London – High Wycombe – Oxford / Birmingham Timetable Changes – The FA Cup Third Round: Wycombe Wanderers vs Stourbridge FC (15:00 KO) In connection with the above football event, Chiltern Railways are pleased to announce the operation of the following two additional public trains on this date, aimed at Stourbridge FC supporters making a day trip to High Wycombe: * 09.53 Stourbridge Junction – High Wycombe: Calls at Cradley Heath (10.00) – Birmingham Moor Street (10.25) – High Wycombe (11.48). * 18.14 High Wycombe – Stourbridge Junction: Calls at Birmingham Moor Street (19.32) – Cradley Heath (19.54) – Stourbridge Junction (20.07). To facilitate further travel options to/from High Wycombe, the following trains are amended as shown: * 09.12 Birmingham Snow Hill – Marylebone calls additionally at High Wycombe at 10.36.

* 10.12 Birmingham Snow Hill – Marylebone calls additionally at High Wycombe at 11.36. * 11.12 Birmingham Snow Hill – Marylebone calls additionally at High Wycombe at 12.36. * 12.12 Birmingham Snow Hill – Marylebone calls additionally at High Wycombe at 13.36. * 17.10 Marylebone – Birmingham Snow Hill is extended to Cradley Heath (19.30) and Stourbridge Junction (19.42). * 17.40 Marylebone – Birmingham Snow Hill calls additionally at High Wycombe at 18.03. * 18.10 Marylebone – Birmingham Snow Hill is extended to Cradley Heath (20.30) and Stourbridge Junction (20.42). * 18.40 Marylebone – Birmingham Snow Hill calls additionally at High Wycombe at 19.03. * 19.40 Marylebone – Birmingham Snow Hill calls additionally at High Wycombe at 20.03.

Please refer to the attached timetable for full details. Further information: London – High Wycombe – Oxford / Birmingham Timetable Changes – Engineering Works Due to engineering works taking place in the Aylesbury area, the line is closed between Princes Risborough and Aylesbury until 11:00. Rail replacement buses will operate between Princes Risborough and stations to Aylesbury during this period. Trains will operate as normal between Marylebone and stations to Birmingham/Oxford. London – Amersham – Aylesbury Vale Parkway Timetable Changes – Engineering Works Due to engineering works taking place in the Aylesbury area, the line is closed between Stoke Mandeville and Aylesbury until 11:00. Trains will operate between Marylebone and Great Missenden; rail replacement buses will operate between Great Missenden and stations to Aylesbury Vale Parkway. Due to London Underground station staff strike action, Chiltern Railways trains are unable to call at London Underground stations (Harrow On The Hill to Amersham inclusive) after approximately 23:00. Please refer to the attached timetables for full details.

Further information: London – High Wycombe – Oxford / Birmingham Timetable Changes – Engineering Works Due to engineering works, the line is closed between Oxford Parkway and Oxford all day. Trains will operate as normal between Marylebone and Oxford Parkway (in both directions). Connecting Oxford Bus Company service 500 buses will operate between Oxford Parkway and Oxford. Additionally, throughout the day, many trains from Marylebone will depart up to 2 minutes earlier or later than normal. London – Amersham – Aylesbury Vale Parkway Timetable Changes – Additional Trains In connection with London Underground engineering works, additional trains will operate between Marylebone and Harrow On The Hill (in both directions) throughout the day. Trains will operate as normal between Marylebone and stations to Aylesbury Vale Parkway. Please refer to the attached timetables for full details.

Further information: Chiltern Railways - Information & Tickets - redspottedhanky.com And if you have any further questions regarding your journey please speak to a member of station staff or call Chiltern Railway on 08456 005 165 Chiltern Railways - services Principal Routes London Marylebone – Birmingham / Warwick / Stratford Upon Avon / Banbury / Solihull Groups of 10 more people travelling on Chiltern Railways services can receive a 25% discount on travel as long as they book travel tickets at least seven days in advance, by calling 01494 420 117. Passengers cannot bring bikes with them when they travel on Chiltern Railways services, except for services on Saturdays, Sundays or public holidays. Tandems are not permitted on any Chiltern Railways service either.

Contact Chiltern Railways To contact Chiltern Railways customer services, please phone: 03456 005 165 Other useful contact numbers for Chiltern Railways include: Journey assistance - 08456 005 165, selecting option 3 Group travel - 01494 420 117 Press office - 020 7333 3102 Birmingham New Street to Manchester Save up to 83% on advanced bookings Loyalty points 6 £6.50 Marylebone station Marylebone station Location of Marylebone in Central London Location National Rail annual entry and exit 2011–12 Marylebone station ( ), also known as London Marylebone, [3] is a central London railway terminus and London Underground station on the Bakerloo line . It is in Travelcard Zone 1 and close to Euston and Paddington , and well-known as a square on the British Monopoly board.

The station opened in 1899 as the London terminus of the Great Central Main Line (GCML), the last major railway to open in Britain in over 100 years, linking the capital to Nottingham , Sheffield and Manchester . Marylebone was the last of London’s main line terminal stations to be built, and one of the smallest, having opened with half the number of platforms originally planned. It has limited connections to the London Underground as it was built after the main tube lines in the area. The station suffered from a lack of traffic and after the GCML closed in 1966, it gradually declined in use. By the 1980s, Marylebone was threatened with closure, but was reprieved due to continued commuter traffic on the London to Aylesbury Line (a remaining part of the GCML) and from High Wycombe . In 1994 the station found a new role as the terminus of the Chiltern Main Line route to Birmingham . Following privatisation , the station was expanded with additional platforms in 2006 and improved services to Birmingham Snow Hill .

