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Bedford
Bedford Midland
Location
Place	Bedford
Local authority	Borough of Bedford
Coordinates	52°08′11″N 00°28′46″W / 52.13639°N 0.47944°W / 52.13639; -0.47944Coordinates: 52°08′11″N 00°28′46″W / 52.13639°N 0.47944°W / 52.13639; -0.47944
Grid reference	TL041497
Operations
Station code	BDM
Managed by	Thameslink
Number of platforms	5
DfT category	C1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2013/14	3.472 million
– Interchange	42,514
2014/15	3.713 million
– Interchange	48,198
2015/16	3.830 million
– Interchange	49,460
2016/17	3.941 million
– Interchange	53,452
2017/18	4.002 million
– Interchange	53,491
History
Original company	Midland Railway
Pre-grouping	Midland Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
1 February 1859 (1859-02-01)	Opened as Bedford
1890	Avoiding lines built
2 June 1924	Renamed Bedford Midland Road
8 May 1978	Renamed Bedford Midland
5 May 1988	Renamed Bedford
National Rail – UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Bedford from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

[ v t e ] Railways in Bedfordshire
Legend
Northampton–Market Harborough line to Market Harborough Midland Main Line to Kettering & Leicester Northampton and Peterborough Railway to Stamford & Peterborough Brixworth Wellingborough Ditchford Spratton Wellingborough London Road Pitsford and Brampton Rushden Northampton and Lamport Railway Rushden, Higham and Wellingborough Railway Boughton Higham Ferrers Irchester Northampton loop to Rugby via Long Buckby Castle Ashby & Earls Barton Northampton Northampton St. John's Street Billing Northampton Bridge Street West Coast Main Line to Rugby via Stowe Hill tunnel Hunsbury Hill Tunnel Blisworth Geismar Depot Roade Sharnbrook Tunnel Tiffield Piddington Stoke Bruern Salcey Forest Towcester Olney East and West Junction Railway to Fenny Compton West & Stratford-upon-Avon Sharnbrook Northampton and Banbury Junction Railway to Banbury Merton Street Turvey Castlethorpe Oakley Newport Pagnell Great Linford East Coast Main Line to Huntingdon & Peterborough Wolverton works | Bradwell Varsity Line to Cambridge Wolverton Wolverton and Stony Stratford Tramway Sandy Stony Stratford Girtford Halt Old Stratford East Coast Main Line to Hitchin & London King's Cross Deanshanger Milton Keynes Central Bedford Gas Company Bedford Blunham Bedford Cauldwell Walk depot Willington Bedford St Johns Kempston and Elstow Halt Bedford St Johns (former) Kempston Hardwick Lafarge Stone Terminal Wootton Broadmead Halt Forders (Stewartby) Wixams Stewartby Millbrook Cardington Lidlington Ampthill Ridgmont Southill Husborne Crawley Halt Flitwick Aspley Guise Shefford Woburn Sands Harlington Bow Brickhill Henlow Camp Fenny Stratford Leagrave Bedford–Hitchin line to Hitchin & London King's Cross Midland Main Line to Luton & London St Pancras International Bletchley West Coast Main Line to Leighton Buzzard & London Euston Newton Longville Newton Longville landfill site Varsity Line (East West Rail) to Oxford

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[ v t e ] Stations around Bedford
Legend
Midland Main Line Bedford Bedford station sidings River Great Ouse Bedford Cauldwell Walk depot Bedford St Johns Bedford St Johns (former) Varsity Line Bedford–Hitchin line Marston Vale line Midland Main Line

Bedford railway station (formerly Bedford Midland Road) is the larger of two railway stations in the town of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. It is on the Midland main line from London St Pancras to the East Midlands and the terminus of the Marston Vale line from Bletchley through Bedford St Johns.

History

The original station was built by the Midland Railway in 1859 on its line to the Great Northern at Hitchin. It was on land known as "Freemen's Common" approximately 200 yards (180 m) south of the current station on Ashburnham Road.

The London & North Western Railway (LNWR) also had a station on its line between Bletchley and Cambridge. The Midland crossed it on the level and there was a serious collision when an LNWR train passed a red signal. (Curiously, both drivers were named John Perkins). Following this accident, the Midland built a flyover in 1885.^[1]

The extension to St Pancras opened in 1868. The connection to Hitchin ceased public services during 1961, but the line north of Bedford to Wigston Junction is still officially referred to as the Leicester to Hitchin line.^[2] At this time the station was substantially altered, with the replacement of a level crossing by the Queen's Park overbridge. In 1890 fast lines were added to the west to allow expresses to bypass the station.

