Party time The Bedford to Bletchley Rail Users' Association is heavily involved in organising events to celebrate the 150th anniversary of their line. Exhibitions are being mounted, steam-hauled trains will run on 12 and 19 October, and on the anniversary weekend, 16-17 November. There will be a Rail Day at Bedford Civic Theatre on Saturday 16 and a train service along the line on Sunday 17. However, BBRUA is concerned about the future. It complained to the Franchise Director after a recent article in a local newspaper suggested that the desperately needed modernisation of the line's infrastructure would not be worthwhile because Stagecoach is running an Oxford-Cambridge coach service. Stagecoach is a likely bidder for the North London Railways franchise, which will include the Bedford-Bletchley line. The line is not just of local importance, but must form part of any future strategic East-West rail link.
Brush-off Loughborough locomotive maker Brush Traction is disappointed at not even being given a chance to compete for a £3250m contract to supply at least 250 freight locomotives to EW&S, the owners of the former British Rail freight operation. The contract has gone to General Motors in America, despite lobbying by local politicians of all parties. There are fears for the future of Brush Traction, which has already reduced its workforce in Loughborough by around 800 in the past two years.
Summer cuts One morning and one afternoon train in each direction was axed from the Ivanhoe Line, serving stations between Leicester and Loughborough, at the start of the summer timetable. The reason given was poor patronage, but there is scope for better marketing at a time when the county council's Caltrans study is looking into ways of relieving Leicester's serious traffic congestion.
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