Wolverton railway station

Wolverton railway station serves northern Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, especially Stony Stratford, Wolverton and New Bradwell.

The station is served by London Midland local services from Northampton to London on the West Coast Main Line. It is one of the five stations serving Milton Keynes. The others are Milton Keynes Central, Bletchley, Fenny Stratford and Bow Brickhill.

The station has four platforms, but the platforms adjacent to the 'fast' lines are rarely used as the tracks are normally used by fast Virgin Trains services which do not stop at Wolverton.

Station buildings
The first, temporary, stop (September 1838) was on the embankment above Wolverton Park. A larger permanent station and refreshment rooms were built at a location behind what is now Glyn Square by November 1838. In 1881 the main line was re-routed to the east to allow for expansion (see 'Wolverton bend' below) and a new station built. The current station site has been in use since.

Until 1991, a Victorian era wooden ticket office stood on the railway bridge, facing out onto Newport Road and with steps leading down to the platforms; this was actually the third location for a station in Wolverton The wooden station stood here for over 100 years until British Rail demolished it, allegedly as Milton Keynes Borough Council were debating making it a listed building.

For many years after the wooden station building was demolished, Wolverton Railway Station was a 'temporary' shed in the car park (at track level). A new brick building to replace it was finally (and formally) opened on 21 June 2012. The new building is also at track level.

Wolverton bend and Northampton Loop
In recent years, with the advent of fast trains, Wolverton gained notoriety among railwaymen for its famously tight curve. The curve was a result of the station being moved eastward in 1881, to permit extension of the Wolverton railway works. The path of the original route is visible at both the north and south ends of the divergence. The Advanced Passenger Train failed its trials here but, with another decade of development, the new Virgin Trains Pendolino tilting trains passed theirs. Near the station, the track crosses the valley of the Great Ouse on a viaduct. Slightly further north, the Northampton loop leaves the main line at Hanslope Junction.

Newport Pagnell Branch Line (closed)
From 1865 to 1964, there was a branch line from Wolverton to Newport Pagnell, primarily for employees of Wolverton Works. In 1964 the line was closed to passengers by the Beeching Axe and freight ceased in 1967. Between 1817 and 1864, the section from Great Linford to Newport Pagnell was an arm of the Grand Junction Canal which was then drained to become the track-bed. The route from Wolverton to Newport Pagnell is now a redway. Along the redway, the platforms at New Bradwell and Great Linford are still in place, as are a signal post at Newport Pagnell and an iron bridge taking the line (now the redway) over the Grand Union Canal.

Services
The station provides London Midland services to London Euston and Northampton. There are currently 2 trains per hour off-peak.