Varsity Line
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Varsity Line (or Oxford to Cambridge Line) is an informal name for the railway service which formerly linked the English university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, operated by the London and North Western Railway and then British Railways. A pun on the railway term main line was sometimes employed by describing the line as the "Brain Line".
Although not listed in the original Beeching report, the sections of the line from Oxford to Bletchley, and Bedford to Cambridge were closed at the end of 1967. The section from Bletchley to Bedford remains open as the Marston Vale Line, and the section between Oxford and Bicester as the Oxford to Bicester Line.
The line forms a major portion of the proposed East West Rail Link (a project to establish a strategic railway connecting East Anglia with Central, Southern and Western England) and its present status presents a significant obstacle to the realisation of such a plan.
Stagecoach presently operates the X5 bus service between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge which seems to be well-used, indicating public demand for a direct public transport link on the former Varsity Line route.[citation needed] At present, travelling between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge by train requires a change of train (and station) in London.
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[edit] Historic route
- Oxford (prior to 1951, Oxford Rewley Road)
- Port Meadow (station closed)
- Wolvercote (station closed)
- Oxford Road (station closed)
- Islip
- Oddington (station closed)
- Charlton (station closed)
- Wendlebury (station closed)
- Bicester
- Launton (station closed)
- Marsh Gibbon and Poundon (station closed)
- Claydon (station closed)
- Verney Junction (station closed)
- Winslow (station closed)
- Swanbourne (station closed)
- Bletchley (for West Coast Main Line)
- Fenny Stratford
- Bow Brickhill
- Woburn Sands
- Aspley Guise
- Husborne Crawley (station closed)
- Ridgmont
- Lidlington
- Millbrook
- Stewartby
- Wootton Broadmead (station closed)
- Kempston Hardwick
- Kempston and Elstow (station closed)
- Bedford St Johns
- Willington (station closed)
- Blunham (station closed)
- Girtford (station closed)
- Sandy (for East Coast Main Line)
- Potton (station closed)
- Gamlingay (station closed)
- Old North Road (station closed)
- Lord's Bridge (station closed)
- Cambridge (for West Anglia Main Line and branches)
The line was built in various stages, with the first part between Bletchley and Bedford opening in 1846, then Bletchley to Islip in 1847, and Islip to Oxford in 1851. These sections of the line were built by the Buckinghamshire Railway, which also built a Bletchley to Banbury railway meeting with the Varsity Line at Verney Junction. From 1857 the line was absorbed by the LNWR and was extended from Bedford to Cambridge in 1862. This extension provided a vital cross-country link between Oxford and Cambridge, but trains usually ran from Oxford to Bletchley and Bletchley to Cambridge.
During the Second World War, the tonnage on the line was at a high with many trains heading to the Bicester Military Railway. A connection between the line and the Great Central Railway was built near Calvert/Claydon for trains from Aylesbury. An attempt to close the line in 1959 failed due to large local pressure. The line was not mentioned in the Beeching report. However, the introduction of fast trains from London to Oxford and Cambridge made it quicker for passengers to go via London. Thus, the patronage of the line fell and was closed from Oxford - Bletchley and Bedford - Cambridge in 1967, a year after services north of Aylesbury ceased. The line between Bletchley and Bedford remained opened.
The line between Aylesbury and Bletchley was used a lot in the 1980s due to the closure of the London Marylebone depot, thus transferring the maintenance of the Chiltern Lines' Class 115s to Bletchley. This stopped when a new depot opened in Aylesbury and the introduction of the Class 165.
[edit] Present status of route
From Oxford to Bicester, the track remains open and in regular passenger and freight use (see Oxford to Bicester Line), but limited to 30-40mph. Since 1951 passenger trains have started from the former Great Western Railway Oxford station. From Bicester to Swanbourne, the track is in place but overgrown. Within this the stretch between Bicester and Claydon Junction is used for regular freight trains full of refuse bound for the landfill site at Calvert. From Swanbourne to Mursley, the track has been lifted, but the trackbed remains and makes reinstatement feasible. From there to Newton Longville, the track is in place but overgrown. The stretch from Newton Longville to Bletchley was re-laid in spring 2006 and opened on 27 March 2006 for freight traffic, again of refuse for the Newton Longville landfill site. From Bletchley to Bedford, the track is open and in daily passenger use (as the Marston Vale Line).
Between Bedford and Cambridge all of the track has been removed and some sections of the trackbed have been lost. At Sandy and Potton new housing occupies the former route. At Lord's Bridge near Cambridge the Ryle Telescope of Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory now occupies a 3-mile (4.8 km) length of the former route.
A further problem is the lack of through platforms at Bletchley and Bedford. The current track layout at Bletchley means that, without the proposed new high-level station, through trains would have to go around the station without stopping. Similarly, Bedford St Johns station was rebuilt on a different site, and is no longer on the through alignment towards Sandy.
[edit] Revival plans
This article or section contains information about planned or expected public transportation in the United Kingdom.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change significantly as more information becomes available.
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[edit] Confirmed plans
In May 2006 the Department of Transport announced[1] specific plans for Bletchley station. The document states that "it is likely" that Bletchley area renewals and network simplification will take place by 2010, "to include a high-level platform" for the Bedford trains. "The network will be suitable for the later addition of any 'East-West' link to and from Oxford and for the operation of through links from either Oxford or Bedford to and from Milton Keynes."
