Editing Marylebone station (section)

===History===

====GCR and LNER====
[[File:Marylebone Station, geograph 4193120 by John Salmon.jpg|thumb|left|The facade of Marylebone station, designed by Henry William Braddock]]
The early history of Marylebone is tied into the [[Great Central Railway]] (GCR)'s [[Great Central Main Line]] (GCML) extension into London. When [[Edward Watkin|Sir Edward Watkin]] became chairman of the [[Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway]] (MS&LR) in 1864, the line was not particularly lucrative as it had no direct connection to London. Watkin was unhappy about transferring traffic to the [[Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)|Great Northern Railway]] and, when he became chairman of the [[Metropolitan Railway]] in 1872, he decided to build a dedicated line between the MS&LR and Central London.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=331}}

The approach to Marylebone was the last section of the Great Central Main Line to be built. Progress was delayed in the 1890s because of objections, particularly as the line would pass through [[Lord's]], the principal cricket ground in London and home of [[Marylebone Cricket Club]]. Watkin promised that Lord's would not be disrupted by the railway construction and an [[act of Parliament]] to complete the line was passed on 28 March 1893.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=332}} The station was built on a {{convert|51|acre|ha|adj=on}} site around Blandford and Harewood Squares, west of [[Regent's Park]]. More than 4,000 working-class people were evicted from their homes to turn Harewood Avenue and Rossmore Road into approach roads; around 2,600 of them were rehomed in new apartments near St. John's Wood Road. Watkin resigned the chairmanship in 1894, following ill-health, and was replaced by [[Edward Montagu-Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Wharncliffe|Lord Wharncliffe]].{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=333}} The approach to the station through Lord's was achieved by a [[cut-and-cover]] tunnel constructed between September 1896 and May 1897, avoiding the cancellation of any cricket.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=334}}

[[File:Marylebone 1 1966.jpg|thumb|Marylebone station in January 1966; it has since been redesigned with two replacement platforms]]

The station opened to coal traffic on 27 July 1898{{sfn|McCarthy|McCarthy|2009|p=74}} and to passengers on 15 March 1899.{{sfn|Butt|1995|p=156}}{{sfn|Dow|1962|p=340}} It was the terminus of the GCR's London extension main line&nbsp;– the last major railway line to be built into London until [[High Speed 1]].{{sfn|Christopher|2015|p=48}} The Great Central Railway linked London to stations in {{rws|High Wycombe}}, {{rws|Aylesbury}}, [[Rugby Central railway station|Rugby]], [[Leicester Central railway station|Leicester]], [[Nottingham Victoria railway station|Nottingham]], [[Sheffield Victoria railway station|Sheffield]] and [[Manchester Piccadilly railway station|Manchester]]. Local services from north-west [[Middlesex]], High Wycombe and Aylesbury also terminated at Marylebone.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=332}} The GCR moved its headquarters to Marylebone from Manchester in 1905.{{sfn|Simmons|Biddle|1997|p=189}}

The station was designed by Henry William Braddock, a civil engineer for the GCR.{{sfn|Christopher|2015|p=48}} It has a modest design owing to the GCR's lack of money.{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=535}} The main booking hall is {{convert|63|ft|m|1}} by {{convert|40|ft|6|in|m|1}}.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=335}} It is a domestic version of the [[Edwardian Baroque architecture|''Wrenaissance'' revival style]] that fits in with the residential surroundings with [[Dutch gable]]s, employing warm brick and cream-coloured stone.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=335}} The GCR crest was worked into the wrought iron railings in numerous places.{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=535}}

