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?
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
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
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
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!
Introduction Last November, East Midlands Railway announced a consultation on its timetable for December 2020. This will bring major changes to the express trains serving Bedford. This article outlines what’s happening, why, what it means for people who travel to and from Bedford by train, and what we do and don’t know for sure about… Read More The East Midland Railway timetable consultation, and what it means for Bedford
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?
This isn’t really about the class 700s. But, having looked at the fleets of trains set for imminent introduction to the lines around Bedford, we should probably complete the set by looking at the still very new, and now ubiquitous, class 700s. These trains will be the workhorses of the Thameslink network for no doubt… Read More New(ish) train for Bedford (4): Thameslink class 700s
This is the first in a series of articles looking at the new types of rolling stock that will come to serve Bedford within the next five years or so. Starting with the introduction of the class 700s on Thameslink a few years ago, the fleet serving Bedford will have been completely replaced by the… Read More New trains for Bedford (1): Midland Main Line bi-modes
Bedford Rail 