This article needs additional citations for verification .(March 2021) |
Kent Coast Line | |||
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Overview | |||
Status | Operational | ||
Owner | Network Rail | ||
Locale | Kent South East England | ||
Service | |||
Type | Suburban rail, Heavy rail | ||
System | National Rail | ||
Operator(s) | SE Trains | ||
Rolling stock | |||
Technical | |||
Line length | 16mi 64ch (27.03 km) [1] | ||
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
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The Kent Coast Line is the railway line that runs from Minster East Junction to Buckland Jn connecting Ramsgate and Dover Priory in the English county of Kent.
It was electrified (750 V DC third rail) by BR under the 1955 Modernisation Plan.
As of November 2021 [update] , the off-peak service is operated as an extension of the South Eastern Main Line service from Charing Cross to Dover Priory. Trains run hourly terminating at Ramsgate. Services are operated by SE Trains using class 375 units. Some peak trains use Cannon Street or are High Speed 1 services to or from London St. Pancras or the Class 465/466 Networkers are also used in the Peak Hours or in the summer timetable services from London Cannon Street extended to Ramsgate via Greenwich, Woolwich Arsenal and Dartford. [2]
During the late 2010s, the entire off-peak service was run as part of the High Speed domestic service, running in a loop around the coast with trains at both ends continuing towards St. Pancras via Ashford International and Faversham. [3] [4] This service was ended after the COVID pandemic massively reduced rail use. [5]
A small number of the peak services run to Minster on the Ashford to Ramsgate line before reversing back onto the coast line as a school service, running Ramsgate-Minster-Sandwich-Deal in the mornings and the reverse in the evenings. [2]
The South Eastern Railway's (SER) first main line went to Dover via Folkestone and Ashford. The SER Ashford to Margate Broadstairs and Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) line was then extended south to Deal. In 1881 this was linked up by the "Dover & Deal Joint Railway" with their bitter rival the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR).
Upon the joint management of the SER and LCDR in 1899 the track layout at Ashford rationalised, with Thanet receiving similar treatment (by Southern) in the 1920s.
The line was electrified under the BR 1955 Modernisation Plan, in "Kent Coast Electrification (Stage 2)" opening January 1961.
The building of the railway was significant in the development of seaside resorts like Broadstairs.
The Railway Clearing House produced a map that shows the complex layout of this area. This shows the separate connection to the pier where trains used to board ferries.
Bromley South railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in England, serving the town centre and high street of Bromley, south-east London. It is 10 miles 71 chains (17.5 km) down the line from London Victoria and is situated between Shortlands and Bickley.
The Medway Valley line is the name given to the railway line linking Strood in the Medway Towns via Maidstone West to Tonbridge. High Speed services also link between Maidstone West, Snodland, Strood and London St Pancras International. The section from Maidstone West to Paddock Wood passes through some of Kent's most picturesque countryside along the narrower sections of the River Medway.
Gravesend railway station serves the town of Gravesend in north Kent, England. It is 23 miles 75 chains (38.5 km) down the line from London Charing Cross.
Strood railway station serves the town of Strood in Medway, England. It is on the North Kent Line and is also a terminus of the Medway Valley Line. It is 31 miles 11 chains (50.1 km) down the line from London Charing Cross.
The Chatham Main Line is a railway line in England that links London Victoria and Dover Priory / Ramsgate, travelling via Medway.
Chatham railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in England, serving the town of Chatham, Kent. It is 34 miles 25 chains (55.2 km) down the line from London Victoria and is situated between Rochester and Gillingham.
Dover Priory railway station is the southern terminus of the South Eastern Main Line in England, and is the main station serving the town of Dover, Kent, the other open station being Kearsney, on the outskirts. It is 77 miles 26 chains (124.4 km) down the line from London Victoria. The station and all trains that serve the station are operated by Southeastern. This station is a 25 min walk away from the Ferry Port.
Canterbury West railway station is a Grade II listed railway station, and the busier of the two stations in Canterbury in Kent, England. The station as well as all services are operated by Southeastern with both main line and high speed trains serving the station.
Ashford International railway station is a National Rail station in the town of Ashford, Kent, England. It connects several railway lines, including High Speed 1 and the South Eastern Main Line. Services are operated by Southeastern and Southern.
Ramsgate railway station serves the town of Ramsgate in Thanet in Kent, England. The station lies on the Chatham Main Line, 79 miles 21 chains (127.6 km) down the line from London Victoria, the Kent Coast Line, and the Ashford to Ramsgate line. The station is managed by Southeastern, which operates all trains serving it.
Margate railway station serves the town of Margate in Thanet, Kent, England. It is 73 miles 69 chains (118.9 km) down the line from London Victoria. The station and all trains that serve the station are operated by Southeastern.
Deal railway station serves Deal in Kent, England. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern. The station is on the Kent Coast Line 9.5 miles (15.3 km) north east of Dover Priory and 86.75 miles (139.61 km) south east of London Charing Cross.
Sandwich railway station serves Sandwich in Kent, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Southeastern. The station is 8+1⁄4 miles (13.3 km) south of Ramsgate on the Kent Coast Line.
Minster railway station serves the village of Minster in Kent and surrounding villages. It is next to a junction between Canterbury West, Ramsgate and Sandwich.
Chilham railway station is a railway station in Chilham, Kent. It is on the Ashford to Ramsgate line between Ashford International and Canterbury West. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Southeastern.
Broadstairs railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in England, serving the seaside town of Broadstairs, Kent. It is 77 miles 9 chains (124 km) down the line from London Victoria and is situated between Margate and Dumpton Park.
Ebbsfleet International railway station is in Ebbsfleet Valley, Kent, 10 miles east of London, England, near Dartford and the Bluewater Shopping Centre to the west and Gravesend to the east. The station, part of the Thames Gateway urban regeneration project, is on the High Speed 1 (HS1) rail line, 300 metres south-west of Northfleet railway station, off the A2 trunk road, 5 mi (8.0 km) from its junction with the M25 motorway. It served as a primary park-and-rail service for the London 2012 Olympics.
The South Eastern Main Line is a major long-distance railway route in South East England, UK, one of the three main routes crossing the county of Kent, going via Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Ashford and Folkestone to Dover. The other routes are the Chatham Main Line which runs along the north Kent coast to Ramsgate or Dover via Chatham and High Speed 1 which runs through the centre of Kent to the coast at Folkestone where it joins the Channel Tunnel.
The Ashford–Ramsgate line is a railway that runs through Kent from Ashford to Ramsgate via Canterbury West. Its route mostly follows the course of the River Great Stour.
Transportation needs within the county of Kent in South East England has been served by both historical and current transport systems.