The original plan was for eight platforms, but half were designated as a "possible future extension"{{sfn|Dow|1962|pp=287,409}} and the cost of building the GCML was greater than expected.{{sfn|Dow|1962|p=287}} The line leading to the station cut through {{convert|70|acre|ha}} of middle-class housing, including the Eyre Estate in [[St John's Wood]] and the area around Lord's, drawing protests and requiring a relocation of the track and station facilities.{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|pp=534–535, 797}} There was never enough money for the extra platforms and only four were built: three inside the [[train shed]] and one to its west (platform 4).{{sfn|Dow|1962|p=328}} As a result, the concourse is unusually long and had three walls for most of the 20th century. The northern wall was missing, as the GCR anticipated that the other four platforms, under an extended train shed, would be built later on. An office block was later built on the vacant site. The cost of the London Extension meant that the adjoining Great Central Hotel, designed by Sir Robert William Ellis, was built by a different company.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=336}} The hotel operated for a relatively short time and was converted to offices in 1945, becoming the headquarters of British Rail from 1948 to 1986.{{sfn|McCarthy|McCarthy|2009|p=74}} The offices were restored as a hotel in 1993.{{sfn|Simmons|Biddle|1997|p=291}}

The GCR constructed an engine shed at the site in 1897, but it was short lived. A locomotive servicing area, consisting of a [[Railway turntable|turntable]] and [[coaling stage]] remained in use until the end of steam traction at the station in 1966.{{sfn|Griffiths|Smith|1999|p=81}}

[[File:Marylebone Station 5 geograph-2276174-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|thumb|left|A Manchester-bound express waiting at Marylebone in 1956, headed by an [[A3 Pacific]]]]

Passenger traffic on the GCR was never heavy because it was the last main line to be built; it therefore had difficulty competing against longer-established rivals, especially the [[Midland Railway]] from its terminal at St Pancras, for the lucrative inter-city passenger business.{{sfn|Clough|2013|p=60}} Low passenger traffic meant Marylebone was the quietest and most pleasant of London's termini.{{sfn|Girling|2013|p=247}} The GCR was unhappy about having to use part of the Metropolitan Railway's route to reach Marylebone and opened a new line to High Wycombe on 2 April 1906. The additional suburban services generated traffic for the station, which had previously been so empty on occasion that the staff outnumbered passengers.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|pp=338–339}} While passenger traffic remained relatively sparse, the line was heavily used for freight, especially coal; in 1914, 67% of traffic was goods-related. Trains ran from the north and East Midlands to the freight depot adjoining the station, which was marginally the largest in London.{{sfn|Simmons|Biddle|1997|p=189}}

The heyday of the line was between 1923, when the GCR was absorbed into the [[London and North Eastern Railway]] (LNER) and 1948, when the LNER was nationalised to form the [[British Rail]] Eastern Region.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=340}} As a result, many prestigious locomotives were frequent visitors to the line; these included [[LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman|''Flying Scotsman'']], [[LNER Class A4 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley|''Sir Nigel Gresley'']] and [[LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard|''Mallard'']] which ran on the [[East Coast Main Line]]. Special trains ran on the line to destinations such as Scotland.{{sfn|Riddaway|Upsall|2015|p=276}} The station's busiest use came after the construction of [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] in 1923, when it was used to contain large crowds wishing to see the [[FA Cup Final 1923|FA Cup Final]]. Special services ran from Marylebone to the [[British Empire Exhibition]] at Wembley Park the following year.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=340}}

Unlike other London termini, Marylebone saw little direct damage during [[the Blitz]]. It was closed between 5 October and 26 November 1940, after the approach tunnels were breached and the goods depot was bombed on 16 April 1941.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=341}}

====British Rail====
After the [[nationalisation of British Railways]] in 1948, Marylebone was initially kept open as a long-distance station. New services were introduced, including the [[Master Cutler (train)|''Master Cutler'']] service to Sheffield and the [[South Yorkshireman]] to Bradford, but they were not well-used.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=342}} From 1949, all local services towards High Wycombe and Princes Risborough were routed into Marylebone, although the frequency of trains was reduced two years later.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=341}}

