London Marylebone Celebrates 125 Years!

This March marks the 125th anniversary since the opening of the London terminus of the Great Central Railway all the way back in 1899! To celebrate the occasion, alongside some very special events taking place on 15 March, we have been working with Chiltern Railways to refresh and refurbish the Harewood Avenue station entrance, with permanent displays celebrating the history of the station from its Victorian heritage to today, connecting commuters to London and tourists to destinations from Wembley Stadium to Bicester Village.

On 15 March, Chiltern Railways will be joined by members of the local community for a number of celebration events, including a train naming ceremony, where the Lord Mayor of Westminster and local schoolchildren will be unveiling the permanent fixture on one of Chiltern Railways’ trains, dedicated to the vibrant history and outstanding contributions of Marylebone as a station.

At an industry reception at The Landmark Hotel, Chiltern Railways MD, Richard Allan, will touch on the importance of Chiltern’s 2030 vision to modernise and decarbonise its operations with a new fleet of trains, with additional contributions from Malcolm Holmes, General Manager of the Great Central Railway, and our very own CEO, Penny Alexander, highlighting the important role that Marylebone plays as a gateway to the area.

In addition to this, an extra-special privately-operated charter train, ‘The Master Cutler’, will run along the old route of the Great Central Railway from Sheffield to London, with stops at Chesterfield, Derby and Leicester, before travelling along the Chiltern Mainline to arrive for festivities at Marylebone and then departing northwards again at 15.21. 10% of profits from The Master Cutler ticket sales will be donated to local women’s shelter and homeless charity The Marylebone Project. Bookings can be made here

Marylebone station will be in a celebratory mood all day, with decorations, free cakes and Victorian dress. Head along to the station on 15 March to join in the festivities! And you can find out more about the improvements to the Harewood Avenue station exit, along with our other Placemaking projects here.