In 2015 services began between Marylebone and Oxford Parkway via a new chord connecting the Chiltern Main Line to the Oxford to Bicester Line , with an extension to Oxford following in 2016. Contents 7 External links Location The station stands on Melcombe Place just north of Marylebone Road , a straight west-to-east thoroughfare through Marylebone in central London ; Baker Street is close by to the east and south east. It is in the northern, Lisson Grove, neighbourhood of the district, in a northern projection of the Bryanston and Dorset Square ward immediately south of St Johns Wood . North-east is Regent’s Park , north in a network of mostly residential streets is Lord’s Cricket Ground and south, south-west and south-east are a mixed-use network of streets. Other nearby London termini are Euston and Paddington .

[4] The London Bus routes 2 , 13 , 18 , 27 , 30 , 74 , 82 , 113 , 139 , 189 , 205 , 274 and 453 and night routes N13 , N18 , N74 and N205 serve the station. [5] [6] National Rail The main line station has six platforms; two built in 1899, two inserted into the former carriage road in the 1980s, and two built in September 2006. It is the only non-electrified terminal in London. Marylebone is operated by Chiltern Railways (part of Deutsche Bahn AG ), making it one of the few London terminal stations not to be managed by Network Rail .

[7] Chiltern Railways operates all services at the station, accessing the Chiltern Main Line and London to Aylesbury Line routes which serve High Wycombe , Aylesbury , Bicester , Banbury , Leamington Spa , Warwick , Solihull , Birmingham Moor Street , Birmingham Snow Hill , and (at peak hours) Stourbridge Junction and Kidderminster . [8] There are services to Oxford via the Oxford to Bicester Line , [9] and some services to Stratford-upon-Avon via the Leamington to Stratford branch line. [10] History GCR and LNER The facade of Marylebone Station, designed by Henry William Braddock The early history of Marylebone is tied into the Great Central Railway ‘s Great Central Main Line extension into London. When Sir Edward Watkin became chairman of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway in 1864, the line was not particularly lucrative as it had no direct connection to London. Watkin was unhappy about transferring traffic to the Great Northern Railway , and when he became chairman of the Metropolitan Railway in 1872, he decided to build a dedicated line between the MS&LR and Central London.

[11] The approach to Marylebone was the last section of the Great Central Main Line to be built. Progress was delayed in the 1890s because of objections, particularly as the line would pass through Lord’s , the principal cricket ground in London and home of Marylebone Cricket Club . Watkin promised that Lord’s would not be disrupted by the railway construction, and an Act to complete the line was passed on 28 March 1893. [12] The station was built on a 51-acre (21 ha) site around Blandford and Harewood Squares, west of Regent’s Park . More than 4,000 working-class people were evicted from their homes to turn Harewood Avenue and Rossmore Road into approach roads; around 2,600 of them were rehomed in new apartments near St. John’s Wood Road. Watkin resigned the chairmanship in 1894 following ill health, and was replaced by Lord Wharncliffe .

[13] The approach to the station through Lord’s was achieved by a cut and cover tunnel constructed between September 1896 and May 1897, avoiding the cancellation of any cricket. [14] Marylebone Station in January 1966. The station has since been redesigned with two replacement platforms. The station opened to coal traffic on 27 July 1898 [15] and to passengers on 15 March 1899. [16] [17] It was the terminus of the GCR’s London extension main line – the last major railway line to be built into London until High Speed 1 . [18] The Great Central Railway linked London to High Wycombe , Aylesbury , Rugby , Leicester , Nottingham , Sheffield and Manchester . Local services from northwest Middlesex , High Wycombe and Aylesbury also terminated at Marylebone. [12] The GCR moved its headquarters to Marylebone from Manchester in 1905. [19] The station was designed by Henry William Braddock, a civil engineer for the Great Central Railway.

[18] Owing to the GCR’s lack of money, the station’s design is simple and modest. [20] The main booking hall was 63 feet (19.2 m) by 40 feet 6 inches (12.3 m). [21] It is a domestic version of the “Wrenaissance” revival style that fits in with the residential surroundings with Dutch gables , employing warm brick and cream-coloured stone. [21] The GCR crest was worked into the wrought iron railings in numerous places. [20] The original plan was for eight platforms, but half were designated as a “possible future extension”. [22] The cost of building the GCR was far higher than expected, nearly bankrupting the company. [23] The line leading to the station cut through 70 acres (28 ha) of middle class housing, including the Eyre Estate in St John’s Wood and the area around Lord’s, drawing protests and requiring a relocation of the track and station facilities. [24] There was never enough money for the extra platforms, and only four were built, three inside the train shed and one to its west (platform 4).

[25] As a result, the concourse is unusually long and had three walls for most of the 20th century. The northern wall was missing, as the GCR anticipated that the other four platforms, under an extended train shed, would be built later on. (This land was later filled with office blocks). The cost of the London Extension meant that the adjoining Great Central Hotel, designed by Sir Robert William Ellis, was built by a different company. [26] The hotel operated for a relatively short time and was converted to offices in 1945, becoming the headquarters of British Rail from 1948 to 1986. [15] The offices were restored as a hotel in 1993. [27] The GCR constructed an engine shed at the site in 1897, but it was short lived. A locomotive servicing area, consisting of a turntable and coaling stage remained in use until the end of steam traction at the station in 1966.