The Great Central Main Line duplicated the route of the [[Midland Main Line]] and long-distance trains from Marylebone were scaled back from 1958, leading to the closure of the Great Central Main Line north of Aylesbury on 4 September 1966 in the [[Beeching Axe]].{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=342}} 
[[File:Marylebone 2 railway station geograph-2170940-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|thumb|left|A local train facing London in 1961]]
The rundown of services began after the line was transferred from [[Eastern Region of British Railways|British Railways' Eastern Region]] to the [[London Midland Region of British Railways|London Midland Region]], although the station and the first few miles of its route had been part of the [[Western Region of British Railways|Western Region]] from 1950.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=March 1950 |title=Revision of Regional Boundaries of British Railways |journal=[[The Railway Magazine]] |volume=96 |issue=587 |pages=201–4 |location=London}}</ref> In 1958, the Master Cutler was diverted to {{Stnlnk|London King's Cross}} and the East Coast Main Line. In 1960, all express services were discontinued, followed by freight in 1965. From then until closure, only a few daily long-distance semi-fast services to Nottingham remained.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=342}} Marylebone's large goods yard was closed and sold to the [[Greater London Council]] for housing.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Housing Review|publisher=Housing Centre|year=1967|volume=16|page=50}}</ref> The last long-distance service ran on 4 September 1966, except for a brief reprieve the following year when Paddington was undergoing signal works.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=342}}

Marylebone was then the terminus for local services to Aylesbury and High Wycombe only, with some services extended to {{stnlink|Banbury}}. They were switched to [[diesel multiple unit]] (DMU) operation following the phasing out of steam. [[British Rail Class 115]] DMUs were introduced to local services in 1962.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|pp=342, 370}} The station was transferred from the Western Region to the London Midland Region in 1973.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=370}}

=====Closure proposals=====
[[File:Train, Marylebone station, London 3224106.jpg|thumb|right|A [[British Rail Class 115|Class 115]] [[diesel multiple unit]] at Marylebone in 1986]]
After the 1960s, lack of investment led to local services and the station becoming increasingly run down. By the early 1980s, Marylebone was under serious threat of closure. In 1983, British Rail chairman [[Peter Parker (British businessman)|Peter Parker]] commissioned a report into the possibility of converting Marylebone into a high-speed busway, whereby Marylebone would be converted into a [[coach station]].{{sfn|Haywood|2016|p=189}} The tracks between Marylebone, [[Harrow-on-the-Hill station|Harrow-on-the-Hill]] and [[South Ruislip station|South Ruislip]] would have closed, and been converted into a road for the exclusive use of buses and coaches.{{sfn|Gourvish|Anson|2004|pp=202, 585}} British Rail services via High Wycombe would have been diverted into Paddington and the Aylesbury services would have been taken over by [[London Underground]] on an extended [[Metropolitan line]], and then routed to [[Baker Street tube station|Baker Street]].<ref name=Almostterminal>{{cite web|title=Almost Terminal: Marylebone's Brush With Destruction|url=http://www.londonreconnections.com/2014/near-terminal-case-saving-marylebone-rail-road-conversion/|website=London Reconnections|access-date=15 September 2015|date=20 February 2014}}</ref>

British Rail formally announced plans to close Marylebone on 15 March 1984, pending a statutory consultation process and closure notices were posted at the station. The proposals proved controversial and faced strong opposition from local authorities and the public, leading to a legal battle which lasted for two years.{{sfn|Gourvish|Anson|2004|p=585}} Despite the pending closure, passenger numbers only dropped by about 400 per day from 1968 levels.{{sfn|Jackson|1984|p=371}} The conversion project proved impractical due to the headroom limitations on the line and the closure was quietly dropped.{{sfn|Haywood|2016|p=189}}

