Medway Valley line | |||
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Overview | |||
Status | Operational | ||
Owner | Network Rail | ||
Locale | Kent South East England | ||
Termini | |||
Stations | 13 | ||
Service | |||
Type | Suburban rail, Heavy rail | ||
System | National Rail | ||
Route number | 01 | ||
Operator(s) | SE Trains | ||
Rolling stock | Class 375 "Electrostar" Class 395 "Javelin" | ||
History | |||
Opened | 1856 | ||
Technical | |||
Line length | 21 miles 19 chains (34.18 km) | ||
Number of tracks | 2 | ||
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
Electrification | Third rail, 750 V DC | ||
Operating speed | 70 mph (110 km/h) | ||
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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 (peak only). 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.
The line was built in two stages by the South Eastern Railway (SER). The first stage opened on 24 September 1844 [1] and was a branch off the SER's first main line that crossed Kent between the coast ports of Dover and Folkestone and the LBSCR's main line at Redhill. According to a contemporary report in The Times newspaper, the opening of the branch line was an attempt to convey hops and fruit traffic back to Maidstone, which was losing trade to various points along the Dover line. [1] The junction was at Paddock Wood and followed the Medway Valley down to the county town of Maidstone that had been by-passed by the new main line. Twelve years later, on 18 June 1856 the extension of the line further down the Medway Valley was opened, to join the North Kent Line at Strood (which had opened in 1847). The extension was built by the railway contractor Edward Betts, who lived locally at Preston Hall and through whose estate the line partially passed. Betts arranged for his local station at Aylesford to be built in a much grander style than the other country stations along the line.
The SER started joint working with local rival London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) on 1 January 1899 under the name the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR). [2] Post World War One, the railways were "grouped" and the SECR became part of Southern Railway.
For a brief period in the 1990s some services were extended to Gillingham (Kent) via Rochester and Chatham. This involved reversing trains and switching tracks at Strood.
It was designated by the Department for Transport as a community rail service in September 2007. [3]
The line served many rail connected industries, Aveling and Porter just south of Strood, cement works in the Cuxton, Halling and Snodland areas, a newsprint at New Hythe, Lafarge between Aylesford and Maidstone Barracks, Lockmeadow sidings at Maidstone West, Tovil goods depot and sand pits at Beltring
The line is double track throughout, apart from a short single-track section on approach to Paddock Wood station, with a maximum speed of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h). Between Paddock Wood and Tonbridge the maximum speed is 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).
The line serves the following stations: Strood, Cuxton, Halling, Snodland, New Hythe, Aylesford, Maidstone Barracks, Maidstone West, East Farleigh, Wateringbury, Yalding, Beltring, Paddock Wood and Tonbridge
During 2005, the signalling systems were upgraded, replacing the traditional semaphore signals with coloured light signals. Further modifications have since been made with the expansion of the North Kent Signalling Centre. The level crossing at Yalding has the only signal on the Southeastern network to display a flashing white light as the proceed aspect.
The line from Strood to Maidstone West was electrified (at 750 V DC third rail) by the Southern Railway, opening on 2 July 1939. The rest of the line from Paddock Wood to Maidstone West was electrified under Stage 2 of Kent Coast electrification by BR's 1955 Modernisation Plan, opening to traffic on 18 June 1962.
Services are operated by SE Trains.
Trains typically run at off-peak half-hourly (hourly on Sundays) service between Strood and Paddock Wood with some peak services being extended to Tonbridge. There is also a special service at 22:34 every night from Tonbridge to Gillingham (Kent). [4]
On 18 March 2011, Southeastern announced the start of a new high-speed service from Maidstone to St Pancras International via Strood on a trial basis. During the morning rush hour, there are 2 trains from Maidstone West to St Pancras International, and 1 train heading in the opposite direction. In the evening rush hour, the services are reversed (2 trains to Maidstone West, and 1 trains to St Pancras International). Services in the opposite direction to the main flow do not call at Snodland and instead run non-stop from Maidstone West to Strood.
A trial service commenced on 23 May 2011 [5] and comes as a result of changes on the North Kent line to improve punctuality of existing services. This service has since been made permanent.