[28] Manchester bound express waiting at Marylebone in 1956, headed by an A3 Pacific Passenger traffic on the GCR was never heavy because it was the last main line to be built and had difficulty competing against longer-established rivals (especially the Midland Railway from its terminal at St Pancras) for the lucrative intercity passenger business. [29] Low passenger traffic meant Marylebone was the quietest and most pleasant of London’s termini. [30] The GCR was unhappy about having to use part of the Metropolitan Railway’s route to reach Marylebone, and opened a new line to High Wycombe on 2 April 1906. The additional suburban services generated traffic for the station, which had previously been so empty on occasion that the staff outnumbered passengers. [31] While passenger traffic remained relatively sparse, the line was heavily used for freight, especially coal; in 1914, 67% of traffic was goods-related. Trains ran from the north and East Midlands to the freight depot adjoining the station, which was marginally the largest in London.

[19] The heyday of the line was between 1923, when the GCR was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway and 1948, when the LNER was nationalised to form the British Rail Eastern Region. [32] As a result, many prestigious locomotives, such as Flying Scotsman , Sir Nigel Gresley , and Mallard which ran on the East Coast Main Line , were frequent visitors to the line. Special trains ran on the line to destinations such as Scotland. [33] The station’s busiest use came after the construction of Wembley Stadium in 1923, when it was used to contain large crowds wishing to see the FA Cup Final . Special services ran from Marylebone to the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Park the following year. [32] Unlike other London terminii, Marylebone saw little direct damage during the Blitz . It was closed between 5 October and 26 November 1940 after the approach tunnels were breached, and the goods depot was bombed on 16 April 1941.

[34] British Rail After nationalisation in 1948, British Railways attempted to keep Marylebone open as a long-distance station and introduced the Master Cutler service to Sheffield and the South Yorkshireman to Bradford, but they were not well-used. [35] From 1949, all local services towards High Wycombe and Princes Risborough were routed into Marylebone, although the frequency of trains was reduced two years later. [34] The Great Central Main Line duplicated the route of the Midland Main Line and long-distance trains from Marylebone were scaled back from 1958, leading to the closure of the Great Central Main Line north of Aylesbury on 4 September 1966 in the Beeching Axe . [35] Up local train in 1961 The rundown of services began after the line was transferred from British Railways’ Eastern Region to the London Midland Region , although the station and the first few miles of its route had been part of the Western Region from 1950. [36] In 1958, the Master Cutler was diverted to London King’s Cross and the East Coast Main Line.

In 1960 all express services were discontinued, followed by freight in 1965. From then until closure, only a few daily long-distance “semi-fast” services to Nottingham remained. [35] Marylebone’s large goods yard was closed and sold to the Greater London Council for housing. [37] The last long-distance service ran on 4 September 1966, except for a brief reprieve the following year when Paddington was undergoing signal works. [35] Marylebone was then the terminus for local services to Aylesbury and High Wycombe only, with some services extended to Banbury . They were switched to diesel multiple unit (DMU) operation following the phasing out of steam. British Rail Class 115 DMUs were introduced to local services in 1962. [38] The station was transferred from the Western Region to the London Midland Region in 1973. [39] The Great Central Railway’s long-distance connection from Marylebone via High Wycombe , was closed the same year.

[40] Closure proposals A Class 115 DMU at Marylebone in 1986 After the 1960s, lack of investment led to local services and the station becoming increasingly run down. Marylebone was the best place in London to see heritage trains. By the early 1980s, Marylebone was under serious threat of closure. In 1983 British Rail chairman Peter Parker commissioned a report into the possibility of converting Marylebone into a ‘high-speed bus way’, whereby Marylebone would be converted into a coach station . [41] The tracks between Marylebone, Harrow-on-the-Hill and South Ruislip would have closed, and converted into a road for the exclusive use of buses and coaches. [42] British Rail services via High Wycombe would have been diverted into Paddington, and the Aylesbury services would have been taken over by London Underground on an extended Metropolitan line , and then routed to Baker Street . [43] BR formally announced plans to close the station on 15 March 1984, pending a statutory consultation process. Closure notices were posted at Marylebone.

The proposals proved controversial and faced strong opposition from local authorities and the public, leading to a legal battle which lasted for two years. [44] Despite the pending closure, passenger numbers only dropped by about 400 per day from 1968 levels. [45] The conversion project proved impractical due to the headroom limitations on the line and the closure was quietly dropped. [41] 1986 onwards – revival The main trainshed at Marylebone in 2012, with platforms 3–1. The station’s fortunes turned around in the late 1980s when the station came under the control of the Network SouthEast sector of British Rail . The introduction of the inter-modal and unlimited use Capitalcard (now known as the Travelcard ) led to a sharp rise in commuters into London, absorbing the spare capacity at Paddington and Baker Street and eliminating the possibility of Marylebone’s services being diverted. [46] Marylebone was reprieved from the threat of closure on 30 April 1986, [46] and an £85 million-pound modernisation and refurbishment programme of the station and its services was granted.