=====1986 onwards&nbsp;– revival=====
[[File:Marylebone station (8074619312).jpg|thumb|left|The main trainshed at Marylebone in 2012, with platforms 3–1]]
The station was revived under the control of the [[Network SouthEast]] sector of [[British Rail]]. The introduction of the inter-modal and unlimited use ''Capitalcard'' (now known as the [[Travelcard]]) led to a sharp rise in commuters into London, absorbing the spare capacity at Paddington and Baker Street, eliminating the possibility of Marylebone's services being diverted.<ref name=stmarylebone>{{cite journal|url=http://www.stmarylebonesociety.org/picts/news341.pdf|title=Marylebone Station Celebrating 30 Years Since Threatened Closure|publisher=St Marylebone Society|date=Summer 2014|access-date=21 November 2016}}</ref>

Marylebone was reprieved from the threat of closure on 30 April 1986,<ref name=stmarylebone/> and an £85&nbsp;million modernisation and refurbishment programme of the station and its services was granted. This was funded by selling part of the station to developers, including two of the original four platforms at the west of the station and the third span of the train shed. In order to replace these, the central cab road was removed, and two new platforms numbered 2 and 3 were created in its place. The run-down lines into Marylebone were [[Total route modernisation|modernised]] with new signalling and higher line speeds. In 1991, the fleet of [[British Rail Class 115|Class 115]] trains on local services was replaced by [[British Rail Class 165|Class 165]] Turbo trains and service frequencies were increased.<ref name=Almostterminal/> Services to Banbury were extended to the reopened [[Birmingham Snow Hill railway station|Birmingham Snow Hill station]] in 1993,<ref name="NSE1993">{{cite web|title=The History of Network South East 1993 |url=http://www.networksoutheast.net/jan-1993-to-dec-1993.html |publisher=Network South East Railway Society |access-date=5 June 2016 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103135422/http://www.networksoutheast.net/jan-1993-to-dec-1993.html |archive-date=3 November 2013 }}</ref> creating the first long-distance service into Marylebone since 1966. Initially, this service ran at two-hourly intervals, but it proved popular and was increased to an hourly frequency in 1994.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Boynton|first1=John|title=Main Line to Metro: Train and tram on the Great Western route: Birmingham Snow Hill – Wolverhampton|date=2001|publisher=Mid England Books|isbn=978-0-9522248-9-1|page=70}}</ref>{{sfn|Simmons|Biddle|1997|p=33}}

====Privatisation====
After [[Privatisation of British Rail|rail privatisation]], [[Chiltern Railways]] took over the rail services in 1996 and developed the interurban service to Birmingham Snow Hill.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.railwaystrategies.co.uk/article-page.php?contentid=8549&issueid=278|title=On track|journal=Railway Strategies|date=August–September 2009|access-date=3 January 2017}}</ref>  In 2002, a service to {{rws|Kidderminster}} was opened.{{sfn|Harris|2008|p=480}} The line was restored to double track the same year and Marylebone was expanded in 2006, with two extra platforms in Chiltern's Evergreen 2 project.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/250m-rail-investment-to-slash-journey-times-and-create-new-oxford-london-route|title=£250m Rail Investment to Slash Journey Times and Create New Oxford-London Route|publisher=Network Rail Media Centre|date=15 January 2010|access-date=27 November 2016}}</ref> A new platform (platform 6) was inaugurated in May 2006<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.railwayconsultancy.com/pdf/rclnews200606.pdf|title=Job completed!|publisher=The Railway Consultancy|date=June 2006|page=2|access-date=30 November 2016}}</ref> while Platform 5 and the shortened platform 4 opened in September.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.londontown.com/LondonInformation/Business/Marylebone_Rail/7b78/|title=Marylebone Railway Station|publisher=LondonTown|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> Platforms 5 and 6 were built on the site of the goods sidings and a depot was opened near [[Wembley Stadium railway station]].{{sfn|Network Rail|2006|pp=4–5}}

