General information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Millbrook, Central Bedfordshire England | ||||
Coordinates | 52°03′14″N0°32′02″W / 52.0538°N 0.5338°W | ||||
Grid reference | TL007405 | ||||
Managed by | London Northwestern Railway | ||||
Platforms | 2 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | MLB | ||||
Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
Key dates | |||||
17 November 1846 | Opened as Marston | ||||
March 1847 | Renamed Ampthill | ||||
January 1850 | Renamed Ampthill (Marston) | ||||
March 1877 | Renamed Millbrook for Ampthill | ||||
1 July 1910 | Renamed Millbrook [1] | ||||
3 August 1964 | Goods services withdrawn | ||||
15 July 1968 | Became unstaffed [2] | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2019/20 | 12,250 | ||||
2020/21 | 1,042 | ||||
2021/22 | 3,618 | ||||
2022/23 | 6,566 | ||||
2023/24 | 2,312 | ||||
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Millbrook railway station serves the villages of Millbrook and Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire,England. It is on the Marston Vale Line,between Stewartby and Lidlington. Millbrook is also the principal stop for the Marston Vale Millennium Country Park.
It was the least used station in Bedfordshire during the 2020/21 period. [3]
First opened in 1846 by the Bedford Railway,the station was originally named "Marston",but changed to "Ampthill (Marston)" in 1850 after the nearby village. The opening of a second and more conveniently sited Ampthill station by the Midland Railway in 1868 on its Midland Main Line gave rise to confusion which was only resolved in 1877 when the original Ampthill station was renamed "Millbrook for Ampthill". The station is the fourth and final on the Marston Vale Line to be built in a half-timbered Gothic Revival style that had been insisted upon by the 7th Duke of Bedford for stations situated in the vicinity of the Woburn Estate. The two station platforms are east of a level crossing. [4]
The station developed substantial coal traffic,as well as trade in cattle and goods with stables in its goods yard and a wagon repairers. A public house called the Morteyne Arms opened opposite the station. Traffic increased still further with the development of the brick industry in the area;a siding was opened on 7 May 1928 to cater for the trade in bricks,the towers of the Millbrook Brick Company could be seen from the station. [5] The brick traffic peaked in the 1930s,with a second brickworks called "Marston Moretaine" being opened a mile from the station;although it was too far for a siding,bricks were transported by road to the station where they were loaded on to rail wagons. [6]
The station,whose name was changed to "Millbrook" in 1910,was reduced to an unstaffed halt in 1968,having lost its formerly substantial goods facilities four years previously. [2] The station building was restored in the early 1980s and converted into a private residence. In 1999,the low station platforms –the last of their type remaining on the line –were rebuilt to the standard height appropriate to modern trains. [7]
In 2021,a bench in memory of Captain Tom Moore was unveiled on the station platform. [8]
All services at Millbrook are operated by London Northwestern Railway.
The typical off-peak service is one train per hour in each direction between Bletchley and Bedford which runs on weekdays and Saturdays only using Class 150 DMUs. There is no Sunday service. [9] [10] [11] [12]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Lidlington towards Bletchley | London Northwestern Railway Monday–Saturday only | Stewartby towards Bedford |
The Marston Vale line is the line between Bletchley and Bedford in England, a surviving remnant of the former Varsity Line between Oxford and Cambridge, most of which was closed in the late 1960s. The line is sponsored by the Marston Vale community rail partnership. The line is to be adopted and upgraded as part of East West Rail, a project underway to re-establish the Oxford–Cambridge route.
Woburn Sands railway station serves the town of Woburn Sands and the village of Wavendon in the City of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, England. The station is on the Marston Vale line between Bedford and Bletchley, about 4 miles (6.5 km) east of Bletchley station. The station is served by local trains to Bletchley and Bedford using Class 150 multiple units. This station is one of the seven stations serving the Milton Keynes urban area.
Bedford St Johns is one of two railway stations in Bedford in Bedfordshire, England, on the Marston Vale Line linking Bletchley and Bedford. It is unstaffed and is operated by London Northwestern Railway.
