Bletchley TMD
Traction maintenance depot in the UK
title: "Bletchley TMD" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["railway-depots-in-south-east-england", "rail-transport-in-milton-keynes", "1850-establishments-in-england", "2008-disestablishments-in-england", "london-and-north-western-railway"] description: "Traction maintenance depot in the UK" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bletchley_TMD" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Traction maintenance depot in the UK ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox Railway Depot"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Bletchley TMD |
| image | Bletchley station, sidings - geograph.org.uk - 2695083.jpg |
| caption | Looking north from Bletchley station, the stabling sidings in the distance. |
| location | Bletchley,Milton Keynes, United Kingdom |
| coordinates | |
| grid_ref_UK | SP870344 |
| owner | London Northwestern Railway |
| depotcode | |
| type | Diesel, DMU, EMU |
| opened | 1850 |
| original | London and North Western Railway |
| pregrouping | London Midland Scottish Railway |
| postgrouping | British Rail |
| :: |
| name = Bletchley TMD | image = Bletchley station, sidings - geograph.org.uk - 2695083.jpg | image_size = | caption = Looking north from Bletchley station, the stabling sidings in the distance. | location = Bletchley,Milton Keynes, United Kingdom | coordinates = | grid_ref_UK = SP870344 | owner = London Northwestern Railway | depotcode = | type = Diesel, DMU, EMU | opened = 1850 | original = London and North Western Railway | pregrouping = London Midland Scottish Railway | postgrouping = British Rail
Bletchley TMD is a railway traction maintenance depot situated in Bletchley, Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, to the north east of Bletchley railway station, on a siding off the Marston Vale line. The depot is operated by West Midlands Trains (trading as London Northwestern Railway).
History
The original London and North Western Railway locomotive shed in Bletchley was a wooden and galvanised iron building that catered for some twelve engines, with three roads accommodated within the facility. However during the 1870s the shed collapsed in a gale, burying stabled locomotives and was replaced by two gabled roof spans with numerous ducts and chimneys. When newly rebuilt, it would measure 250 ft in length, with a maximum width of 100 ft. These sheds were situated just north of the railway station on a siding to the west side of the West Coast Main Line, on a site now occupied by today's carpark.
Towards the end of the 19th century, a number of LNWR Lady of the Lake Class steam locomotives were employed as pilot engines, with ‘Bletchley Shed’ as their home depot by then considered an intermediate Loco Shed. The end of British Rail steam in Bletchley came on Monday, 5 July 1965 when 24 steam engines stabled in the Locomotive Shed departed for other parts of the country, the last one taking the 2pm parcels train to . This was locomotive No. 48610 LMS Stanier Class 8F 2-8-0, which had been stabled at Bletchley for ten years. With the end of steam, the TMD was relocated to the Bedford side of the Bletchley Flyover, in a new purpose built facility.
Present
Bletchley TMD began in the modern era on its new site in 1965. Bletchley had won awards for the reliability of its trains as recently as March 2007, and was said to deliver six times better than average reliability. London Midland phased in the fleet of 37 Class 350/2 Desiro trains, which are maintained by Siemens at the Kings Heath Depot in Northampton. These replaced the Silverlink Class 321 fleet which had been serviced at Bletchley.
Bletchley depot was bought back into use by Vivarail in September 2018 to maintain its Class 230 diesel units. These were used exclusively on the Marston Vale Line until the company failed and the trains were withdrawn in December 2022.
In July 2023, three British Rail Class 150 were transferred to Bletchley TMD, in preparation for their introduction to service on the Marston Vale Line.
In April 2024, West Midlands Trains announced that it had placed a £66M contract to upgrade the depot. When completed in autumn 2025, Bletchley TMD will "become the principal maintenance base for WMT’s newly procured Class 730 Aventra fleet". Following the (£80M) upgrade work, the depot reopened in September 2025. In addition to the British Rail Class 730/2 trains, the depot will also service the British Rail Class 150 diesel trains currently used on the BletchleyBedford Marston Vale line (and, prospectively, the OxfordMilton Keynes Central East West Rail trains when that service begins).
Bletchley West TMD
In late January 2026, the East West Rail Company announced that it proposes to establish a new TMD at a site that it calls "Bletchley West". The location for the site seems to be that of the forner Swanbourne sidings. What effect, if any, that this will have on the existing TMD, is not stated.
Notes
References
References
- (5 May 2006). "The all-time guide to UK Shed and Depot Codes". TheRailwayCentre.com.
- "Bletchley Railway Heritage".
- It closed on 30 June 2008 and its (expired) lease returned to Network Rail.[http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/general/2008/07/01-bletchley-depot-closes.html End of the line for award-winning depot] ''Railnews'', 1 July 2008
- [http://www.railwaypeople.com/rail-news-articles/top-fleet-honoured-at-bletchley-depot-1261.html Top Fleet Honoured At Bletchley Depot] RailwayPeople.com 13 Feb 2007
- [http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/Milton-Keynes-on-track-for.4152474.jp Milton Keynes on track for rail delays as staff shunted to Birmingham] Milton Keynes Citizen 4 June 2008
- (Sep 18, 2018). "230003 arriving at the Bletchley depot this evening". [[Vivarail]].
- "Marston Vale Line: Buses Replace Trains Until Further Notice". West Midlands Trains.
- (9 August 2023). "Ex-Northern '150s' readied for Marston Vale".
- Longhorn, Danny. (2 April 2024). "Porterbrook to finance Bletchley depot redevelopment". Rail Business Daily.
- (12 September 2025). "Train depot reopens after £80m redevelopment". BBC News.
- Hakiman, Rob. (17 September 2025). "WCML Bletchley rail depot ready for new electric fleet after £80M upgrade". New Civil Engineer.
- Smith, Roger. (28 January 2026). "Location of maintenance depot for East West Rail confirmed". [[Rail Advent]].
- (January 2026). "Proposed Train Maintenance Depot Bletchley West". East West Rail Co..
- (1952). "Buckinghamshire XIX.NE (includes: Little Horwood; Mursley; Whaddon.) Six Inch Series". Ordnance Survey.
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