Families invited to join Santa’s festive train on the Marston Vale Line

Tuesday, 11 December 2018

Families are invited to join Santa’s festive train on the Marston Vale Line this Christmas.

On Saturday 15 December, passengers on London Northwestern Railway services between Bletchley and Bedford can enjoy some special on-train entertainment. There will be face painting, balloon modelling and visits from Santa throughout the day, between 1000 and 1545.

Visitors can get off the train at Ridgmont and enjoy special festive crafts at Ridgmont Station Heritage Centre (booking required). There will also be a variety of Christmas activities taking place in Bedford town centre, a short walk from either Bedford St. Johns or Bedford stations. Train tickets will be valid on Marston Vale Line service during the day.

The event is being run by the Marston Vale Line Community Rail Partnership (Marston Vale CRP), with support from London Northwestern Railway.

Vicky Cropper, head of stakeholder and community engagement at London Northwestern Railway said: “The festive train is always a highlight for the Marston Vale line and is a shining example of how our Community Rail Partnerships can make a positive impact in their area. The day will be fun for all who attend and we look forward to welcoming visitors to the line for this festive occasion.”

Stephen Sleight, from Marston Vale Community Rail Partnership, said: ‘The Santa Special has become a Christmas tradition for many families along the Marston Vale Line. The Marston Vale CRP team look forward to welcoming passengers aboard!”

Marston Vale CRP will be posting updates on their Facebook page on the run up to the event and there will be more information at marstonvalecommunityrail.org.uk

ENDS

About West Midlands Trains

For further information on this release, call our press office on 03300 955150 or email [email protected]

West Midlands Trains operates both West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services.

• London Northwestern Railway services operate between Liverpool and Birmingham, and on the West Coast mainline to and from London Euston.

• West Midlands Railway services operate to destinations across the West Midlands via Birmingham New Street.

For more information on these services visit westmidlandsrailway.co.uk or londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk

The West Midlands Trains franchise started on 10 December 2017 and will run until 2025/26.

West Midlands Trains operates 1,300 services a day, manages 150 stations and provides over 70 million passenger journeys a year. Over the course of the franchise, West Midlands Trains will be investing £1 billion into the rail network to deliver new trains, improved routes and station upgrades. This will include 400 new train carriages across the network and space for an extra 85,000 passengers into Birmingham and London at peak times.

The franchise is a joint venture between Abellio (70.1% share) and East Japan Railway Company / Mitsui & Co., Ltd (29.9% share in a 50:50 split). Abellio is the international passenger transport subsidiary of the Dutch national railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen. In the UK, Abelllio operates ScotRail and Greater Anglia train services, Merseyrail services in a joint venture with Serco and buses through Abellio London. For more information visit www.abellio.com

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