Marston Vale Line

There are a growing number of Community Rail Partnerships across the country, acting as a bridge between local communities and the railway industry to produce a better train service for the community.

The Marston Vale line was designated as a Community Rail line in November 2006, and the Marston Vale Community Rail Partnership (MVCRP) was formed. Other partners include:

• London Northwestern Railway
• Avanti West Coast
• East Midlands Railway
• Central Bedfordshire Council
• Milton Keynes Council
• Bedford Borough Council
• The Bedford to Bletchley Rail Users’ Association
• Network Rail
• British Transport Police
• East West Rail Consortium
• The Forest of Marston Vale
• The Bedfordshire Association of Town and Parish Councils

Accredited partnership

MVCRP was one of the first of the growing number of Community Rail Partnerships across the country to be awarded Accreditation status in February 2020. MVCRP was reaccredited in September 2022 and again in January 2025. Accreditation is formal recognition by the DfT that a CRP operates to a high standard and that its objectives and activities are supported by Government.

Beds RCC now also hosts the Beds & Herts CRP, one of the first CRPs in the country to be set up on a main line.

The national umbrella organisation for Community Rail Partnerships is the Community Rail Network. This network of over 70 community rail partnerships and rail promotion groups helps to ensure that the important role of local rail in communities is fully recognised.