Friends of Bedford Railway Station

14/07/2026

29/06/2026

This is a lovely story from Lynne Vaughan who volunteers as a 'Young Arts' Worker with the Moorfields Paediatric Eye Clinic at Bedford Hospital.

They created an art piece with young patients, parents and staff following the Elstow Rail Crash and presented it to the staff at Bedford Station...

In Lynne's words:

"Following the train crash south of Bedford last week, it was decided to work with the Young People in clinic on artwork for the staff at Bedford Railway Station.

We decided to paint/colour trains and leave positive and uplifting messages for the Railway Staff at Bedford.

The young people, their parents and the staff in Clinic took part.
On completion of their work I put together two posters and delivered them to the Railway Station Manager at Bedford.

They were thrilled and the Bedford Station Manager instantly replied with the following message:-

'Thank you, Lynne, for visiting earlier today & leaving us with this precious artwork done by the children. This is really amazing & will be appreciated by the team. Please pass on our gratitude.' "

We will be looking at displaying this wonderful tribute at the station.

Thameslink East Midlands Railway Community Rail Network We Are Bedford Kerbside coffee Jumbley’s hut Marston Vale Community Rail Partnership Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity Beds & Herts Community Rail Partnership Bedford Hospital
Bedford Independent

24/06/2026

Impressive how the local community came together to help - thank you everyone

23/06/2026

Thameslink Staff have placed a tribute to EMR driver Shaun Burton who sadly lost his life in the Elstow rail crash recently (just south of Bedford), The tribute is outside the station entrance.

Our condolences to Shaun's family and our thoughts go with all those who were affected by the incident - some with very serious injuries.

Community Rail Network

21/06/2026

21st June 2026

>> Rail Service Update Following Train Incident at Elstow:

Major disruption between Bedford and London St Pancras International is expected until at least Friday 26 June

Note that engineering works on the line continue over the weekend meaning that some Rail Replacement buses are operating south of Bedford

>>Check before you travel - the live National Rail live departures webpage can be found here showing both trains and replacement bus times at Bedford:
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/live.../departures/bedford/
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Routes affected:

East Midlands Railway (EMR) services between London St Pancras International and Corby / Leicester / Nottingham / Sheffield
EMR are planning to operate 1 train per hour on the following routes:
- Sheffield - Bedford
- Nottingham - Bedford
- Kettering - Corby

There will be no East Midlands Railway service south of Bedford.
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Thameslink services between Brighton / Rainham (Kent) and Bedford

From Monday 22 June until at least Friday 26 June, Thameslink services will not run between Luton and Bedford.

If your journey is on the Midland Mainline between Luton and Bedford, please only travel if your journey is essential. If you do need to travel, please check before you set off and allow at least 60 minutes additional time.

Disruption is expected throughout this period, and services that are able to run as far as Luton (from London) will be reduced.

The following stations will have no Thameslink service
- Bedford
- Flitwick
- Harlington
- Leagrave

If you are travelling to or from any of these stations, you will need to use an alternative route or the limited rail replacement bus service where available.

Some train services will run south from Luton - please check before you travel

The live National Rail live departures webpage can be found here showing both trains and replacement bus times at Luton:
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/live-trains/departures/luton/

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Marston Vale line services Bedford to Bletchley are expected to run as per usual

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07/04/2026

>>East West Rail announces details of last route-wide public consultation events (The next and final consultation: 14 April – 9 June 2026)

A series of public drop-in events are being held by East West Rail Co across the route to provide opportunities to talk with experts from EWR Co to find out more about the updated proposals, ask questions and submit feedback.

>>Online Events:

- Monday 20th April - 6.30pm-8pm
Online webinar: https://shorturl.at/LdoK2

- Wednesday 6th May - 3pm-4.30pm
Online webinar: https://shorturl.at/61gDs

- Tuesday 2nd June - 10.30am-12pm
Online webinar: https://shorturl.at/ljyQ0

>>In Person Event in Bedford:

- Saturday 23rd May - 11am-6pm
King's House, 245 Ampthill Road, Bedford, MK42 9AZ

Other in-person events available elsewhere on route - see EWR webpage (link below).

- There will be 15 consultation events include weekend sessions and online webinars, and a virtual consultation room to maximise public engagement

The eight-week consultation will run from 14 April to 9 June 2026, offering communities along the route a vital opportunity to have their say on the latest plans and help shape the final design of the railway before a Development Consent Order is submitted in 2027.

The consultation will provide latest designs and information on East West Rail, including:

- New visualisation images of stations and fly-through animations of route sections
- More details on a phased construction period to deliver parts of the project earlier so that communities feel the benefits sooner
- New stations/upgrades to existing stations
- Proposed service patterns and carriage lengths to meet the demand for Universal theme park
- Level crossings
- Discontinuous electrification with hybrid electric/battery trains to support net zero goals
- Reducing environmental impacts and a commitment to biodiversity net gain

For those unable to attend in person, all consultation materials will be available online, with multiple ways to provide feedback.

While this is the last route-wide consultation, EWR Co will be continuing to engage with communities as the design is finalised ahead of DCO submission.

For more information about the consultation and how to get involved, please visit the consultation page: www.eastwestrail.co.uk/consultation/consultation2026.
[Available from Tuesday 14th April]

Marston Vale Community Rail Partnership Beds & Herts Community Rail Partnership Bedford to Bletchley Rail Users' Association Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity

Join us on Monday 20 April at 18:30-20:00 to find out more about East West Rail and how you can take part in our consultation.

