as the Marston Vale Community Rail Partnership. Like other Community Rail Partnerships around the country, the Partnership aims to increase use of the line by getting local people involved with their local line. They do this by various means, such as holding community events, running special train services, and publicising the line locally. From December 2018, West Midlands Trains were to introduce Class 230 D-Trains, built by Vivarail, onto the route, replacing the current trains, but the introduction was delayed until going into service on 23 April 2019. In November 2022, Vivarail, the manufacturers and maintainers of the Class 230, entered administration: consequently London Northwestern Railway introduced a rail replacement bus service from December and, , is working on options to restore the rail service. In February 2023, Rail magazine reported that WMT plans to replace the Class 230 fleet with Class 150 DMUs. The 150s are not expected until 2024, which is when they are due to be released by Northern Trains. Infrastructure Apart from a short length of single track at both ends, the line is double track, and is not electrified. It has a loading gauge of W8 and a line speed of . The line's signalling centre is at . Proposed developments East West Rail The Marston Vale line is one of the two remaining sections of the former Varsity line still in passenger use. The programme aims to reinstate the entire Oxford-Cambridge line, including changes to current Marston Vale line stations. Extension to Milton Keynes Central In June 2005, the then franchisee, Silverlink Trains announced an intention to extend the Marston Vale service via the West Coast Main Line to , where a new platform and track would be built alongside the up slow track. Work began on 4 December 2006 at the station to prepare for a service connection. The platform was ready for use in January 2009 but the service did not materialise and there are no longer any published plans for it to do so. A firm service pattern on East West Rail remains to be announced but the illustrative pattern has no BedfordMilton Keynes Central service; passengers will continue to have to change at Bletchley. There is no east-to-north chord between this line and the WCML: , the route the chord might take is occupied by trade outlets and a warehouse. See also Marston Vale Footnotes References Sources External links Marston