This was funded by selling part of the station to developers, including two of the original four platforms at the west of the station and the third span of the train shed. In order to replace these, the central cab road was removed, and two new platforms numbered 2–3 were created in its place. The run-down lines into Marylebone were modernised with new signalling and higher line speeds. In 1991, the fleet of Class 115 trains on local services was replaced by Class 165 Turbo trains, and service frequencies were increased. [43] Services to Banbury were extended to the reopened Birmingham Snow Hill in 1994, creating the first long-distance service into Marylebone since 1966. [47] Privatisation After rail privatisation , Chiltern Railways took over the rail services in 1996 and developed the interurban service to Birmingham Snow Hill. [48] In 2002, a service to Kidderminster was opened.

[49] The line was restored to double track the same year, and Marylebone was expanded in 2006 with two extra platforms in Chiltern’s Evergreen 2 project. [50] A new platform (platform 6) was inaugurated in May 2006, [51] while Platform 5 and the shortened platform 4 opened in September. [52] Platforms 5 and 6 were built on the site of the goods sidings and a depot was opened near Wembley Stadium railway station . [53] Platforms 5 and 6 were added in 2006 as part of Chiltern Railways ‘ Evergreen 2 project. In September 2007, the Office of Rail Regulation granted the Wrexham & Shropshire Company permission to operate services from Wrexham in North Wales via Shrewsbury , Telford and the West Midlands to Marylebone; they started in early 2008, restoring direct London services to Shropshire (Wrexham already being served by a Virgin Trains service to Euston), with five return trips per day on weekdays.

This was reduced to four trains a day in March 2009. [54] These services ceased on January 2011 after passenger number reduced; the closure was blamed on the Great Recession . [55] In December 2008, it was proposed to restart direct services between Aberystwyth in mid-Wales and London, which last ran in 1991, with Marylebone as the London terminus. Arriva Trains Wales announced a consultation for two services a day, following the route of the WSMR connecting with the Cambrian line at Shrewsbury. [56] This idea was abandoned following objections by Wrexham & Shropshire. [57] In 2011, Chiltern Railways took over the Oxford to Bicester Town route from First Great Western , in preparation for the opening of a link from the Chiltern Main Line to the Varsity Line (on which Bicester Town station is located), which would see twice-hourly services from Marylebone to Oxford.

Construction was expected to start in 2011 but was delayed until the following year after bats were found roosting in one of the tunnels on the Varsity line. Services to Oxford Parkway started in October 2015 and services to Oxford began in December 2016. [58] [59] Services As of December 2016, the typical off-peak weekday service pattern from Marylebone is: [60] Main line 2 per hour to Birmingham Moor Street , one of which continues to Birmingham Snow Hill 2 per hour to Oxford Local 2 per hour to Aylesbury via Amersham , one of which continues to Aylesbury Vale Parkway 1 per hour to Banbury Additional services run in the peak hours, and some Birmingham trains extend to Kidderminster or Stourbridge Junction . Station facilities The station opened with a dining restaurant and a buffet. The restaurant was changed to a self-service operation when British Rail took over in 1948. [35] The Victoria and Albert bar opened on 14 December 1971. [45] In the 21st century, the concourse contains a small selection of shops.

[61] Accidents On 28 March 1913, a train leaving for High Wycombe collided with another arriving from Leicester, killing one passenger and injuring 23 people on the incoming train. The cause was blamed on the intermediate starter signal being lowered before the main starter was ready; the view of the latter was obscured by the smoke. [62] On 11 December 2015, a train pulling into the station caught fire, causing it to be evacuated. The cause was believed to be a fault in its air conditioning unit. [63] London Underground Tramlink The London Underground station is on the Bakerloo line between Baker Street and Edgware Road stations and is, along with the main line station, in Travelcard Zone 1 . [65] Access is via escalators from the main line station concourse which houses the Underground station’s ticket office. Until 2004 a wooden escalator led into the station, one of the last on the London Underground system that had not been replaced. [66] Marylebone has direct connections with just a single tube line, unlike many other London termini such as Euston and Paddington .

[65] There is no direct interchange with the Circle line , which predates the station by more than 30 years and bypasses it to the south. [67] The nearest stations on the Circle line are Edgware Road and Baker Street. [65] History The underground station was opened on 27 March 1907 by the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway under the name Great Central (following a change from its intended name Lisson Grove). [68] The railway terminated here until the extension to Edgware Road opened on 15 June. [69] The station was renamed Marylebone on 15 April 1917. [70] The original name still appears in places on the platform wall tiling, although the tiling scheme is a replacement designed to reflect the original scheme. [71] The present entrance opened on 1 February 1943 following wartime damage to the original station building that stood to the west at the junction of Harewood Avenue and Harewood Row and the introduction of the escalators.

[32] The old building, designed by the Underground Electric Railways Company of London ‘s architect, Leslie Green , had used lifts to access the platforms. It was demolished in 1971 and the site is occupied by a budget hotel. [72] Cultural references As one of the quietest London terminals, Marylebone has been popular as a filming location. [73] In April 1964 several scenes in The Beatles film A Hard Day’s Night were filmed here, [74] as was the opening scene of the 1965 film of The IPCRESS File and the 1978 film of The Thirty-Nine Steps (standing in for St Pancras ) [75] It appeared in an episode of Magnum, P.I. when the series was filmed around London. [76] The station appeared in the BBC ‘s spy drama Spooks (Season 4, Episode 1, standing in for Paddington) [76] and the Doctor Who serial, Doctor Who and the Silurians .