Bedford railway station 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.
Fenny Stratford is a railway station that serves the Fenny Stratford area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. It is on the Marston Vale line that links Bletchley and Bedford, about one mile east of Bletchley railway station.
The Varsity Line was the main railway line that linked the English university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, operated by the London and North Western Railway.
Aspley Guise railway station serves the village of Aspley Guise in Bedfordshire, England. It is on the Bletchley – Bedford Marston Vale Line. The station is served by West Midlands Trains local services, operating under the London Northwestern Railway brand. The services operate using Class 150 diesel-electric multiple unit trains. It is one of the seven stations serving the Milton Keynes urban area, albeit the only one located outside the City of Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire.
Ridgmont railway station is a small unstaffed railway station that serves the village of Ridgmont in Bedfordshire. The station is about 1 mile (2 km) away from Ridgmont on the other side of the M1 Motorway,, Brogborough and Husborne Crawley. It also serves the large Amazon warehouse next door.
Flitwick railway station is in the centre of Flitwick, in Bedfordshire, England. The station is situated on the Midland Main Line. The station is managed by Thameslink, who operate all trains serving it, and is served by Thameslink route services between Bedford and Brighton. As well as Flitwick itself, the station also serves the adjoining town of Ampthill, which no longer has its own station.
Lidlington railway station serves the village of Lidlington in Bedfordshire, England. The station's two platforms once faced each other, either side of the double tracks. This has since been modified to have staggered platforms either side of the level crossing in order to reduce the time the barriers spend down.
Stewartby railway station is a station on the Marston Vale line, which serves the Bedfordshire village of Stewartby in England. It is the nearest station to the Marston Vale Millennium Country Park.
Kempston Hardwick railway station serves the village of Kempston Hardwick in Bedfordshire, England. It should not be confused with the nearby town of Kempston. The station has two platforms next to a half-barrier level crossing.
Winslow Road railway station served the village of East Claydon near Winslow to the north of Quainton in Buckinghamshire, England. It was the second station to serve the town after Winslow on the Varsity Line.
Claydon railway station is a former railway station on the 'Varsity Line', that served the village of Steeple Claydon in Buckinghamshire.
Lord's Bridge was a railway station on the Varsity Line which ran between Oxford and Cambridge. Situated in the north of the parish of Harlton on the western outskirts of Cambridge, it was the penultimate station before the line's eastern terminus at Cambridge. The station opened in 1862 and closed more than a century later in 1968. The site is now part of the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory, which includes several rail-mounted radio-telescopes.
Potton was a railway station on the Varsity Line which served the small town of the same name in Bedfordshire. Opened in 1857 as part of Sir William Peel's Sandy and Potton Railway, the station was initially situated further south near the Biggleswade Road. Upon being taken over by the Bedford and Cambridge Railway in 1862 a new station was opened which remained in service for over one hundred years before closing in 1968. The station building has survived and is now a private house.
Winslow railway station refers to either one of two railway stations which historically served or is planned to serve, the town of Winslow in north Buckinghamshire, England. The original station (1850–1968) was on the former Varsity Line between Cambridge and Oxford. As of August 2023, construction of a new station nears completion and is scheduled to be served by East West Rail, as part of the plan to reinstate the Oxford–Cambridge service.
Blunham was a railway station on the Varsity Line which served the small village of the same name in Bedfordshire. Opened in 1862, the station was located in a rural area and saw little passenger traffic; it closed together with the line in 1968.
Willington was a railway station on the Varsity Line which served the small village of the same name in Bedfordshire. Opened in 1903, the station was located in a rural area and saw little passenger traffic; it closed together with the line in 1968.
Olney was a railway station on the former Bedford to Northampton Line and Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway which served the town of Olney in Buckinghamshire, England. It was situated on a busy section of line between Towcester and Ravenstone Wood junction which saw heavy use by freight services running between Wales and north-east England. The station closed for passengers in 1962 and completely in 1964, the various connecting routes to the line having closed one by one from the 1950s onwards.