Bedford railway station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bedford | |||
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|---|---|---|---|
| Location | |||
| Place | Bedford | ||
| Local authority | Borough of Bedford | ||
| Operations | |||
| Managed by | First Capital Connect | ||
| Platforms in use | 5 | ||
| Annual Passenger Usage | |||
| 2004/05 ** | 2.770 million | ||
| History | |||
| Key dates | Opened 1978 (current station) | ||
| National Rail - UK railway stations | |||
| Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Bedford. | |||
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Bedford railway station is the main railway station in the town of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. It is located on the Midland Main Line from London St Pancras to the East Midlands. It is also the terminus of the Marston Vale line from Bletchley through Bedford St. Johns. The station is also known as Bedford Midland, and is situated to the west of the town centre. It is used by a substantial number of commuters to London.
The previous Bedford Midland station was built by the Midland Railway in 1859 originally on its line to join the Great Northern at Hitchin. It was situated on land known as "Freemen's Common" approximately 200 yards south of the current station on Ashburnham Road.
The LNWR also had a station on its line (now closed) between Bletchley and Cambridge. The Midland crossed it on the level but there was a serious collision when an LNWR train passed a red signal. Curiously, it transpired at the enquiry that that both drivers were named John Perkins. Following this accident, the Midland built a flyover in 1885.
The extension to St. Pancras was opened in 1868. The connection to Hitchin is long gone, but the line north of Bedford is still officially referred to as the Leicester to Hitchin line. At this time the station was substantially altered, with the replacement of a level crossing by the Queen's Park overbridge. In 1890 a curve was added to the west to allow expresses to by pass 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 in 1978, the three main platforms being aligned on a curve to meet the old 1890's avoiding lines.
Although the intention was for what remained of the old awnings to be transferred to the Midland Railway Centre at Butterley in Derbyshire it proved impossible to save them. All that remains of the original is a bay with a few buildings at the southern end.
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[edit] Services
The station is served by three operators.
- Midland Mainline serve the station as part of their InterCity service from London St Pancras to Leicester, Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield and occasionally Leeds. Services are operated using either High Speed Trains or new Meridian units.
- Silverlink County operate local services from Bletchley to Bedford via the Marston Vale Line. Services are operated using Class 150/1 diesel multiple units.
- First Capital Connect operate regular services to Luton, St Albans, King's Cross Thameslink, Gatwick Airport and Brighton. Services are operated by Class 319 electrical multiple units.
The typical off peak service from Bedford is as follows:
- 2 trains per hour (tph) to London St Pancras (Midland Mainline)
- 1 tph to Derby via Kettering, Leicester and Loughborough (Midland Mainline)
- 1 tph to Nottingham via Kettering, Leicester and Loughborough (Midland Mainline)
- 1 tph to Bletchley (Silverlink)
- 4 tph to Brighton via Luton, Luton Airport Parkway, St Albans, London and Gatwick Airport (First Capital Connect)
[edit] Facilities
Bedford station has the following facilities:
- 2 waiting rooms
- Cafe/newsagent/bar and coffee bar
- Telephones
- Post box
- ATM
- Toilets
- Car park with 614 spaces
Bedford station is fully wheelchair-accessible.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Train times and station information for Bedford railway station from National Rail
- Street map and aerial photo of Bedford railway station from Multimap.com
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luton | Midland Mainline Midland Main Line |
Wellingborough | ||
| Bedford St Johns | Silverlink County Marston Vale Line Mondays-Saturdays only |
Terminus | ||
| Flitwick | First Capital Connect Thameslink |
Terminus | ||
