Leicester to Milton Keynes

[notoemt]

I need to go to Milton Keynes for work for a while. I don't drive and the bus drops you too far away from the centre, so I'm stuck with the train. I would like to get in around 8 but the only routing I can find is Leicester - Luton - [stn]MKC[/stn]. With me catching a 5:26 train and sitting around at Luton for half an hour before getting on a bus.

There's a train that leaves at 7:24 from Leicester, change at Nuneaton but that gets me in at 9am and I like to leave a bit of time just in case there are delays.
Does anyone know of any routing that could get me in before 8? without me having to catch the o'dark 30 train?

Thanks in advance.

 

[A0]

How about Stagecoach X7 bus from Leicester bus station at 6.40.

Gets to Northampton Bus Station at 8.10.

Walk / bus to rail station (5-10mins) and train at 8.25 to MCK gets in at 8.41.

Not before 8 am admittedly

Alternatively have you looked at Leicester > Bedford> Bletchley > MKC?

Also when you say the bus drops you too far from the centre, do you mean Coachway? In which case there are frequent buses from Coachway into the centre.

 

[class377man]

I've been to Milton Keynes by train and had to get on a bus to get to the shopping centre/leisure area (I assume this is what you mean by centre).

It probably is walkable if you have to but it's hardly any less convenient than the coachway either way.

 

[bb21]

The only itinerary I can see you being able to do realistically is this:

EMT 1B09 Leicester 0607 - Kettering 0632
EMT 1P10 Kettering 0644 - Bedford 0706
LMR 2W02 Bedford 0731 - Bletchley 0814
LMR 2K13 Bletchley 0818 - MKC 0823
or
LMR 2Y05 Bletchley 0844 - MKC 0849

A Seven-Day Season costs £102.10, valid via either Nuneaton or Bedford. If you have a railcard then buying five returns a week is cheaper.

The 0544 from Leicester might allow you to get into Bletchley on a train an hour earlier, however the connection at Bedford is 1 minute and you have to go from Platform 3 to Platform 1A normally, and I don't think this is possible.

 

[dzug2]

Train Leicester to Bedford, walk to Bromham Road (7 minutes per Traveline SE) and get X5 bus would still mean an early start but not quite as early as via Luton

The bus times traveline gives are from Bedford bus station so you'd have a few minutes longer to get to Bromham Road. The 0706 arrival at Bedford would give a reasonable chance of getting the 0715 bus arr MK 0755. If you miss it it's half an hour to wait

 

[DarloRich]

I need to go to Milton Keynes for work for a while. I don't drive and the bus drops you too far away from the centre, so I'm stuck with the train. I would like to get in around 8 but the only routing I can find is Leicester - Luton - [stn]MKC[/stn]. With me catching a 5:26 train and sitting around at Luton for half an hour before getting on a bus.

There's a train that leaves at 7:24 from Leicester, change at Nuneaton but that gets me in at 9am and I like to leave a bit of time just in case there are delays.
Does anyone know of any routing that could get me in before 8? without me having to catch the o'dark 30 train?

Thanks in advance.

Where in MK do you need to be. The city centre is a 10-15 minute uphill walk from the station.

I think BB21 has got down the only way you can do it. (Nuneaton way will be quicker but wont get you there in time)

You COULD go Leicester-BHM-MKC but that wont get you in until after 9

 

[hairyhandedfool]

A Leicester-Milton Keynes Central ticket is not officially valid on the Virgin Trains bus from Luton to Milton Keynes (tickets must be to Luton MK Bus or Luton Air Bus), although that may not get noticed by the bus driver, there are barriers at Luton though. I'm not sure why journey planners say it is valid though

 

[bb21]

You COULD go Leicester-BHM-MKC but that wont get you in until after 9

That would be the same train as the one via Nuneaton, arriving MKC at 0901.

AXC 1P04 Leicester 0724 - Nuneaton 0749
LMR 1U20 Nuneaton 0802 - MKC 0901

However to go via Birmingham New Street one would have to catch the 0616 ex-Leicester and change at Northampton too.

I have looked at all possibilities for weekdays in the morning and I can't see any other option without either arriving way past 9am or leaving at silly o'clock.

 

[LexyBoy]

My suggestion would be to get the X5 as dzug2 suggested.

dep Leicester 0706, arrive Bedford Midland 0753, bus 0815 arrives central MK 0855. Slightly later than bb21's suggestion, but the bus does go more central than the station - and you get to leave an hour later!

Weekly cost £133.80 (£103.80 train + £30 bus).

 

[bb21]

My suggestion would be to get the X5 as dzug2 suggested.

dep Leicester 0706, arrive Bedford Midland 0753, bus 0815 arrives central MK 0855. Slightly later than bb21's suggestion, but the bus does go more central than the station - and you get to leave an hour later!

