Chatham Main Line

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Chatham Main Line

Legend London Victoria for Circle Line, District Line and Victoria Line Victoria Coach Station Grosvenor Bridge Grosvenor Road River Thames Carriage sidings Battersea Park Victoria branch Brighton Main Line and South London Lines SWML to London Waterloo West London Line BML London Victoria branch Factory Junction Connecting chord to SWML Inner South London Line Stewarts Lane TMD Wandsworth Road Clapham High Street Inner South London Line and Catford Loop Line Brixton East Brixton Thameslink line to Blackfriars and the north Herne Hill Thameslink line Denmark Hill from East Dulwich from Streatham Peckham Rye West Dulwich to London Bridge Nunhead Sydenham Hill Nunhead to Lewisham link Sydenham Hill Tunnel to Crystal Palace 2200 yd (1980 m) Brighton Main Line London Bridge branch Penge East Crofton Park Kent House Catford to Crystal Palace to London Bridge and Hayes Line other London termini Limited Service curve Bellingham Beckenham Junction Beckenham Hill Ravensbourne Catford Loop Line Shortlands Junction Shortlands Bromley South Bickley to London Bridge and other London termini Chislehurst Junction South Eastern Main Line from Orpington and Tonbridge St Mary Cray River Cray Swanley Ashford to Swanley Line M25 Farningham Road River Darent to High Speed 1 and Fawkham Junction former Gravesend West Branch Longfield Meopham Sole Street High Speed 1 M2 Rochester Bridge LCDR Strood Medway Valley Line to North Kent Line to London Bridge Maidstone and other London termini North Kent Junction River Medway Rochester Docks Rochester Common Rochester Chatham Central Fort Pitt Tunnel (428 yds) Chatham Chatham Tunnel(297 yds) Gillingham Tunnel Gillingham to Gillingham Docks Gillingham Depot to Chatham Dockyard Rainham Newington Sheerness Line Sittingbourne Teynham Faversham Ramsgate and Dover branches diverge Whitstable Canterbury & Whitstable Railway Chestfield & Swalecliffe Herne Bay Birchington-on-Sea Westgate-on-Sea Margate SER Margate Sands Broadstairs Ramsgate Harbour Tunnel LCDR Ramsgate Harbour Dumpton Park SER Ramsgate Town Ramsgate Depot Ramsgate Ramsgate St Lawrence Ashford to Margate (via Canterbury West) line Selling Kent Coast Line Closed Curve to Ashford Canterbury East Bekesbourne Adisham Aylesham Snowdown East Kent Railway Shepherds Well Shepherd's Well Tunnel Stonehall and Lydden Halt 2376 yd (2138 m) Kearsney Kent Coast Line to Ramsgate Dover Priory Dover Harbour Tunnel Dover Harbour 1861-1927 Mileage Change 77m76ch (Vic) : 76m50ch (CX) Hawkesbury Street Jn Connection to Train Ferry Dover Town 1844-1914 Admiralty Pier 1860-1909 Dover Marine 1909-1994 Archcliffe Jn South Eastern Main Line

The Chatham Main Line is the British railway line that runs from London Victoria to Dover Priory or Ramsgate via the Medway Towns (of which Chatham is one, hence the name) and Bromley. Some trains on the service also run from Blackfriars (connecting at Bromley).

Commuter services to Cannon Street follow the route as far as Chislehurst Junction where they diverge onto the Chislehurst line.

Services to Charing Cross as well as some slow Cannon Street services run in parallel from Gillingham to Rochester, diverging once across the River Medway at Rochester Bridge Junction onto the North Kent Line via Gravesend and Dartford.

A shuttle service operates on the Sheerness Line which joins at Sittingbourne.

[edit] Services

Services on the Line are run by Southeastern.

After Bromley (when heading towards London) the services can divert via the Catford Loop Line or remain on the main line (via Herne Hill) to reach London Victoria.