[77] Marylebone is one of four stations on the British version of the Monopoly board game, along with King’s Cross , Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street . The four stations were all LNER termini at the time the board was designed in the mid-1930s. [78] See also The Landmark London – the present name of the former Great Central Hotel References Citations ^ ^ Moore 2003 , pp. 158–9 Sources Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1 [ Amazon-US | Amazon-UK ]. R508. Clough, David (2013). Dr Beeching’s Remedy – A Cure for a Century of the Railway’s Ills. Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-3542-3 [ Amazon-US | Amazon-UK ]. Cole, Beverly (2011). Trains. Potsdam, Germany: H.F.Ullmann.

ISBN 978-3-8480-0516-1 [ Amazon-US | Amazon-UK ]. Christopher, John (2015). London’s Historic Railway Stations Through Time. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-445-65111-8 [ Amazon-US | Amazon-UK ]. Day, John R. (1979) [1963]. The Story of London’s Underground (6th ed.). Westminster: London Transport . ISBN 0-85329-094-6 [ Amazon-US | Amazon-UK ]. 1178/211RP/5M(A). Demuth, Tim (2004). The Spread of London’s Underground. Capital Transport Publishing. ISBN 1-85414-277-1 [ Amazon-US | Amazon-UK ].

Marylebone station Marylebone station Location of Marylebone in Central London Location National Rail annual entry and exit 2010–11 UK Railways portal Marylebone station ( i /ˈmɑːrlᵻbən/ MAR-li-bən ), also known as London Marylebone, [3] is a central London railway terminus and London Underground station on the Bakerloo line . It is in Travelcard Zone 1 and close to Euston and Paddington , and well-known as a square on the British Monopoly board. The station opened in 1899 as the London terminus of the Great Central Main Line , the last major railway to open in Britain in over 100 years, linking the capital to Nottingham , Sheffield and Manchester . Marylebone was also the last of London's main line terminal stations to be built, and is also one of the smallest, having opened with half the number of platforms originally planned. It has limited connections to the London Underground as it was built after the main tube lines in the area. The station suffered from a lack of traffic and after the GCML closed in 1966, it gradually declined in use.

By the 1980s, Marylebone was threatened with closure, but was reprieved due to continued commuter traffic. Following privatisation , the station became the terminus of the Chiltern Main Line route to Birmingham and the London to Aylesbury Line (a remaining part of the CGML). The station was expanded with additional platforms in 2006 and improved services to Birmingham Snow Hill . In 2015 services began between Marylebone and Oxford Parkway via a new chord connecting the Chiltern Main Line to the Oxford to Bicester Line , with an extension to Oxford following in 2016. Contents Location[ edit ] The station stands on Melcombe Place just north of Marylebone Road , a straight west-to-east thoroughfare through Marylebone in central London ; Baker Street is close by to the east and south east. It is in the northern, Lisson Grove, neighbourhood of the district, in a northern projection of the Bryanston and Dorset Square ward immediately south of St Johns Wood . North-east is Regent's Park , north in a network of mostly residential streets is Lord's Cricket Ground and south, south-west and south-east are a mixed-use network of streets.

Other nearby London termini are Euston and Paddington . [4] National Rail[ edit ] The main line station has six platforms; two built in 1899, two inserted into the former carriage road in the 1980s, and two built in September 2006. It is the only non-electrified terminal in London. Marylebone is operated by Chiltern Railways (part of Deutsche Bahn AG ), making it one of the few London terminal stations not to be managed by Network Rail . [7] History[ edit ] GCR and LNER[ edit ] Its domestic scale fits H.W. Braddock's English Renaissance Marylebone Station (1899) unobtrusively into its urban context. The early history of Marylebone is tied into the Great Central Railway 's Great Central Main Line extension into London. When Sir Edward Watkin became chairman of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway in 1864, the line was not particularly lucrative as it had no direct connection to London.

Watkin was unhappy about transferring traffic to the Great Northern Railway , and when he became chairman of the Metropolitan Railway in 1872, he decided to build a dedicated line between the MS&LR and Central London. [11] The approach to Marylebone was the last section of the Great Central Main Line to be built. Progress was delayed in the 1890s because of objections, particularly as the line would pass through Lord's , the principal cricket ground in London and home of Marylebone Cricket Club . Watkin promised that Lord's would not be disrupted by the railway construction, and an Act to complete the line was passed on 28 March 1893. [12] The station was built on a 51-acre (21 ha) site around Blandford and Harewood Squares, west of Regent's Park . More than 4,000 working-class people were evicted from their homes to turn Harewood Avenue and Rossmore Road into approach roads; around 2,600 of them were rehomed in new apartments near St. John's Wood Road.

Watkin resigned the chairmanship in 1894 following ill health, and was replaced by Lord Wharncliffe . [13] The approach to the station through Lord's was achieved by a cut and cover tunnel constructed between September 1896 and May 1897, avoiding the cancellation of any cricket. [14] Marylebone in original layout. The third span of the train shed (on the right), and the platforms it housed were removed in the 1980s when the land was sold for office development, and two replacement platforms were created in place of the central cab road covered by the second span. The station opened to coal traffic on 27 July 1898 [15] and to passengers on 15 March 1899. [16] [17] It was the terminus of the GCR's London extension main line – the last major railway line to be built into London until High Speed 1 . [18] The Great Central Railway linked London to High Wycombe , Aylesbury , Rugby , Leicester , Nottingham , Sheffield and Manchester .

