Bletchley railway station

The London and Birmingham Railway, now part of the "West Coast Main Line", was officially opened from Euston as far as Denbigh Hall (approximately one mile north of Bletchley station) on 9 April 1838, where a temporary station was built. The line was fully opened in September 1838, and Bletchley station opened some time between 2 November 1838 and 20 June 1839.[1] The station was known as Bletchley & Fenny Stratford between 1841 and 1846 and after the opening of the Marston Vale line was referred to in timetables as Bletchley Junction from 1851 to 1870.[1] Originally a major intercity station, that role passed to Milton Keynes Central in 1982 when the latter was built, long after the east–west route had been downgraded, taking Bletchley's importance as a junction with it.

The eastward route (to Bedford St Johns) opened in 1846.[3] The westward route (to Buckingham) opened in 1850. This east–west route subsequently became the Oxford – Cambridge "Varsity Line".

There are six platforms in use, numbered 1 to 6 from west to east. Platforms 1 and 2 primarily serve the WCML fast lines used by Avanti West Coast expresses that do not stop at the station and consequently normally see little or no use unless other platforms are unavailable. Platforms 3 and 4 serve the WCML slow lines and are used by London Northwestern Railway services between Euston and Birmingham New Street, along with Southern's Milton Keynes Central–East Croydon trains. Platforms 5 and 6 are located on the eastern side and are the only ones that give access to the Marston Vale line to Bedford (though they can also be used exceptionally by main line trains). Bedford trains normally start and terminate at platform 6, but can use platform 5 if required. There are carriage sidings to the north of the station (along with the now closed train maintenance depot), whilst the high level flyover carrying the former Varsity Line towards Oxford crosses the main lines to the south. The main buildings and station entrance are located on the west (Bletchley Park) side of the complex, off Sherwood Drive.[5]

There are ticket barriers controlling access to the platforms.

As well as being on the national north–south West Coast Main Line, Bletchley is also on the east–west former Cambridge–Oxford Varsity line, though as of November 2018 only the central section, the Marston Vale line, between Bletchley and Bedford and the section between Oxford and Bicester Village are open for passenger services.

Future

Main article: East West Rail

East West Rail
Cherwell Valley line to Didcot and Reading Oxford Cherwell Valley line to Banbury Oxford Parkway Bicester Military Rly Bicester Village Western Section Phase 1 Phase 2 GWR Bicester line HS2 to Euston HS2 to Birmingham Interchange London–Aylesbury line to Marylebone Aylesbury Aylesbury Vale Parkway Winslow West Coast Main Line to Euston Bletchley Fenny Stratford Milton Keynes Central Bow Brickhill West Coast Main Line to Glasgow Woburn Sands Aspley Guise Ridgmont Lidlington Millbrook Not all stations between Bedford and Stewartby Blechley are expected to be served by East Kempston Hardwick West Rail services[7]   Midland Main Line to St Pancras Bedford St Johns Bedford Western Section Central Section Midland Main Line to Sheffield East Coast Main Line to Sandy and King's Cross Tempsford[nb 1] East Coast Main Line to St Neots and Edinburgh Cambourne Cambridge line to Hitchin West Anglia Main Line to Liverpool Street Cambridge South[nb 2] Cambridge Central Section Eastern Section Dullingham Cambridge North Newmarket Waterbeach Ipswich–Ely line not to be used by EWR Kennett Ely Bury St Edmunds Thurston Ely–Peterborough line Elmswell Fen Line King's Lynn Shippea Hill Lakenheath Brandon Not all stations between Cambridge Thetford and Great Yarmouth are expected to be served by Harling Road East West Rail services[8]   Eccles Road Attleborough Spooner Row Wymondham   Great Eastern Main Line Stowmarket not to be used by EWR   Needham Market Bittern Line Norwich Brundall Gardens Brundall Ipswich East Suffolk line to Felixstowe branch line Lingwood Acle Manningtree Mayflower line to Harwich Town Great Eastern Main Line Great Yarmouth
New station with location and final name to be decided New station not directly linked to EWR scheme

As of 2020, the route beyond Bletchley to the west through Winslow to Bicester is closed.

