The start of train services between Bicester, Bletchley and Milton Keynes is set to be delayed until later this year, although test trains ran successfully on the line last October.

The Department for Transport had already announced that Chiltern Railways, which is set to be renationalised by 2027, will provide the services using six Class 196 units, but at the time it did not reveal the start date.

The update about a launch came during an event at the Railway Civil Engineers' Association in London yesterday.

Uncertainty remains about the next stage of the project to upgrade the existing double track line between Bletchley and Bedford, which was the only section of the former Varsity Line to escape closure in British Rail days.

Chiltern has been training crews with special movements between Bletchley High Level, Fenny Stratford and Bletchley depot, which involve reversing at Fenny Stratford. The training route includes the single line over Fenny Stratford viaduct, and the line is thought to be a candidate for doubling to avoid a bottleneck when services eventually start running between Oxford and Bedford.

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