This is the Marston Vale Line train calling at Kempston Hardwick station, with the Universal United Kingdom Resort Core Zone stretching out behind it.
Kempston Hardwick first opened in 1905 as Kempston Hardwick Halt, built by the London & North Western Railway to serve the new railmotor service between Bedford and Bletchley. It even closed temporarily during the First World War before reopening in 1919, and today it’s one of the oldest surviving stations on the line.
Sadly, its time is coming to an end. The current station is expected to close and be replaced by a brand-new station a little further down the line, roughly halfway between Kempston Hardwick and Stewartby. It’ll be built to handle the millions of visitors expected to travel to Universal each year, with bigger, more frequent trains than the little Class 150s we’re used to seeing today.
It’s amazing to think that this quiet little halt, which has stood here for over 120 years, is about to witness one of the biggest transformations Bedfordshire has ever seen.
I have a feeling photos like this will be looked back on in years to come as a snapshot of “the before times.”