[[File:Marylebone-stn-plats-5+6.jpg|thumb|right|Platforms 5 and 6 were added in 2006 as part of [[Chiltern Railways]]' Evergreen 2 project]]
In September 2007, the [[Office of Rail Regulation]] granted the [[Wrexham & Shropshire|Wrexham Shropshire & Marylebone Railway]] (WSMR) Company permission to operate services from [[Wrexham General railway station|Wrexham]] in North Wales via {{stnlnk|Shrewsbury}}, [[Telford Central railway station|Telford]] and the [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]] to Marylebone; they started in early 2008, restoring direct London services to [[Shropshire]] (Wrexham already being served by a Virgin Trains service to Euston), with five return trips per day on weekdays. This was reduced to four trains a day in March 2009.<ref>{{cite news |title= WSMR cuts service |work= Modern Railways |location= London |page=6 |date=April 2009}}</ref> These services ceased in January 2011, after passenger numbers reduced; the closure was blamed on the [[Great Recession]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12284468|title=Wrexham-Shropshire-London direct rail link to end|work=BBC News|date=26 January 2011|access-date=27 November 2016}}</ref>

In December 2008, it was proposed to restart direct services between {{rws|Aberystwyth}} in mid-Wales and London, which last ran in 1991, with Marylebone as the London terminus. [[Arriva Trains Wales]] announced a consultation for two services a day, following the route of the WSMR connecting with the [[Cambrian line]] at Shrewsbury.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/7792091.stm |title=Aber-London rail link may reopen |access-date=31 December 2016 | work=BBC News | date=19 December 2008}}</ref> This idea was abandoned following objections by Wrexham & Shropshire.<ref>{{cite news|title= Aberystwyth to London direct rail route rejected|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/mid_/8543836.stm|work = BBC News|location=London|date = 1 March 2010|access-date = 1 March 2010}}</ref>

[[File:London Marylebone Station (4674495204).jpg|thumb|left|Frieze over the entrance to the station. The logo of the [[Great Central Railway]] is just visible in the centre, while that of [[Network SouthEast]] (uncoloured) is clearly visible on the right]]
In 2011, Chiltern Railways took over the {{stnlnk|Oxford}} to {{stnlnk|Bicester Town}} route from [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|First Great Western]]; this was in preparation for the opening of a link from the [[Chiltern Main Line]] to the [[Varsity Line]], on which Bicester Town station is located, which would see twice-hourly services from Marylebone to Oxford. Construction was expected to start in 2011, but was delayed until the following year after bats were found roosting in one of the tunnels on the Varsity line. Services to [[Oxford Parkway]] started in October 2015 and services to Oxford began in December 2016.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-34636530|title=New £320m Oxford to London Marylebone rail line opens|work=BBC News|date=26 October 2016|access-date=29 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/london-oxford|title=Next stop central Oxford – open from 12.12.2016|publisher=Chiltern Railways|access-date=29 November 2016|archive-date=19 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819145955/https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/london-oxford|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2018, a survey found that commuters from Oxford preferred the Chiltern route to Marylebone over the Great Western route to Paddington via {{Rws|Reading}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/16300480.survey-reveals-whether-oxford-london-commuter-prefer-chiltern-railways-gwr/|title=Survey reveals whether Oxford to London commuter prefer Chiltern Railways or GWR|newspaper=Oxford Mail|date=19 June 2018|access-date=22 October 2019}}</ref>

In 2017, [[Network Rail]] proposed an upgrade of Marylebone with 1,000 extra seats on trains approaching the station. These improvements are planned to be complete by 2024. Beyond this, improvements to [[Old Oak Common railway station|Old Oak Common station]] are planned to relieve congestion at Marylebone.<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/EEH-Chiltern-and-East-West-Rail-Strategy-Summary-document.pdf|title=Enabling progress and facilitating growth: A rail strategy for the Chilterns and East West Rail|publisher=Network Rail|pages=4,5|access-date=18 August 2017}}</ref>
In a study by Network Rail, it was said that any expansion of the station could cost up to £700 million, with Old Oak Common a more feasible alternative for capacity increase.<ref>[https://cdn.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/West-Midlands-and-Chilterns-Route-Study-Final.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303050501/https://cdn.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/West-Midlands-and-Chilterns-Route-Study-Final.pdf|date=3 March 2018}} p.80</ref>