Editing Marylebone station (section)

====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}}