The high level crossing over the WCML, officially named the "Bletchley Flyover" and comprising seven 56 ft (17 m) spans and built in 1959 as part of the British Rail Modernisation Plan, by-passes Bletchley station. At the time it was expected to carry as many as 80 trains a day[9] and though it remains in place, it is not in use. There is a funded, scheduled, plan to re-open this route to passenger traffic via Bicester to Oxford by 2025 and an unfunded plan to re-open the entire route between Oxford and Cambridge. In the view of Milton Keynes Council, a key element of the plan is to build high level platforms at Bletchley so that passengers may transfer between the lines.[10]

In April and May 2020, the flyover was refurbished, with sections of the deck being replaced.[11]

In mid September 2012, the Transport Minister Norman Baker announced in a 'written answer' that the Government had approved London Midland's request to reduce the opening hours of the ticket office to close at 21:00 on Mondays and 20:00 on Tuesdays to Fridays.[23] Defending the Government's decision to reduce the opening hours at Bletchley and at Wolverton, local MPs Iain Stewart and Mark Lancaster said that most passengers use ticket machines to buy or retrieve their tickets.[23] Speaking for the opposition Cooperative and Labour Party, prospective parliamentary candidate Andrew Pakes called it the "thin end of the wedge", that would put into question the opening hours of the station toilets and waiting room.[23]

Services at Bletchley are operated by London Northwestern Railway and Southern. As of December 2019, off-peak services (with units in TPH or 'trains per hour') are:

London Northwestern Railway

• 3 tph to London Euston
• 1 tph to Milton Keynes Central
• 1 tph to Rugeley Trent Valley
• 1 tph to Cannock
• 1 tph to Bedford

Southern

• 1 tph to Milton Keynes Central
• 1 tph to East Croydon via Shepherds Bush

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Milton Keynes Central		London Northwestern Railway West Coast Main Line		Leighton Buzzard
Terminus		London Northwestern Railway Marston Vale Line		Fenny Stratford
Milton Keynes Central		Southern West London Route		Leighton Buzzard
	Future services
Winslow towards Oxford		East West Rail Oxford or Reading  – Milton Keynes Central		Milton Keynes Central
Winslow towards Oxford		East West Rail Oxford - Cambridge		Woburn Sands towards Bedford or Norwich or Ipswich
Winslow towards Aylesbury		East West Rail London Marylebone-Milton Keynes Central		Milton Keynes Central
Historical railways
Swanbourne Line and station closed		London Midland Region of British Railways Varsity Line Oxford  – Cambridge		Fenny Stratford Line and station open

Bletchley railway station zoom in
Mapping © OpenStreetMap contributors

The station is on Sherwood Drive in Old Bletchley, near the B4034. The nearest post-code is MK3 6DZ.[24] In the chainage notation traditionally used on the railway, its location on the West Coast Main Line is 46 miles 54 chains (46.68 mi; 75.12 km) from Euston;[25] to Oxford on the former Varsity line the distance is 31 miles 48 chains (31.60 mi; 50.86 km);[26][25][lower-alpha 3] and to Bedford it is 16 miles 51 chains (16.64 mi; 26.78 km).[27]

Stations in and around Milton Keynes
West Coast Main Line towards Glasgow Central Northampton loop to Northampton Roade Bedford–Northampton line towards Northampton Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway Salcey Forest Hanslope Junction Castlethorpe Olney Wolverton and Stony Stratford Tramway towards Bedford Deanshanger Old Stratford Wolverton–Newport Pagnell line Stony Stratford Newport Pagnell Wolverton Works Great Linford Wolverton Bradwell East West Rail / Marston Vale line to Bedford Woburn Sands Bow Brickhill Milton Keynes Central Fenny Stratford Denbigh Hall Bletchley TMD Bletchley with planned high-level platforms former Varsity Line / planned East West Rail to Oxford Leighton Buzzard West Coast Main Line towards Euston

• Bletchley Traction Maintenance Depot

• Bletchley station, approaches and sidings on 1952 OS six-inch map (National Library of Scotland)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bletchley railway station.

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