Although the last few articles on this blog have been avowedly COVID updates, as we approach the turn of the year it’s probably appropriate to look ahead rather more broadly. Taking the very biggest picture for the railways first, there are big questions about when social distancing requirements will end and therefore train travel can… Read More The railways, Bedford and 2021
Welcome back to Bedford Rail – it’s time for another review of how the railways around Bedford are being affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been a while since the last one, as your correspondent has been busy with shows on Bedford Radio, and a series of historical articles that will hopefully appear on… Read More Coronavirus and the railways V
The timetables for Bedford have undergone another slight update, and with news emerging about our future services it’s therefore time for another look at the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the railways. Current services On the Marston Vale line, there are still no passenger trains. The bus services remain in place, and work continues… Read More Coronavirus and the railways IV
Unsurprisingly, the subject of coronavirus and railway timetables requires another new post. The railway as a whole will be introducing a new timetable from Monday 18th May, in a case study for the currently muddled nature of lockdown policy in England. The guidelines and rules on lockdown have not changed substantially. You should still be… Read More Coronavirus and the railways III
This blog last looked at the railways’ arrangement for the coronavirus pandemic during its relatively early days. With lockdown now established, and the railway companies’ responses more settled, it’s worth re-visiting to see what the current state of play is. The second part of this article will look ahead to later in the year, and… Read More Coronavirus and the railways II
The far-reaching impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and particularly of the efforts to reduce the spread of the illness, are inevitably having an impact on the railways. Many residents of Bedford who travel regularly to London will not be making the journey for probably some months at the least. Those who still need to travel… Read More Coronavirus and the railways
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
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
