The last post picked out some highlights from the Invitation To Tender (ITT) for the next East Midlands franchise, mainly in respect of what it will mean for intercity services calling at Bedford (and if you’ve not read that one, I’d recommend checking it out, as this will make a lot more sense if you… Read More The East Midlands franchise – can we do better for Bedford?
This article follows the previous one looking at why Bedford lost its peak services – the first part of the triple whammy that is hitting rail travellers to and from Bedford. The second part – the dreadful failure of the new Thameslink timetable – has been unpicked and explored amply in many places, and parliamentary… Read More The East Midlands franchise and the future of Bedford’s express trains
This article looks at one of the three major problems that have hit, or will hit, railway users in Bedford. In reverse chronological order of when they hit, they are: the loss of direct intercity trains to destinations north of Kettering; the failed delivery of the May 2018 timetable changes; and the announcement at the… Read More Why did Bedford lose its peak express services?
The rules around the accessibility of trains to disabled people change as of the start of 2020. By this time, the entire UK rail fleet must be accessible, as set out in the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Non Interoperable Rail System) Regulations 2010 and the technical specification for interoperability in respect of persons with reduced mobility.… Read More We ain’t got no trains – the Midland Main Line rolling stock fiasco
On the 14th and 15th of July there will be more trains to and from Bedford than usual. This is because it is the weekend of the Bedford River Festival, held every other year. The regular service on the Marston Vale line is being expanded, as it has been on the River Festival weekend for… Read More The Bedford River Festival and Marston Vale Line
The plan is for this blog to feature articles on various historical aspects of the railways in Bedford. What I hadn’t intended to do was a simple ‘history of the railways in Bedford’ – but realistically, some future articles will be a bit difficult to write without some reference material for the basics. So here’s… Read More How the railways came to Bedford
If you’re a Bedford resident and come to this blog to know more about the situation on the rails, you don’t need to bother with this post. But if you’re interested in the railway aspect and don’t necessarily know much about the town, here you go! The settlement at Bedford pre-dates the Norman conquest, and… Read More A bit more about Bedford
