The two lines were under separate ownership and joined just east of the Dunstable North station.

Passenger services were withdrawn in 1965 under the Beeching Axe, and the track between Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard was removed.

Dunstable North railway station was originally the terminus of the line from Leighton Buzzard.

It was valuable to Luton people not only for passengers but also facilitating the London market for the town's trade in plaited straw goods.

Originally named Harpenden, the East suffix was added in 1950 to distinguish it from the Midland Railway station.

Since closure it has been demolished and housing has been built both on the site of the station and on the line in the immediate area.

The last passenger train, packed with enthusiasts, was hauled by Brush Type 2 D5589 on 24 April 1965.

Within Leighton Buzzard, the line is now used as a footpath and cycleway which crosses the Grand Union Canal and River Ouzel.

National Cycle Route 6 follows the line between Stanbridgeford and Dunstable, including Sewell Cutting, which is managed as a nature reserve by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.

East of Wheathampstead, heading towards Welwyn Garden City, the trackbed was converted to a path called the Ayot Greenway.