19/02/2026

Good to see Ridgmont Station Heritage Centre has reopened - just a a 23min train ride from Bedford Midland hourly departure (mostly) 13 mins to the hour (eg 09:47;10:47:11:47 etc) or St Johns a couple of mins later.

Return Fare from just £6.40 - and if you have a Bedford Bus Pass it's half fare after 10am.

Return train nominally 9 mins past the hour.

Marston Vale Community Rail Partnership Beds & Herts Community Rail Partnership We Are Bedford Bedford to Bletchley Rail Users' Association Bedford Borough Council London Northwestern Railway Thameslink

A really special day today as our very own Ridgmont Station Heritage Centre re-opened after the winter break! It was great to welcome a steady flow of visitors.

Huge thanks to our amazing team of Friends of Ridgmont Station volunteers who have worked incredibly hard behind the scenes preparing for today and have extended their role to serving tea/coffee, homemade cakes & scones to visitors.

Look forward to doing it all over again tomorrow! The Heritage Centre is now open Wednesday – Friday 11:00 – 3:00. Free entry!
We have a lego club tomorrow too!


Beds & Herts Community Rail Partnership
Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity
Ridgmont Station Heritage Centre
Forest of Marston Vale The Higgins Bedford
Bletchley Park
London Northwestern Railway
Bedford to Bletchley Rail Users' Association
Bedford Independent
Raring2go Bedford Youth Inspired
Bedford Credit Union Gallone's Ice Cream Bedford
Central Bedfordshire Council
Community Rail Network EMR Community Rail
Blake Stephenson MP Cakes By Elaine

12/02/2026

Bedford Borough Council to hold a further community engagement meeting this Monday evening 16th Feb for Bedford residents to look at the latest East West Rail proposals and the Council's reponse to these.

Need to book in advance to attend - details below

Bedford Borough Council will hold its latest community engagement session about the East West Rail (EWR) proposals next week.

The event, which is open to all residents, will take place in-person at Borough Hall, on Monday 16 February from 6-7.30pm.

This is part of the Council’s work to ensure residents are kept informed about EWR, how we are engaging with the scheme, and what we are doing to promote and protect the interests of our Borough and our residents.

We recognise that the proposals raise important questions for residents across Bedford, not only those living directly along the proposed route. This session is an opportunity to learn more about the proposals, understand the Council’s position and approach, and share your views so they can inform our formal response to EWR.

At the session, council officers will:

•Provide the Council’s understanding of the updated EWR proposals

•Explain how the Council is responding on behalf of Bedford Borough

•Listen to community views, concerns and questions

•Outline how feedback will be reflected in the Council’s formal response.

•The East West Rail project is a multi-billion-pound rail link being built between Oxford and Cambridge, with Bedford at its centre. It is being delivered by the East West Rail Company (EWR Co), a government-owned company.

Bedford Borough Council has expressed serious concerns about aspects of the scheme, including the announcement late last year that the organisation plans to demolish an additional 53 homes and businesses on Ashburnham Road including a GP surgery and the Dom Polski venue.

Please note, this session does not replace the EWR design update meetings taking place next week.

Those sessions remain the primary opportunity for residents to hear directly from EWR on emerging designs. This Council-led session is focused on listening to residents, explaining the DCO process, and understanding local concerns so that we can take these forward appropriately.

Click the link in the comments for how to book a place or submit a question in advance.

09/01/2026

EAST WEST RAIL DESIGN CONSULTATION SESSIONS FOR BEDFORD

East West Railway Company (EWR Co) has announced a further series of community consultation events giving residents a further chance to learn about the latest designs for the EWR proposals through Bedford.

Major changes are proposed for both Bedford stations including:

for Bedford Midland, a proposed new platform for fast London-bound services, a new entrance from Queens Park and new multi-storey car park next to Ford End Road bridge (on the site of the former engine shed)

and at Bedford St Johns a new multi storey car park serving both the relocated station and the hospital.

The events confirmed so far are:

>Thursday 12 February 3pm-8pm - Cauldwell Community Centre, Althorpe Street, Bedford MK42 9HF

>Saturday 14 February - Bedford (venue & timings TBC )

Other events will take place at Bletchley, Bicester and Cambridge.

At a recent residents meeting in Bedford (pictured) there were concerns raised by residents that more contact was needed between EWR Co and those affected by the East-West Railway proposals between Oxford and Cambridge.

David Hughes, CEO, East West Railway Company, said:
“We are looking forward to seeing and chatting to as many people as possible about how our designs have evolved. At the end of last year, we announced more than 80 changes that had been made as a direct result of feedback previously received, so we’re looking forward to being able to discuss these at the upcoming events.

“We are committed to working closely with local communities and listening to their views, and these events provide the opportunity for local people to find out more about the plans we published last year.”

Beds & Herts Community Rail Partnership Thameslink East Midlands Railway We Are Bedford Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity Marston Vale Community Rail Partnership Bedford to Bletchley Rail Users' Association London Northwestern Railway

19/12/2025

Interesting news to those with an interest in local railways from Bedford Radio as they continue their 'Historic Bedford' series - this time looking at how the railway came to Bedford back in the 1840s around the period of 'Railway Mania'...

>>Acclaimed local history programme returns to mark
Railway 200 celebrations