So, we now have sight of the next consultation on East West Rail. It contains an abundance of information about emerging plans for the railway and the different options under consideration. It also includes a shocking new proposal to demolish around 50 homes in the Poets area, and impinge on the gardens or parking areas… Read More The East West Rail consultation
This article summarises the various arguments put forward against the proposed route of the East West Rail link from Bedford to Cambridge – ‘Route E’, as it was designated in the consultation that ran from January to March 2019 – and considers whether they stack up. It focuses on the arguments relating to the railway,… Read More The case against East West Rail ‘Route E’ – is there anything in it?
Last year, concluding this article analysing the selection of ‘Route E’ for the central section of East West Rail, going through Bedford and looping around the town to the north, Bedford Rail wrote: “The exact route has yet to be laid out on the ground, so expect a lot of local bunfights over exactly where… Read More The campaign against East West Rail ‘Route E’ – who, what, and why?
This is a much simpler article than it would have been a couple of months ago. Prior to the announcement of East West Rail’s route, there were two possible new stations just south of Bedford in the offing. Plenty of people confused them, but they were in fact entirely separate proposals. East West Rail’s possible… Read More The road to Wixams station
Introduction The announcement that East West Rail will, after all, come through Bedford rather than by-passing it is hugely welcome news. And after the last couple of years, it’s a great relief to have something positive to report about the railway in Bedford! This post looks at some of the detail of the announcement, and… Read More East West Rail: good news for Bedford, at last!
The large-scale degradation of Bedford’s rail services has been a startling thing, both for the significance of the effects it has had on many, and for the extent to which we have seemed powerless to stop it being done to us. Over the last couple of years, we have temporarily lost our peaktime services to… Read More How can passengers influence rail services?
The new trains on the Marston Vale line have their origins, unusually, on the London Underground. By the time I first moved to London in 2005, the Tube had adopted a form still recognisable today: Oyster cards were already in widespread use, and its trains were uniformly presented in its corporate livery of white with… Read More New trains for Bedford (2): Marston Vale Line D-trains
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 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?
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
