Milton Keynes Central railway station

Milton Keynes Central Add→{{rail-interchange}}
General information
Location	Borough of Milton Keynes
Coordinates	52.035°N 0.773°W / 52.035; -0.773
Owned by	Network Rail
Managed by	West Midlands Trains
Platforms	7 (numbered 1–2, 2A, 3–6)
Other information
Station code	MKC
History
Opened	17 May 1982
Original company	British Rail
Key dates
2008	Platforms 2A and 6 added

Milton Keynes Central railway station serves Central Milton Keynes and the surrounding area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The station is located on the West Coast Main Line between the stations of Bletchley and Wolverton, both of which are also within Milton Keynes. The station is served by Virgin Trains intercity services, and by West Midlands Trains and Southern regional services.

This station is one of the six stations serving the Milton Keynes urban area. The others are Wolverton (north Milton Keynes), Bletchley (south Milton Keynes), Fenny Stratford (also south Milton Keynes, Bow Brickhill (south-east Milton Keynes) and Woburn Sands railway station. Milton Keynes Central, which opened on 17 May 1982, is by far the busiest and most important of these, as well as being the largest in terms of platforms in use, having overtaken Bletchley when platforms 2A and 6 became operational.

History and development

Opening

The station was opened by British Rail on 14 May 1982 in an official ceremony with full public opening three days later. Before it opened, Bletchley railway station was the main station for Milton Keynes, served by British Rail InterCity services. These services moved to the new station, downgrading Bletchley.

2006–08 developments

The station lobby, with the huge National Rail logo above the entrance

Looking south from Milton Keynes Central, showing the bay platform 2A and the track on the left, which leads into platform 1 under the bridge. The bridge in the middle distance carries H6 Childs Way.

In May 2006, the Department of Transport announced a plan to upgrade the station. The first phase added a down fast line platform 6, so that the existing platform 5 could be used for stopping express trains in either direction. The second phase provided an additional terminating bay platform (2A), nominally to extend the Marston Vale Line Bedford/Bletchley service via the West Coast Main Line (WCML) to Milton Keynes Central. This 5-car bay platform is indented into platform 1. The original platform 1 line was extended northwards from 'bay' to 'through' (becoming the up slow line), and platform 2 line is now a 'centre' terminating and reversing line, avoiding conflicting crossing movements. This work was completed on 29 December 2008. As of 2014, a direct service between Bedford and Milton Keynes is not in any published plan, being overtaken by later events (see next).

Platforms and layout

The main body of Milton Keynes Central, showing the triple island platform layout and the footbridge. The large station building provides the backdrop. Platform 6 is closest to the camera.

Milton Keynes Central has a total of seven platforms. Platforms 1 and 3 are the south and northbound slow platforms, while 4 and 6 are the south and northbound fast platforms. Platforms 2 and 5 are reversible, being slow and fast respectively. Platform 2 is used by terminating services from London Euston and East Croydon, whilst platform 5 is used by London Midland services to Birmingham New Street and Crewe. Platform 2A is a five-car south-facing bay platform originally intended for the extension of Marston Vale Line services into Milton Keynes Central. This proposal no longer appears in plans for the East West Rail Link, being replaced by a planned service to/from Oxford. Meanwhile, platform 2A is used only by exception when additional platform capacity is needed, such as when there is a service delay. The platform will also be used for services to Oxford and Aylesbury (see 'Future Services' below). To the north of the station the six lines reduce to four (two slow and two fast), whilst there is a mile of five-track running to the south before this also reduces back to four.

Ticket gates are in operation.

Local facilities and interchange

The main building of the station, photographed from platform 1

The station building has a shop and café. There are other shops and restaurants on the south side of the station square. There are a number of hotels on Midsummer Boulevard (which begins opposite the station and leads up into the central business district).

The station forecourt is the terminus or key intermediate destination for many bus services; almost all local and district bus services stop there. These services are operated mostly by Arriva as well as some routes by Stagecoach and a number of independent operators. Numerous bus services each hour traverse Midsummer Boulevard, connecting the station to the shopping centre, the theatre and Xscape. There is a public toilet in this area.

