Wolverton railway station
Encyclopedia
Wolverton railway station serves northern Milton Keynes
, Buckinghamshire
, especially Stony Stratford
, Wolverton
and New Bradwell
.
The station is served by London Midland
local services from Northampton
to London
on the West Coast Main Line
. It is one of the five stations serving Milton Keynes
. The others are Milton Keynes Central, Bletchley
, Fenny Stratford
and Bow Brickhill
.
The station has four platforms, but the platforms adjacent to the 'fast' lines are rarely used as the tracks are normally used by fast Virgin Trains
services which do not stop at Wolverton.
Work on new station buildings started in May 2011 (although not to th plans proposed in 2008) with expected completion in Spring 2012. The construction has taken up the majority of parking spaces in the main car park (there are two overflow car parks) with comuters advised to use Bletchley in the interim (Milton Keynes Central is regarded as already too busy). On completion of the work, removal of the existing "portacabin" buildings will restore the parking to roughly the previous level. The start of the work was reported in local media including Liberal Democrat News.
History
The first, temporary, stop (September 1838) was on the embankment above Wolverton Park. A larger permanent station and refreshment rooms were built at a location behind what is now Glyn Square by November 1838. In 1881 the main line was re-routed to the east to allow for expansion (see 'Wolverton bend' below) and a new station built. The current station site has been in use since.
Until 1991, a "toy town" wooden ticket office stood on the railway bridge, facing out onto Newport Road and with steps leading down to the platform; this was actually the third location for a station in Wolverton The wooden station stood here for over 100 years until British Rail
demolished it, allegedly as Milton Keynes Borough Council
were debating making it a listed building.
.jpg)
In recent years, with the advent of fast trains, Wolverton gained notoriety among railwaymen for its famously tight curve. The curve was a result of the station being moved eastward in 1881, to permit extension of the Wolverton railway works. The path of the original route is visible at both the north and south ends of the divergence. The Advanced Passenger Train
failed its trials here but, with another decade of development, the new Virgin Trains
Pendolino
tilting trains passed theirs. Near the station, the track crosses the valley of the Great Ouse on a viaduct. Slightly further north, the Northampton loop
leaves the main line at Hanslope
Junction.
and freight ceased in 1967. Between 1817 and 1864, the section from Great Linford
to Newport Pagnell
was an arm of the Grand Junction Canal
which was then drained to become the track-bed. The route from Wolverton to Newport Pagnell is now a redway
. Along the redway, the platforms at New Bradwell
and Great Linford
are still in place, as are a signal post at Newport Pagnell and an iron bridge taking the line (now the redway) over the Grand Union Canal
.
services to London Euston
and . There are currently 2 trains per hour off-peak.
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, especially Stony Stratford
Stony Stratford
Stony Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes and is a civil parish with a town council within the Borough of Milton Keynes. It is in the north west corner of Milton Keynes, bordering Northamptonshire and separated from it by the River Great Ouse...
, Wolverton
Wolverton
Wolverton is part of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England.Wolverton may also refer to:Places in England:*Wolverton, Dorset*Wolverton, Kent*Wolverton, Hampshire*Wolverton, Shropshire*Wolverton, WarwickshirePlaces in the United States:...
and New Bradwell
New Bradwell
New Bradwell is a Victorian era new village, modern district and civil parish that is now part of Milton Keynes , on its northern edge...
.
The station is served by London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
local services from Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. It is one of the five stations serving Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
. The others are Milton Keynes Central, Bletchley
Bletchley railway station
Bletchley is a railway station that serves the southern districts of Milton Keynes , and the north-eastern parts of the Buckinghamshire district of Aylesbury Vale....
, Fenny Stratford
Fenny Stratford railway station
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.This station is one of five serving Milton Keynes. The others are , , and ....
and Bow Brickhill
Bow Brickhill railway station
Bow Brickhill railway station is a railway station that serves the village of Bow Brickhill in the Borough of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, and the Caldecotte, Tilbrook and Walton areas of south-east Milton Keynes itself. It is on the Bletchley — Bedford Marston Vale Line.The station is served by...
.
The station has four platforms, but the platforms adjacent to the 'fast' lines are rarely used as the tracks are normally used by fast Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
services which do not stop at Wolverton.
Station Building
The present station is a 'temporary' shed in the car park (at track level). Recently it has become clear that the station (and the town) needs a new building to handle its passengers, so a new structure has been proposed for the historic site on the road bridge.Work on new station buildings started in May 2011 (although not to th plans proposed in 2008) with expected completion in Spring 2012. The construction has taken up the majority of parking spaces in the main car park (there are two overflow car parks) with comuters advised to use Bletchley in the interim (Milton Keynes Central is regarded as already too busy). On completion of the work, removal of the existing "portacabin" buildings will restore the parking to roughly the previous level. The start of the work was reported in local media including Liberal Democrat News.