Local services from northwest Middlesex , High Wycombe and Aylesbury also terminated at Marylebone. [12] The GCR moved its headquarters to Marylebone from Manchester in 1905. [19] The station was designed by Henry William Braddock, [20] a civil engineer for the Great Central Railway. [18] [21] Owing to the GCR's lack of money, the station's design is simple and modest. [22] The main booking hall was 63 feet (19.2 m) by 40 feet 6 inches (12.3 m). [23] It is a domestic version of the "Wrenaissance" revival style that fits in with the residential surroundings with Dutch gables , employing warm brick and cream-coloured stone. [23] The GCR crest was worked into the wrought iron railings in numerous places. [22] The original plan was for eight platforms, [24] but half were designated as a "possible future extension". [25] The cost of building the GCR was far higher than expected, nearly bankrupting the company.

[25] The line leading to the station cut through 70 acres (28 ha) of middle class housing, including the Eyre Estate in St John's Wood and the area around Lord's, drawing protests and requiring a relocation of the track and station facilities. [26] There was never enough money for the extra platforms, and only four were built, three inside the train shed and one to its west (platform 4). [27] As a result, the concourse is unusually long and had three walls for most of the 20th century. The northern wall was missing, as the GCR anticipated that the other four platforms, under an extended train shed, would be built later on. (This land was later filled with office blocks). The cost of the London Extension meant that the adjoining Great Central Hotel, designed by Sir Robert William Ellis, was built by a different company. [28] The hotel operated for a relatively short time and was converted to offices in 1945, becoming the headquarters of British Rail from 1948 to 1986. [15] The offices were restored as a hotel in 1993.

[29] The GCR constructed an engine shed at the site in 1897, but it was short lived. A locomotive servicing area, consisting of a turntable and coaling stage remained in use until the end of steam traction at the station in 1966. [30] Manchester bound express waiting at Marylebone in 1956, headed by an A3 Pacific Passenger traffic on the GCR was never heavy because it was the last main line to be built and had difficulty competing against longer-established rivals (especially the Midland Railway from its terminal at St Pancras) for the lucrative intercity passenger business. For 40 miles (64 km) between Aylesbury and Rugby the line traversed thinly-populated countryside, attracting little passenger business at intermediate stations. The GCR also struggled to compete with the Metropolitan Railway for 2nd- and 3rd-class traffic from nearby towns such as Harrow , Chesham and Aylesbury but had the upper hand on 1st-class travel between these towns, being quick, reliable and luxurious compared to the Met. Low passenger traffic meant Marylebone was the quietest and most pleasant of London's termini.

In 1903 there were only 14 daily passenger arrivals. [31] The GCR was unhappy about having to use the Metropolitan Railway to reach Marylebone, and opened a new line to High Wycombe on 2 April 1906. The additional suburban services generated traffic for the station, which had previously been so empty on occasion that the staff outnumbered passengers. [32] While passenger traffic remained relatively sparse, the line was heavily used for freight, especially coal; in 1914, 67% of traffic was goods-related. Trains ran from the north and East Midlands to the freight depot adjoining the station, which was marginally the largest in London. [19] The heyday of the line was between 1923, when the GCR was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway [33] [34] and 1948, when the LNER was nationalised to form the British Rail Eastern Region. [34] As a result, many prestigious locomotives, such as Flying Scotsman , Sir Nigel Gresley , and Mallard which ran on the East Coast Main Line , were frequent visitors to the line.

Special trains ran on the line to destinations such as Scotland. [35] The station's busiest use came after the construction of Wembley Stadium in 1923, when it was used to contain large crowds wishing to see the FA Cup Final . Special services ran from Marylebone to the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Park the following year. [33] Unlike other London terminii, Marylebone saw little direct damage during the Blitz . It was closed between 5 October and 26 November 1940 after the approach tunnels were breached, and the goods depot was bombed on 16 April 1941. [36] British Rail[ edit ] After nationalisation in 1948, British Railways attempted to keep Marylebone open as a long-distance station and introduced the Master Cutler service to Sheffield and the South Yorkshireman to Bradford, but they were not well-used. [37] From 1949, all local services towards High Wycombe and Princes Risborough were routed into Marylebone, although the frequency of trains was reduced two years later.

[36] The Great Central Main Line duplicated the route of the Midland Main Line and long-distance trains from Marylebone were scaled back from 1958, leading to the closure of the Great Central Main Line north of Aylesbury on 4 September 1966 in the Beeching Axe . [37] Up local train in 1961 The rundown of services began after the line was transferred from British Railways' Eastern Region to the London Midland Region , although the station and the first few miles of its route had been part of the Western Region from 1950. [38] In 1958, the Master Cutler was diverted to London King's Cross and the East Coast Main Line. In 1960 all express services were discontinued. From then until closure in 1966 only a few daily long-distance "semi-fast" services to Nottingham remained, mainly steam-hauled by LMR ' Black 5s '. [34] In 1965 freight services were curtailed. [34] Marylebone's large goods yard was closed and sold to the Greater London Council for housing.

