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[email protected] · December 15th 16, 12:41 AM posted to uk.transport.london

In article , (tim...)
wrote:

*Subject:* Oxford to Cambridge rail route.
*From:* "tim..."
*Date:* Wed, 14 Dec 2016 16:19:28 -0000

wrote in message
...
In article ,
(Roland Perry)
wrote:

In message , at 16:55:40 on Mon, 12 Dec
2016, tim... remarked:
What a pity the line between Hitchin and Bedford was
closed all those years ago.

what a pity the line from Bedford to Cambridge was closed (all
those
years ago)

as otherwise we wouldn't be looking for a different route at all
because some of it (presumably) has been built over

Not just built over (Radio telescope, M11, Trumpington Meadows
Estate, Trumpington P&R, Guided Bus; as well as numerous other
stretches including a school and housing estate in north Sandy and
quite a lot of roads/buildings in south east Bedford) but also a
very
wiggly route you couldn't suddenly have 100mph trains careering
along.

People don't seem to realise how paltry the Cambridge-Oxford train
service
was until 1967. Trains were slow and infrequent.

1953
M-F
It's not clear which, if any, are through trains
Cambridge d 7:37 9:29 11:18 2:05 4:40 6:15 9:45
Bletchley a 9:14 11:00 12:53 3:42 6:16 7:55 10:57
Oxford a 10:30 1:18 2:38 6:12 9:24 --:-- --:--
Sat same number of services slightly different timings
Sun two services.

1964
M-F
Cambridge d 7:30 9:52 10:43 2:12 4:47 6:18 7:01 9:10
Bedford a 8:27 10:51 11:24 3:05 5:40 7:11 7:41 10:04
Oxford a 10:29 12:40 12:40 4:53 --:-- --:-- 9:01 10:57
Sat one extra service slightly different timings
Sun two services.

Sorry if it comes out all messed up

The timetable in the 1962 Varsity Handbook (valid until 16th June 1963) was
quite like that in 1964 but only 3 trains on Mondays-Fridays, 2 out and 3
back on Saturdays, went through without changing at Bletchley. There were no
through trains on Sundays and only 1 journey there and 2 back, all changing
at Bletchley.

The timetable was:

Cambridge Oxford Oxford Cambridge
dep. arr. dep. arr.
Weekdays
7.30 10.28 C 7.58 10.27
10.45 12.49 SO 9.40 11.34 SO
10.45 12.52 MF 9.48 11.44 MF
11.22 2,45 SO C 11.30 3.33 C
2.12 4.47 SO 2.48 5.21 MF
2.12 4.53 MF 2.55 5.21 SO
7.1 9.0 5.25 8.18 SO C
9.0 10.57 MF 6.48 8.54 MF
6.53 8.54 SO
7.55 10.19 SO C
7.55 10.21 MF C

Sunday
10.10 2.0 C 10.40 2.12 C
4.55 8.11 C

MF = Monday to Friday only.
SO = Saturday only.
C = Change at Bletchley; otherwise through carriages Oxford and Cambridge.

I hope it is clear which times are AM and which are PM (bold in the
original).

--
Colin Rosenstiel