Serious damage occurred during World War II when a bomb destroyed the booking hall's glass ceiling. The current station was built to replace it and was opened by Sir Peter Parker (chairman of BR) on 9 October 1978.^[3] The station was moved about 110 yards (100 m) north; the slow lines were realigned to the west next to the 1890 fast lines, to which platforms were added.

Although the intention was for what remained of the old awnings to be transferred to the Midland Railway at Butterley in Derbyshire it proved impossible to save them. Nothing remains of the original station buildings.

Services over the Marston Vale line to/from Bletchley were transferred here from the old LNWR St Johns station in May 1984. A new connection, which runs along the formation formerly used by the abandoned line to Hitchin (closed to passenger traffic from 1 January 1962 and completely three years later), was laid from the Marston Vale branch up to the main line to permit this. The original St Johns station closed on 14 May 1984 with a replacement halt on the new chord opening the same day.^[4] Bletchley trains henceforth used a bay platform (numbered 1A) on the eastern side of the station and still do currently (summer 2018).

The track layout around the station is set for significant changes as Network Rail aims to make operations easier and faster, in conjunction with electrification northward to Sheffield and westward to Bletchley and Oxford. The majority of the work will be north of the station.

Services

The station is served by three operators and managed by Thameslink.

• East Midlands Trains


• London Northwestern Railway


• Thameslink

East Midlands Trains semi-fast services along the Midland Main Line between London St Pancras and Nottingham call at the station, as do London-Corby services. These services mostly use Class 222 Meridian diesel-electric multiple units. Morning and evening peaks see some Nottingham services extended to Lincoln via Newark Castle and Corby services extended to Melton Mowbray, plus some Derby and Sheffield services calling. The weekend sees trains operating to York and in the summer months these extend to/from Scarborough.^[5]

The station is the northern terminus of Thameslink who operate Thameslink route services to Brighton through St Albans and London St Pancras. Services from the station also call at Luton Airport Parkway and Gatwick Airport. Additional services start or terminate at Gatwick Airport or Three Bridges. These services use Class 700 electric multiple units. Thameslink also runs a few services a day to Sutton on the Sutton Loop line, via both Wimbledon and Mitcham Junction.^[6]

London Northwestern Railway operates local services to Bletchley via the Marston Vale Line using Class 150 Sprinter and Class 153 Super Sprinter diesel multiple units. There is no Sunday service on this line.^[7]

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) is:

• 2tph to Brighton via Gatwick Airport (Thameslink)


• 2tph to Gatwick Airport via Redhill (Thameslink)


• 2tph to London St Pancras International (East Midlands Trains)


• 1tph to Corby (East Midlands Trains)


• 1tph to Nottingham via Leicester (East Midlands Trains)


• 1tph to Bletchley (London Northwestern Railway)

Service summary

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Wellingborough		East Midlands Trains Midland Main Line		Luton
		East Midlands Trains Midland Main Line		Luton Airport Parkway
Terminus		Thameslink Thameslink		Flitwick
Bedford St Johns		London Northwestern Railway Marston Vale Line Mondays-Saturdays only		Terminus
Disused railways
Terminus		London, Midland and Scottish Railway Bedford to Hitchin Line		Cardington Line and station closed
Turvey Line and station closed		London, Midland and Scottish Railway Bedford to Northampton Line		Terminus
Historical railways
Oakley Line open, station closed		Midland Railway Midland Main Line		Ampthill Line open, station closed
	Future Services
Ridgmont		East West Rail Oxford-Cambridge		Sandy

Community Rail Partnership

In common with other stations on the Bedford to Bletchley Marston Vale line, Bedford station is covered by the Marston Vale Community Rail Partnership. The partnership aims to increase use of the Marston Vale line by getting local people involved with their local line.

Facilities

The station has the following facilities:

• 2 waiting rooms


• Cafe/newsagent/bar and coffee bar


• Telephones


• Post box


• ATM


• FastTicket machine


• Toilets


• Car park with 614 spaces


• Fully wheelchair accessible


• Ticket barriers

The station is in the PlusBus scheme, where train and bus tickets can be bought together to save money.

Future developments

The station will be the eastern terminus for some time of East West Rail, a plan to reopen the railway from Oxford and Aylesbury. As of November 2018^[update], extension to Cambridge and East Anglia via Sandy is planned but not funded.

See also

• Bedford St Johns railway station

References

External links

• Marston Vale Community Rail Partnership

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bedford railway station.

• 
  Train times and station information for Bedford railway station from National Rail