are made.
"We very much welcome and are excited by the interest from Universal and the immense potential for it to be transformative for the borough.
"We're committed to ensure that any plans align with the best interests of our residents."

 

[snowball]

There is wholesale opposition to the extension of the line to Cambridge, and the National Audit Office is looking at the claims and benefits of the line as a whole.

The National Audit Office report came out last week.

Investigation into the East West Rail project (Oxford - Cambridge) - NAO report

Our report looks at the evolving context for East West Rail, DfT's assessment of its benefits & costs, and arrangements in place to deliver it.

www.nao.org.uk

(link is to NAO report)