History
The first, temporary, stop (September 1838) was on the embankment above Wolverton Park. A larger permanent station and refreshment rooms were built at a location behind what is now Glyn Square by November 1838. In 1881 the main line was re-routed to the east to allow for expansion (see 'Wolverton bend' below) and a new station built. The current station site has been in use since.
Until 1991, a "toy town" wooden ticket office stood on the railway bridge, facing out onto Newport Road and with steps leading down to the platform; this was actually the third location for a station in Wolverton The wooden station stood here for over 100 years until British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
demolished it, allegedly as Milton Keynes Borough Council
Milton Keynes (borough)
The Borough of Milton Keynes is a unitary authority and borough in south central England, at the northern tip of the South East England Region. For ceremonial purposes, it is in the county of Buckinghamshire...
were debating making it a listed building.
Wolverton bend and Northampton Loop
Advanced Passenger Train
The Advanced Passenger Train was an experimental tilting High Speed Train developed by British Rail during the 1970s and early 1980s....
failed its trials here but, with another decade of development, the new Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
Pendolino
Pendolino
Pendolino is an Italian family of tilting trains used in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Russian Federation, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Switzerland, China and shortly in Romania and Poland...
tilting trains passed theirs. Near the station, the track crosses the valley of the Great Ouse on a viaduct. Slightly further north, the Northampton loop
Northampton loop
The Northampton loop is a railway line serving the town of Northampton. It is a branch of the West Coast Main Line, deviating from the faster direct main line which runs to the west....
leaves the main line at Hanslope
Hanslope
Hanslope is a village in the Borough of Milton Keynes and is the centre of a Civil Parish of the same name. It is about 4 miles WNW of Newport Pagnell, about 4 miles north of Stony Stratford, about 8 miles north of Central Milton Keynes and just south of Northamptonshire. For ceremonial...
Junction.
Newport Pagnell Branch Line (closed)
From 1865 to 1964, there was a branch line from Wolverton to Newport Pagnell, primarily for employees of Wolverton Works. In 1964 the line was closed to passengers by the Beeching AxeBeeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
and freight ceased in 1967. Between 1817 and 1864, the section from Great Linford
Great Linford
Great Linford is a historic village, district and civil parish in the northern part of Milton Keynes, England, between Wolverton and Newport Pagnell.-Great Linford village:...
to Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell is a town in the Borough of Milton Keynes , England. It is separated by the M1 motorway from Milton Keynes itself, though part of the same urban area...
was an arm of the Grand Junction Canal
Grand Junction Canal
The Grand Junction Canal is a canal in England from Braunston in Northamptonshire to the River Thames at Brentford, with a number of branches. The mainline was built between 1793 and 1805, to improve the route from the Midlands to London, by-passing the upper reaches of the River Thames near Oxford...
which was then drained to become the track-bed. The route from Wolverton to Newport Pagnell is now a redway
Milton Keynes redway system
The Milton Keynes redway system is a network of cycleways/paths for cyclists and pedestrians in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It is generally surfaced with red tarmac, and criss-crosses most of the city....
. Along the redway, the platforms at New Bradwell
New Bradwell
New Bradwell is a Victorian era new village, modern district and civil parish that is now part of Milton Keynes , on its northern edge...
and Great Linford
Great Linford
Great Linford is a historic village, district and civil parish in the northern part of Milton Keynes, England, between Wolverton and Newport Pagnell.-Great Linford village:...
are still in place, as are a signal post at Newport Pagnell and an iron bridge taking the line (now the redway) over the Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
.
See also
- Wolverton railway worksWolverton railway worksWolverton railway works was established in Wolverton, Buckinghamshire, by the London and Birmingham Railway Company in 1838 at the midpoint of the 112 mile-long route from London to Birmingham...
- Wolverton and Stony Stratford TramwayWolverton and Stony Stratford TramwayThe Wolverton and Stony Stratford Tramway was a narrow gauge street tramway between the London and North Western Railway's Wolverton railway works and Wolverton railway station and Stony Stratford in Buckinghamshire, two miles to the east, and onwards to Deanshanger, Northamptonshire.- History...
- Denbigh Hall Pending construction of a bridge over the River OuseRiver Great OuseThe Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
, passengers alighted at Denbigh Hall and transferred to coaches on the London-Birmingham turnpike.
Services
The station provides London MidlandLondon Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
services to London Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
and . There are currently 2 trains per hour off-peak.