Marston Vale line suspension over - FULL services start running 19/02/24

[Gaelan]

the Off Peaks are still there with the same price but shouldn't be sold - similar to what ScotRail did for the "no peaks" promotion

ScotRail also removed restriction codes from the off peaks, so it didn't matter which you got sold (unless you want the multi-day outbound validity of the anytime). Hopefully LNWR is doing similar?

 

[DarloRich]

Details of pricing here:

London Northwestern Railway: Full timetable to resume on Marston Vale Line as £1 tickets launched

A full timetable will resume on the Marston Vale Line between Bedford and Bletchley next week, operator London Northwestern Railway (LNR) has announced today.A partial timetable has been in operation on the route since November 2023, with four services per day in each direction during weekday...

www.londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk

The full hourly train service will resume on Monday 19 February. To celebrate its return and encourage passengers to return to the route, LNR is also announcing a major ticket offer today. For three months from Monday, a single journey between any two stations on the Marston Vale Line will cost just £1 (50p for children). The promotion represents a discount of up to 90% on the usual fare, depending on the journey.

This is good news, of course, but I wonder: do I get a discount on my season ticket?

PS I am sure we will see the LNWR "LNR customer experience director" and other top people visit the line for some glad handing and PR congratulations. I hope I see them as I can tell him what the "customer experience" is like for real passengers.

 

[JW4]

Priv single 25p!

A good time to do the Marston Vale by my judgment

 

[Bletchleyite]

At just 30p extra on a weekly vs Bletchley-MKC I think you already get a fantastic deal! That's about three pence a trip if you commute daily.

 

[nanstallon]

Hurry, hurry, if you want to take your photos of the replacement bus service. It has become a substantial part of the history of the Marston Vale line!

 

[Travelmonkey]

I'm glad at this was worried my trip on the 19th was gonna be a bus so it's great the 1145 will now be a train, be investing to see how busy it is.

 

[Haywain]

be investing to see how busy it is.

A whole £1? You'd have to go to £2 to get a return...

 

[D6130]

A whole £1? You'd have to go to £2 to get a return...

How much will he have to pay for the monkey?

 

[Haywain]

How much will he have to pay for the monkey?

£500, obviously!

 

[DarloRich]

Hurry, hurry, if you want to take your photos of the replacement bus service. It has become a substantial part of the history of the Marston Vale line!

Dont worry - they will be back

 

[Purple Train]

Excellent to hear that a full timetable is being reintroduced (although I won't celebrate until I see it). Incidentally I have recently been gifted a book which includes the Marston Vale line on its list of the 48 "most famous and romantic train journeys in the West", along with such delights as the Flåm railway, the Copper Canyon, and, er, Leicester to Loughborough!

Also good to see that at least some effort is being made to attract/compensate passengers after all that has gone on. £1 a pop is seriously tempting me for a trip - you can't even get a bar of chocolate for that down here!

 

[Haywain]

a book which includes the Marston Vale line on its list of the 48 "most famous and romantic train journeys in the West"

Is it some sort of satire? Famous? There are people in Bedfordshire who are unaware of it. Romantic? Yeah, right, a lovely view of Amazon (warehouse)...

 

[Bletchleyite]

Is it some sort of satire? Famous? There are people in Bedfordshire who are unaware of it. Romantic? Yeah, right, a lovely view of Amazon (warehouse)...

It's hardly the Lune Gorge or the Conwy Valley, but the wide open views further along the line really aren't bad, and the views of the Brickhills are pleasant too.

 

[Haywain]

It's hardly the Lune Gorge or the Conwy Valley, but the wide open views further along the line really aren't bad, and the views of the Brickhills are pleasant too.

Well, yes. But hardly a real candidate for:

the 48 "most famous and romantic train journeys in the West"

 

[Purple Train]

Is it some sort of satire? Famous? There are people in Bedfordshire who are unaware of it. Romantic? Yeah, right, a lovely view of Amazon (warehouse)...

It was written in 1998, when it was still 1st generation DMUs and semaphores, and it was described as "the line that time forgot". No I don't think it's satire

Leicester to Loughborough I get (Thomas Cook), but it did strike me as a bit of an odd pick, certainly!