[31] The last long-distance service ran on 4 September 1966, except for a brief reprieve the following year when Paddington was undergoing signal works. [37] Marylebone was then the terminus for local services to Aylesbury and High Wycombe only, with some services extended to Banbury . They were switched to diesel multiple unit (DMU) operation following the phasing out of steam. [31] British Rail Class 115 DMUs were introduced to local services in 1962. [39] The station was transferred from the Western Region to the London Midland Region in 1973. [40] The Great Central Railway's long-distance connection from Marylebone via High Wycombe , was closed the same year. [41] Closure proposals[ edit ] A Class 115 DMU at Marylebone in 1986 After the 1960s, lack of investment led to local services and the station becoming increasingly run down. Marylebone was the best place in London to see heritage trains. By the early 1980s, Marylebone was under serious threat of closure.

In 1983 British Rail chairman Peter Parker commissioned a report into the possibility of converting Marylebone into a 'high-speed bus way', whereby Marylebone would be converted into a coach station . [42] The tracks between Marylebone, Harrow-on-the-Hill and South Ruislip would have closed, and converted into a road for the exclusive use of buses and coaches. British Rail services via High Wycombe would have been diverted into Paddington, and the Aylesbury services would have been taken over by London Underground on an extended Metropolitan line , and then routed to Baker Street . [31] [43] BR formally announced plans to close the station on 15 March 1984, pending a statutory consultation process, which began in July. Closure notices were posted at Marylebone. The proposals proved controversial and faced strong opposition from local authorities and the public, leading to a legal battle which lasted for two years. [31] [43] Despite the pending closure, passenged numbers only dropped by about 400 per day from 1968 levels.

[44] The conversion project proved impractical due to the headroom limitations on the line and the closure was quietly dropped. [42] 1986 onwards – revival[ edit ] The main trainshed at Marylebone in 2012, with platforms 3–1. The station's fortunes turned around in the late 1980s when the station came under the control of the Network SouthEast sector of British Rail . The introduction of the inter-modal and unlimited use Capitalcard (now known as the Travelcard ) led to a sharp rise in commuters into London, absorbing the spare capacity at Paddington and Baker Street and eliminating the possibility of Marylebone's services being diverted. [45] Marylebone was reprieved from the threat of closure on 30 April 1986, [45] and an £85 million-pound modernisation and refurbishment programme of the station and its services was granted. This was funded by selling part of the station to developers, including two of the original four platforms at the west of the station and the third span of the train shed.

In order to replace these, the central cab road was removed, and two new platforms numbered 2–3 were created in its place. The run-down lines into Marylebone were modernised with new signalling and higher line speeds. In 1991, the fleet of elderly Class 115 trains on local services was replaced by Class 165 Turbo trains, and service frequencies were increased. [43] In 1993 services to Banbury were extended to the reopened Birmingham Snow Hill , creating the first long-distance service into Marylebone since 1966. [31] Privatisation[ edit ] After rail privatisation in 1996, [46] Chiltern Railways took over the rail services and developed the interurban service to Birmingham Snow Hill. The line was restored to double track in 2002, and Marylebone was expanded in 2006 with two extra platforms in Chiltern's Evergreen 2 project. [47] A new platform (platform 6) was inaugurated in May 2006, [48] while Platform 5 and the shortened platform 4 opened in September.

[49] Platforms 5 & 6 were built on the site of the goods sidings and a depot was opened near Wembley Stadium railway station . [50] Platforms 5 & 6 were added in 2006 as part of Chiltern Railways ' Evergreen 2 project. In September 2007, the Office of Rail Regulation granted the Wrexham & Shropshire Company permission to operate services from Wrexham in North Wales via Shrewsbury , Telford and the West Midlands to Marylebone; they started in early 2008, restoring direct London services to Shropshire (Wrexham already being served by a Virgin Trains service to Euston), with five return trips per day on weekdays. This was reduced to four trains a day in March 2009. [51] These services ceased on January 2011 after passenger number reduced; the closure was blamed on the Great Recession .

[52] In December 2008, it was proposed to restart direct services between Aberystwyth in mid-Wales and London, which last ran in 1991, with Marylebone as the London terminus. Arriva Trains Wales announced a consultation for two services a day, following the route of the WSMR connecting with the Cambrian line at Shrewsbury. [53] This idea was abandoned following objections by Wrexham & Shropshire. [54] In 2011, Chiltern Railways took over the Oxford to Bicester Town route from First Great Western , in preparation for the opening of a link from the Chiltern Main Line to the Varsity Line (on which Bicester Town station is located), which would see twice-hourly services from Marylebone to Oxford. Construction was expected to start in 2011 but was delayed until the following year after bats were found roosting in one of the tunnels on the Varsity line. Services to Oxford Parkway started in October 2015, with services to Oxford expected to start on 12 December 2016.

[55] [56] Marylebone station concourse at night photographed in December 2008 Main exit out of Marylebone station Monday-Friday (off-peak) [57] 2 trains per hour (tph) to/from Birmingham (one fast, first stop Bicester North, and one semi-fast, first stop High Wycombe). 1tph to/from Banbury (semi-fast, first stop High Wycombe). Some extend to Stratford-upon-Avon. 1tph to/from Bicester North (semi-fast, first stop Gerrards Cross) 1tph to/from Princes Risborough (semi-fast, first stop Gerrards Cross) 1tph to/from High Wycombe (stopping service) 1tph to/from Gerrards Cross (stopping service) 2tph to/from Aylesbury (via Amersham). One of these services in each hour continues on to serve Aylesbury Vale Parkway 2tph to/from Oxford (fast). [58] Additional services run in the peak hours, and some Birmingham trains extend to Kidderminster or Stourbridge Junction .