In the expansion plans for Milton Keynes, the area around Newton Longville is to be extensively developed. A new passenger station for Newton Longville is included[2] in the "MK2031" strategic plan, with a spur to a new platform at Milton Keynes Central. An upgraded line is already in place (see above) and a simple halt would not be expensive.
On 4 December 2006, work began at Milton Keynes Central to prepare for a service connection from the Marston Vale Line, with completion scheduled for December 2008.[3][4]
Chiltern Railways have announced that a new station, known as Aylesbury Vale Parkway, will be built 3 miles (4.8 km) north west of Aylesbury town station, adjacent to the A41 and the major development at Berryfields. The existing track, currently only used by freight trains, will be upgraded and new signalling equipment will be installed. This line could be extended further north to reach a rebuilt Oxford-Bletchley line at Verney Junction and Chiltern Railways have long term aspirations to reach Milton Keynes[5].
It has also been announced that the line from Oxford to Bicester Town railway station will be upgraded with funding from property developers as a condition of enlarging Bicester Village Shopping Centre.
In March 2008, a £2 million engineering survey into the state of the existing and removed track was launched[6].
[edit] Prognosis
Hopes for a revival of the Varsity Line rested on the proposed East West Rail Link. As well as upgrading the track from Bicester to Bletchley, this scheme was aiming to construct a new 9-mile (14 km) trackbed between Bedford and Sandy on roughly the same alignment as the original. At Sandy, trains would then have joined the East Coast Main Line to Biggleswade - Arlesey - Hitchin and then switched north-east to Letchworth - Baldock - Ashwell and Morden - Royston - Meldreth - Shepreth - Foxton - Cambridge. However, a spur would have to be built to enable southbound trains from Sandy to round the corner onto the Hitchin - Cambridge branch as the existing junction only serves northbound trains from London onto this branch. This would mean that trains would not actually stop at Hitchin and a new station might have to be built there unless another solution could be found.
However little progress was made with the project and development plans were further dashed when, in 2001, the Strategic Rail Authority rejected the option to reopen the stretch of line between Bicester and Bletchley. Then, in April 2006, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister reported[7] itself to be in favour of the principle of re-opening the link between Bedford and Oxford but gave no indication of underwriting that opinion. Most recently, in March 2008, a £2 million engineering survey of the existing and removed tracks was launched [6].
An alternative alignment for the line eastwards from Sandy has been proposed in order that East Coast Main Line line capacity is not affected by the new line. This alignment would continue from Sandy to the east along the original line, skirting Sandy Warren, before heading directly east with stations at Wrestlingworth and Bassingbourn before joining the existing railway network again at Foxton.
Despite the development opportunities for the fast-growing Oxford-Cambridge Arc, it is unlikely that the Varsity Line can be revived within the next 20 years. The problem of reconstructing the Bedford to Sandy route is a particular obstacle. However, hope remains alive that the line between Bletchley and Bicester may re-open to provide an Oxford to Milton Keynes Central train service.
In summer 2006 it was announced[8] that, in a bid to co-host the 2012 London Olympics, a large rowing lake would be built near the former station site at Willington in Bedfordshire, in return for a licence to extract gravel. The lake will cut through the route of the trackbed between Bedford and Sandy and any subsequent bridging costs would seem to be prohibitive, especially given the uninterrupted span that would be required to avoid obstructing the lake.
In March 2007, a study (funded by the councils and other interested parties along the route) declared at p. 38, 5.1 A very good operating and business case exists for [a "base case" for a] 2 trains per hour passenger service between Oxford and Milton Keynes, and an operating case also exists for the Aylesbury spur which would bring further economic and strategic advantages to the subregion. Capital cost for the base case is between £100m - £135m. The base case and the Aylesbury options should be further considered in the next phase of work.[9]
In March 2008, those undertaking the engineering survey stated that a 100mph link between Oxford and Bletchley could be achieved for around £190 million. Assuming construction was to start in 2009 as they current hope, the upgraded / re-opened line could be in service by 2012[6]
In April 2008, the Department for Transport responded to an e-petition for support by reiterating that they would encourage private funding.[10]
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Bill Simpson - The Oxford To Cambridge Railway: Forty Years On 1960-2000 ISBN 1-899246-05-3
[edit] External links
- East West Rail Link proposal
- East West Rail Link support group
- East West Rail petition
- Oxford-Bicester rail action group
- http://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/content.php?nID=29&ID=158&yID=2006
[edit] References
- ^ West Coast Main Line: Progress Report May 2006 (3MB PDF file)
- ^ MK2031 summary but see also MK2031 3.42 to 3.50
- ^ Transport Briefing — UK transport news, data and jobs
- ^ MK News (2006-12-13). "New rail platform on time for 2008". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-04-27.
- ^ Network Rail 2006 Business Plan
- ^ a b c The Oxford Times (2008-03-07). "Mk Rail Link Plan On Track". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-04-27.
- ^ Milton Keynes Citizen (2006-04-18). "Green light for rail link". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-04-27.
- ^ BBC News (2006-07-20). "'Olympic lake' backed by planners". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-04-27.
- ^ East West Rail (2007-02-01). "Guide to Railway Investment Projects (GRIP) Stage 2 Report Final Report" (pdf). Press release. Retrieved on 2008-04-27.
- ^ East-west-rail - epetition reply. Retrieved on 2008-04-27.
[edit] Notes
^ Bridge at grid reference SP813306 on Whaddon/Mursley road, observed 31/7/2005
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