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
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
If you were standing in the centre of Bedford a century ago, you would have been able to walk to either of two railway stations, and from one or the other catch a direct train to any of the following destinations, and stops in-between: Sheffield and the East Midlands to the north Cambridge to the… Read More Welcome to Bedford Rail!