Stagecoach East operate four major long-distance routes from here. Their route 99 express service runs to Luton Airport via Luton railway station, providing a direct link between the West Coast Main Line and the Midland Main Line. Route X5 route between Oxford and Cambridge stops here, as do their X4 and X7 interurban bus routes to Northampton, Leicester and Peterborough. Arriva Shires & Essex also operate route X60 to Aylesbury, which terminates at the station. National Express services run from the Milton Keynes Coachway, about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) away, served from this station by the 300 bus or the X5.

The Milton Keynes redway system, a comprehensive network of cycle/pedestrian shared use paths, connects to the station and its cycle parking facilities.

Also in the station forecourt, there is a taxi rank (to the left) and a pick-up space for private hire cars (to the right), plus limited (very) short term parking. There is a multi-storey car-park to the north of the station. Parking in the surrounding streets is heavily restricted to discourage commuter parking.

The station square itself is a favourite site for skateboarding and freestyle BMX and as a result the granite facings of the planting surrounds have suffered from the continuous bumping and grinding. This has lessened somewhat since the opening of a dedicated skateboarding park (Sk8 MK) close to the former central bus station.

Services

A London Midland class 350 standing at platform 2 after having terminated with a service from London.

London Midland

Before Milton Keynes Central was built. The WCML near Loughton Siding signal box in 1957

Milton Keynes Central is a principal start and terminus for London Midland's services to/from London Euston, and a major stop on others terminating/initiating at Northampton, Crewe or Birmingham New Street. During off-peak daytime hours, London Midland operate five departures per hour to Euston, two trains per hour to Birmingham New Street (via Northampton), one train per hour to Crewe, and one train per hour that terminates at Northampton. There are additional London Midland services during the rush hour.

Virgin Trains

Virgin Trains stop many of their inter-city services here, with three calls an hour in each direction off-peak on weekdays. Southbound services are to London Euston, northbound services are to Glasgow/Edinburgh via Birmingham New Street, to Manchester Piccadilly and to Chester (with certain trains extending to Bangor and Holyhead for ferry connections to Dun Laoghaire or to Dublin Port). Additional services operate in the morning peak and evening peaks to and from Liverpool Lime Street, Preston, Glasgow Central (via Trent Valley Line), Wolverhampton and other destinations.

Southern

Southern's West London Route provides an hourly service via the West London Line and Brighton Main Line to East Croydon (via Clapham Junction), avoiding central London. Onward connections to Gatwick Airport and Brighton are available from Clapham Junction.

Future services

East West Rail

Main article: East West Rail Link

From 2019, services are planned to operate (over a rebuilt East West Rail Link) to Oxford via Bletchley, Winslow and Bicester Town; and also to London Marylebone via Aylesbury and High Wycombe. Extension of the Oxford service to Reading has been mooted.

Service summary

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Wolverton or Terminus		London Midland WCML London commuter service		Bletchley or Leighton Buzzard
Rugby		London Midland WCML London–Crewe		Euston
Wolverton		London Midland WCML London–Birmingham		Bletchley or Watford Junction
Birmingham New Street or Coventry or Rugby		Virgin Trains WCML West Midlands Route London–West Midlands		London Euston or Watford Junction
Stoke on Trent or Crewe or Rugby		Virgin Trains WCML Manchester Route London–Manchester		London Euston or Watford Junction
Rugby or Stafford		Virgin Trains WCML Liverpool Route London–Liverpool		Watford Junction or London Euston
Crewe or Nuneaton		Virgin Trains WCML North Wales Route London–Chester/North Wales/Holyhead for Dublin		London Euston
Coventry		Virgin Trains West Coast Main Line London–Scotland/North West		London Euston
Rugby		Virgin Trains West Coast Main Line London–Glasgow/North West		London Euston or Watford Junction
Terminus		Southern West London Route Milton Keynes–South Croydon		Bletchley
	Future services
Terminus		East West Rail Link Milton Keynes Central — Oxford and Reading		Bletchley
Terminus		East West Rail Link Milton Keynes Central — London Marylebone		Bletchley

Location

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Milton Keynes Central
zoom in

The station is to the west of Central Milton Keynes, near the junction of the A5 with the A509. The nearest post-code is MK9 1LA.

In film

The station and its plaza were used in the movie Superman IV: The Quest for Peace as a substitute for the United Nations building. Other scenes were shot in the Central Milton Keynes area.

External links

• Train times and station information for Milton Keynes Central railway station from National Rail
• Pendolino rounds Wolverton bend before coming to a stop at Milton Keynes Central