Services currently consist of stopping trains from Ramsgate and Dover Priory joining at Faversham and running fast from Chatham to Bromley South, then Victoria (with the odd stop at Rochester or Longfield or Meopham). A stopping service stops at all stops from Faversham to St Mary Cray and Bromley South then fast to London Victoria. Stations prior to Farningham Road (as coming from London Victoria) are served by stoppers on the Swanley to Ashford (via Maidstone East) Line.

The opening of High Speed 1 will see the introduction of High Speed "Domestic Services" (CTRL-DS) to London St Pancras, and thus a significant remapping of services across Southeastern's network from December 2009.

[edit] History

The line was built by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway, who were in competition with the South Eastern Railway (hence the duplication of stations in Kent). They subsequently built lines to Sevenoaks and Ashford (via Maidstone) from the Chatham Main Line.

The line was electrified (750v DC third rail) in a series of stages. Initially the new Southern Railway electrified the urban (within London) workings of the SECR in the 1920s. In July 1925 "South Eastern Electrification (Stage 1)" saw the line from Victoria to junction with the South Eastern Main line at Bickley, including the Catford Loop Line electrified^[1]. This was extend to outer suburban workings to Sevenoaks via Swanley (Bickley junction to Swanley) in two stages, reaching St Mary Cray in May 1934^[1] and Swanley in January 1935^[1]. Full outer suburban electrification was achieved with the "Maidstone & Gillingham Electrification" scheme in July 1939, extending electrification from Swanley to Gillingham^[1]. Post war, under the BR's 1955 Modernisation plan, electrification was completed (Gillingham to Ramsgate and Dover) under "Kent Coast Electrification" stage 1 in 1959^[1]. At the same time the four track section between Shortlands and St Mary Cray junction was extended to Swanley Junction with a complete rebuilding of the St Mary Cray Junction. Two passing loops were added (to create a four track section) between Rainham and Newington.

[edit] References

v • d • e Railway lines in South-East England: Eastern  (Kent) Primary Routes: High Speed 1 · Chatham Main Line · South Eastern Main Line Secondary Lines: Ashford-Ramsgate via Canterbury Line · East Coastway · Hastings Line · Kent Coast Line · Maidstone East Line Minor/Branch Lines: Bexleyheath Line · Bromley North Line · Catford Loop · Dartford Loop · Greenwich Line · Hayes Line · Marshlink Line · Medway Valley Line · Mid-Kent Line · North Kent Line · Nunhead to Lewisham link · Sheerness Line Central  (Sussex) Primary Routes: Arun Valley Line · Brighton Main Line · Thameslink Secondary Lines: East Coastway · New Guildford Line · North Downs Line · Redhill-Tonbridge Line · Sutton & Mole Valley Line · West Coastway Minor/Branch Lines: Caterham Line · Epsom Downs Branch · Oxted Line · Seaford Branch Line · South London Line · Tattenham Corner Line Western  (Wessex) Primary Routes: North Downs Line · Portsmouth Direct Line · South Western Main Line · West Coastway · West of England Main Line Secondary Lines: Alton Line · Ascot-Guildford Line · Chertsey Branch · Eastleigh-Fareham Line · Eastleigh-Romsey Line · Hounslow Loop · Kingston Loop Line · Waterloo-Reading Line · West London Line Minor/Branch Lines: Chessington Branch · Greenford Branch · Hampton Court Branch · Henley Branch Line · Island Line · Lymington Branch Line · Marlow Branch Line · Shepperton Branch Line · Slough-Windsor & Eton Line · Staines-Windsor & Eton Line Northern  (Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire) Primary Routes: West Coast Main Line · Chiltern Line Secondary Lines: London to Aylesbury Line · Cherwell Valley Line · Cotswold Line Minor/Branch Lines: Marston Vale Line · Oxford to Bicester Line · Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line · Varsity Line (currently partially disused)