 

[Amos]

I am sure we will see the LNWR "LNR customer experience director" and other top people visit the line for some glad handing and PR congratulations. I hope I see them as I can tell him what the "customer experience" is like for real passengers.

Wouldn’t surprise me to see the MP for Milton Keynes south get in on the act either.

 

[Bald Rick]

I wonder if someone's noting how much money has been thrown up the wall to avoid paying for 6m of platform/moving the odd signal.

More precisely, how much money has been saved by not runnign the service for over a year

 

[Bletchleyite]

More precisely, how much money has been saved by not runnign the service for over a year

Interesting question. Hiring three coaches and three minibuses (I think it's that, might be four) for 18 hours a day can't be that cheap either. And the fare income will have been very close to zero.

 

[Bald Rick]

Interesting question. Hiring three coaches and three minibuses (I think it's that, might be four) for 18 hours a day can't be that cheap either. And the fare income will have been very close to zero.

The fare income is very close to zero as it is!

And running two diagrams with driver and conductor for 18 hours a day, plus maintaining (and fuelling) a very bespoke fleet of trains costs rather a lot of cash too. I don’t know the numbers, but would be surprised if it cost less than £4-5m a year to run the rail service (ie WMT‘s costs).

 

[cactustwirly]

It was written in 1998, when it was still 1st generation DMUs and semaphores, and it was described as "the line that time forgot". No I don't think it's satire

Leicester to Loughborough I get (Thomas Cook), but it did strike me as a bit of an odd pick, certainly!

I wouldn't say Leicester to Loughborough is unscenic, better than the ECML but not scenic in terms of the rest of the UK

 

[DarloRich]

The fare income is very close to zero as it is!

And running two diagrams with driver and conductor for 18 hours a day, plus maintaining (and fuelling) a very bespoke fleet of trains costs rather a lot of cash too. I don’t know the numbers, but would be surprised if it cost less than £4-5m a year to run the rail service (ie WMT‘s costs).

The fare income isn't zero It feels like I have given LNWR MOST of that money back out of my own pocket!

The bus service cant have been cheap but i am sure LNWR have saved money. I always acknowledge this line is a massive PITA for them and a cash drain

 

[The exile]

I wouldn't say Leicester to Loughborough is unscenic, better than the ECML but not scenic in terms of the rest of the UK

Is it Leicester to Loughborough (MR) or GCR?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I always acknowledge this line is a massive PITA for them and a cash drain

Goodness only knows why it wasn't wired at the same time as Snorbens. Would have been so much less hassle then. I guess maybe BR thought they'd get to close it eventually.

 

[DarloRich]

Goodness only knows why it wasn't wired at the same time as Snorbens. Would have been so much less hassle then. I guess maybe BR thought they'd get to close it eventually.

agree - but there cant have been a business case for it ( or cash even if there was a case)

I suspect they hoped to be shot of it once the brickworks closed down.

 

[Purple Train]

Is it Leicester to Loughborough (MR) or GCR?

MR, because of Thomas Cook. Anyway, this is significantly off-topic: cue for a new thread about what the author should have included, perhaps?

 

[Peter Sarf]

Goodness only knows why it wasn't wired at the same time as Snorbens. Would have been so much less hassle then. I guess maybe BR thought they'd get to close it eventually.

I can only think a lack of 2car EMUs meaning longer platforms needed meaning...., oh give up.

Leave it to East-West rail to sort out !.

 

[craigybagel]

Goodness only knows why it wasn't wired at the same time as Snorbens. Would have been so much less hassle then. I guess maybe BR thought they'd get to close it eventually.

I would have thought electrifying that particular branch was a lot easier than Marston Vale would have been - entirely single track, no resignalling to worry about. Wasn't Marston Vale still Absolute Block and semaphores well into this century? Seems like it would have been a much bigger project to take on.

 

[AdamWW]

Goodness only knows why it wasn't wired at the same time as Snorbens. Would have been so much less hassle then. I guess maybe BR thought they'd get to close it eventually.

Had to think about that. Don't think I've ever seen it written down before...

 

[birchesgreen]

What is Snorbens? I'm assuming its not Bernie Winters' dog?

 

[AlastairFraser]

What is Snorbens? I'm assuming its not Bernie Winters' dog?

Phonetic pronunciation of St Albans in Herts.
Basically referring to the wiring of the Abbey line between Watford and St Albans.