[8] At peak times there are direct services to Aylesbury via High Wycombe. [59] Preceding station Station facilities[ edit ] The station opened with a dining restaurant and a buffet. The restaurant was changed to a self-service operation when British Rail took over in 1948. [37] The Victoria and Albert bar opened on 14 December 1971. [44] In the 21st century, the concourse contains a small selection of shops. [60] Accidents[ edit ] On 28 March 1913, a train leaving for High Wycombe collided with another arriving from Leicester, killing one passenger and injuring 23 people on the incoming train. The cause was blamed on the intermediate starter signal being lowered before the main starter was ready; the view of the latter was obscured by the smoke. [61] On 11 December 2015, a train pulling into the station caught fire, causing it to be evacuated. The cause was believed to be a fault in its air conditioning unit.

[62] London Transport portal The London Underground station is on the Bakerloo line between Baker Street and Edgware Road stations and is, along with the main line station, in Travelcard Zone 1 . [64] Access is via escalators from the main line station concourse which houses the Underground station's ticket office. Until 2004 a wooden escalator led into the station, one of the last on the London Underground system that had not been replaced. [65] Marylebone has direct connections with just a single tube line, unlike many other London termini such as Euston and Paddington . [64] There is no direct interchange with the Circle line , which predates the station by more than 30 years and bypasses it to the south. [66] The nearest stations on the Circle line are Edgware Road and Baker Street. [64] History[ edit ] The underground station was opened on 27 March 1907 by the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway under the name Great Central (following a change from its intended name Lisson Grove). [67] The railway terminated here until the extension to Edgware Road opened on 15 June.

[68] The station was renamed Marylebone on 15 April 1917. [69] The original name still appears in places on the platform wall tiling, although the tiling scheme is a replacement designed to reflect the original scheme. [70] Riding the up escalator from the underground station to the main concourse. The beeps near the end are Oyster cards being swiped. Problems playing this file? See media help . The present entrance opened on 1 February 1943 following wartime damage to the original station building that stood to the west at the junction of Harewood Avenue and Harewood Row and the introduction of the escalators. [33] The old building, designed by the Underground Electric Railways Company of London 's architect, Leslie Green , had used lifts to access the platforms. It was demolished in 1971 and the site is occupied by a budget hotel. [71] Preceding station Cultural references[ edit ] As one of the quietest London terminals, Marylebone has been popular as a filming location.

[72] In 1964 several scenes in The Beatles film A Hard Day's Night were filmed here, as was the opening scene of the 1965 film of The IPCRESS File . [31] It appeared in an episode of Magnum, P.I. when the series was filmed around London. [73] The station appeared in the BBC 's spy drama Spooks (Season 4, Episode 1), standing in for Paddington. [73] and the Doctor Who serial, Doctor Who and the Silurians . [74] Marylebone is one of four stations on the British version of the Monopoly board game, along with King's Cross , Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street . The four stations were all LNER termini at the time the board was designed in the mid-1930s. [75] Wendover Station | Trains to Wendover – Trainline Trains to Wendover Share this route Wendover's 1892 station in Buckinghamshire is on Chiltern Railway's London Marylebone-to-Aylesbury line, with journeys to the capital taking about 50 minutes.

Ideal if, say, you're the Prime Minister needing to get back to business after a weekend at your country retreat of Chequers, or one of the many London commuters who now live in Wendover. Once part of the London Underground, Wendover station joined the national rail network in the 1960s when it underwent considerable renovations. The station underwent more work in 2013 when it had a new footbridge and lifts added. The pretty market town offers antique hunting and art-gallery wanderings galore. The market on the third Saturday of every month is also worth a peek, with excellent local produce on sale. Taking afternoon tea at Lady Grey is a popular Wendover pursuit, particularly after a stroll through the surrounding woodlands or along the Ridgeway Path, a National Trail that passes down through the centre of town. Station details & facilities The Station Approach entrance to Wendover station leads from a large car park, with ticket machine, cycle racks, cafe and accessible toilets, into a ticket office. The concourse leads to the canopied platform 1 with toilets, bench seating and a step-free footbridge to platform 2. There are few buses from Wendover, but there is a taxi office in front of the station.

For travellers in need of a meal, the Shoulder of Mutton is a minute's walk along Station Approach. Ticket Office Lost Property phone number : 03456 005 165 Facilities Telephones : False Telephones type : Coins and cards Staff Help Notes : Ticket office staff will assist wherever possible. Please note that the advertised availability of staff may differ from time to time without notice due to local arrangements or staff sickness. Customer Service Notes : We welcome your feedback, suggestions and ideas to help us to make changes to improve your services. Customer help points : Cycle storage location : Car park entrance. Accessibility Accessible Booking Office counter : False Accessible taxis : unknown For taxis from all UK stations visit Trains to Wendover Station Approach, Pound Street, Wendover, HP22 6BN Ticket Office Hours

Question: Which station is the London terminus for the Chiltern Railways?
Answer: Marylebone