Weekly cost £133.80 (£103.80 train + £30 bus).

You'd be better off buying the season ticket to MKC for the railway portion.

This way you can use the train all the way back. The single on the X5 appears to be £6.50 so if you do it four times a week and use the train on the other day then you save money not getting the weekly on the bus

I must say the fares on the X5 seem to be very expensive.

 

[LexyBoy]

I must say the fares on the X5 seem to be very expensive.

Like a lot of long-distance operations, the fares scale very non-linearly, with short distance fares being very expensive by comparison with the full length (Oxford-Cambridge is reasonable for instance). For long distances, the bus company is competing with rail, whilst on shorter runs there is no competition.

Another example - on the X39 Reading-Oxford, the whole distance is £5.40 day return, but from Wallingford (half way in between) to either Reading or Oxford the fare is £5.20.

Good suggestion on the rail portion!

Does anyone know if any rail tickets are valid on the X5 at all? I've definitely used a rail ticket on it (IIRC Manchester-Oxford) from MK to Oxford, during some rail disruption, and got the impression that it was a regular thing, but can't find any reference to it.

 

[bengolding]

I'd stick with rail as getting the X7 means you're at the mercy of Stagecoach!

Your return journey times are much better. Up until 1625, the xx25 London Midland to Crewe gives a 6 min connection at Nuneaton to Leicester with a journey time of 1h25. It's 15 mins quicker at 1h10 if you get the 1740/1840 Virgin to Nuneaton.

 

[Mike395]

I would avoid connecting onto the X5 in Bedford - especially as from later this month, the X5 will not stop at the top of Ashburnham Road (where the station is) and you'd have to go via the town centre bus station, which adds 10 minutes onto the walk and hence another half hour onto your journey as you'd probably have to get the bus 30mins later

 

[IainH]

"Does anyone know if any rail tickets are valid on the X5 at all?"

I think the rail tickets valid on the x5 were withdrawn when the x5 stopped serving Oxford station.

 

[Eagle]

I'd stick with rail as getting the X7 means you're at the mercy of Stagecoach!

As would taking the train to Bedford...

 

[notoemt]

Thanks for all the suggestions. When I put in the journey the Leicester - MKC that planner thing only came up with the arrival at 8:44 one via Bedford. Good to know that there is one where I can get in earlier.

I actually phoned up National Rail Enquiries about going via Luton because I was a bit suspicious and they told me I could use that bus!

I looked into the X5 but I was looking at getting a season ticket to Bedford which is more expensive than a season ticket to MKC for some reason plus the price of the X5 season ticket, so I discounted it. Will they let you through the barriers at Bedford with a MKC season ticket?

I looked at the X7 but I found something on their website apologising for punctuality problems. Also the last bus is at 18:35 or something.

I think in the end if work needs me to get there by 8am on occasion I'll have to look into paying an excess fare and cross London.

 

[Mike395]

I looked into the X5 but I was looking at getting a season ticket to Bedford which is more expensive than a season ticket to MKC for some reason plus the price of the X5 season ticket, so I discounted it. Will they let you through the barriers at Bedford with a MKC season ticket?

How bizarre!

You'd be fine with a LEI-MKC season at the Bedford barriers as it forms part of a permitted route

 

[DarloRich]

good luck with the peasents taxis! Stick to the train lol. I have used the bus before on this route and it is fine when it is on time but i find it slow and frustrating if /when you get stuck in traffic.

If you do stick to the train you might well see me on the train from Bedford-Bletchley-MKC. It is really stupisd that there are no decent cross country links in this part of the world!

 

[hairyhandedfool]

....I actually phoned up National Rail Enquiries about going via Luton because I was a bit suspicious and they told me I could use that bus!....

An assumption is that they look at a journey planner and read what that says to you. I don't often use NRES (because I don't trust them), but when I have (in times of dire need), that is how they came across.

 

[notoemt]

If you do stick to the train you might well see me on the train from Bedford-Bletchley-MKC. It is really stupisd that there are no decent cross country links in this part of the world!

Aint that the truth. Almost 20 years ago now, I had reason to go to Watford on occasion. Turned out that it was quicker but more expensive to go through London. Took twice as long going via Birmingham. Nice to see that nothing has changed except the price of my ticket.

 

[bb21]

I think in the end if work needs me to get there by 8am on occasion I'll have to look into paying an excess fare and cross London.

A Bedford Stations - MKC Anytime Day Single Route +London is a whopping £48.70. Ouch!

I agree that the X7 bus is not appropriate. There are several bottlenecks along the way.