The main rolling stock used on the line is 3 car Class 375/3 Electrostars. [6]
Class 395 Javelins serve the line during Monday to Friday peak hours with high speed services from St. Pancras International to Maidstone West, with Snodland the only intermediate station it serves on the line. [7]
Class | Image | Type | Cars per set | Top speed | Number | Operator | Notes | Built | |
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mph | km/h | ||||||||
Class 395 Javelin | EMU | 6 | 140 (HS1) 100 (Mainline) | 225 (HS1) 160 (Mainline) | 29 | SE Trains | Peak time high speed services between Maidstone West and St.Pancras International | 2007–2009 | |
Class 375 | 3 or 4 | 100 | 160 | 140 | All services on the Medway Valley line are usually operated by 375/3s but 375/6/7/8/9s may occasionally appear. | 1999–2005 | |||
A variety of freight and other services frequent the line, including through traffic from Hoo Junction and Tonbridge yard.[ citation needed ]
Aggregates traffic also features, with destinations including Allington and Aylesford aggregates sidings.[ citation needed ]
Class | Image | Type |
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Class 59 | Diesel Electric | |
Class 66 | Diesel Electric | |
Class 73 | Electro-Diesel | |
MPV | ||
The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald, West Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a total distance of 70 miles (113 km). About 13 miles (21 km) of the river lies in East Sussex, with the remainder being in Kent.
Tonbridge and Malling is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. The council is based at Kings Hill. The borough also includes the towns of Tonbridge and Snodland along with numerous villages including Aylesford, West Malling and surrounding rural areas.
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.
Paddock Wood railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line and Medway Valley Line in south-east England, serving the Borough of Tunbridge Wells town of Paddock Wood. The station also serves the villages of Matfield, Brenchley and Horsmonden, which do not have stations of their own. It is 34 miles 67 chains (56.1 km) down the line from London Charing Cross. The station and all trains calling there are operated by Southeastern.
Cuxton railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in Kent, England, and lies well to the east of the village of Cuxton. It is 33 miles 36 chains (53.8 km) down the line from London Charing Cross via Strood and is situated between Strood and Halling. The station and all trains that serve the station are operated by Southeastern.
Maidstone West railway station is one of three railway stations which serve the town of Maidstone, in Kent, England. It is on the Medway Valley Line, 42 miles 36 chains (68.3 km) from London Charing Cross via Strood and situated between Maidstone Barracks and East Farleigh. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern.
Maidstone Barracks railway station is one of three railway stations which serve the town of Maidstone in Kent, England. Originally opened as Barracks station, it is named after the nearby Invicta Park Barracks and lies on the Medway Valley Line, 42 miles (68 km) from London Charing Cross via Strood between Aylesford and Maidstone West. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern.
Halling railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in Kent, England, and lies a little to the north of the village of Halling. It is 35 miles 18 chains (56.7 km) down the line from London Charing Cross via Strood and is situated between Cuxton and Snodland. The station and all trains that serve the station are operated by Southeastern.
Snodland railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in Kent, England. It serves the town of Snodland, which lies some way to the west. The station is 36 miles 59 chains (59.1 km) down the line from London Charing Cross via Strood and it is situated between Halling and New Hythe. All trains that serve the station, and the station itself, are operated by Southeastern.
New Hythe railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in Kent, England, serving the village of New Hythe. It is 38 miles 3 chains (61.2 km) down the line from London Charing Cross via Strood and is situated between Snodland and Aylesford. The station and all trains that serve the station are operated by Southeastern.
Aylesford railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in Kent, England, serving the village of Aylesford. It is 38 miles 74 chains (62.6 km) down the line from London Charing Cross via Strood and is situated between New Hythe and Maidstone Barracks. The station opened on 18 June 1856.
East Farleigh railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in Kent, England, located to the south-west of Maidstone and close to the village of East Farleigh, on the opposite (south) bank of the River Medway, though the station is actually located in Barming parish. It is 42 miles 75 chains (69.1 km) down the line from London Charing Cross via Paddock Wood. The station and all trains that serve the station are operated by Southeastern.
Wateringbury railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in Kent, England, serving the villages of Wateringbury and Nettlestead. It is 39 miles 77 chains (64.3 km) down the line from London Charing Cross via Paddock Wood and is situated between Yalding and East Farleigh. The station and all trains that call are operated by Southeastern.
Yalding railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in Kent, England, serving the village of Yalding. It is 38 miles 19 chains (61.5 km) down the line from London Charing Cross via Paddock Wood and is situated between Beltring and Wateringbury. The station and all trains that call are operated by Southeastern.
Beltring railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in Kent, England, serving the village of Beltring. It is 36 miles 50 chains (58.9 km) down the line from London Charing Cross via Paddock Wood and is situated between Paddock Wood and Yalding. The station and all trains that call are operated by Southeastern.
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 A228 road is an important transport artery in Kent, England. It begins at the Isle of Grain and runs in a south-westerly direction to connect eventually with the A21 trunk road at Pembury. It serves existing communities and new and proposed housing developments and commercial enterprises. The most influential force on the recent upgrading of the road has been the development of Kings Hill near West Malling.
Transportation needs within the county of Kent in South East England has been served by both historical and current transport systems.