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Rail replacement bus to Bletchley

I was hoping to go to Bletchley Park from Euston on Easter Monday, 6 April.

It seems that the normal trains are not operating, I think due to track work. There is a mention of rail replacement buses, but when I search some of the train booking sites like London Northwestern Railways, they suggest a series of buses and trains taking many hours.

Would there be likely to be a rail replacement bus that follows the normal train route and goes relatively directly to Bletchley?
Or any suggestions for alternative routes? Or should I give up on the idea :(

Thanks

Posted by
665 posts

Bletchley is very special. If you don’t get a satisfactory answer here you might email them directly.

Posted by
11353 posts

Yes, rail engineering work. No trains at all running - even the slow overground lines from Euston, or the trains from St Albans- this will be a major bus replacement operation.

Traditionally there is no bus replacement from Euston to Watford Junction, except on overnight services, due to alternative London bus routes existing, but that will take a very long time.

So the arrangement is to take Thameslink from St Pancras to Potters Bar, for a RR bus which runs to Watford Junction then follows the railway all the way north, calling all stations. It takes 2 1/2 hours from Potters Bar to Bletchley because the local roads don't follow the railway, so the bus keeps zigzagging to get to all the stations.

I think the most obvious route is the hourly National Express bus from London Victoria to Milton Keynes Coachway (journey time 90 minutes), then a 20 minute/8 mile taxi ride- no direct bus runs from the Coachway to Bletchley.

The other option (faster and more frequent) is Thameslink or East Midlands Trains from St Pancras to Bedford (40 minutes on a fast train), for a 40 minute RRB ride to Milton Keynes Central, then taxi or the Potters Bar bound RRB 1 stop south (13 minute ride) to Bletchley.

That is the ticketed route - taking 1 hour 49 minutes - 15 minutes past the hour from St Pancras 7 minute change at Bedford and 7 minute change at Milton Keynes Central, northbound, 9 minutes past the hour returning with a 17 minute change at Milton Keynes Central and a 14 minute change at Bedford.

Posted by
140 posts

Thank you so much isn31c. I would never have worked that out myself :)

It sounds like all of the options are quite lengthy, so I may need to reconsider my planned day trip. I’m also imagining buses being held up with Easter traffic, if that’s an issue around London.

Posted by
5981 posts

So it looks like this replacement service shows through April 8, but back to regular trains on April 9. Would that generally be a guess at this point? Or fairly reliable this far ahead?

Posted by
11353 posts

TTM,

Good catch. I had looked at the narrow question, not the broader picture, but you are correct- there are no trains whatsoever south of Milton Keynes Central from 3 to 6 April, then the London overground only for stations Euston to Watford Junction on 7 and 8 April- https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/engineering-works/euston-3-apr-20260403/

Some services are turning as far north as Rugby or even Crewe.

Yes that is confirmed and definite.

Posted by
5981 posts

Thanks, Stuart. I have thought about going on April 10, so I had looked at my timings (and wasn’t looking earlier so hadn’t seen the replacement busses). I’ll just keep watching.