Sutton and Mole Valley lines

Last updated

Sutton & Mole Valley lines
Heading for London - geograph.org.uk - 1503007.jpg
A South West Trains EMU heads towards London
Overview
StatusOperational
Owner Network Rail
Locale Greater London
Surrey
South East England
Service
Type Commuter rail
System National Rail
Operator(s)
Rolling stock
Technical
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification 750 V DC third rail
Route map
Sutton and Mole Valley lines
Sutton & Mole Valley lines
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon CONT3.svg
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon INT3+1.svg
BSicon STRc4.svg
Peckham Rye Overground roundel (no text).svg
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon ABZ1+3f.svg
BSicon STRc4.svg
BSicon CONT1.svg
BSicon STRc4.svg
BSicon HST.svg
East Dulwich
BSicon HST2.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
North Dulwich
BSicon dCONTgq.svg
BSicon ABZq2.svg
BSicon dSTRc1.svg
BSicon dSTRc3.svg
BSicon dSTRq.svg
BSicon KRZq+4u.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
BSicon dSTRc1.svg
BSicon dSTR+4.svg
BSicon TUNNEL1.svg
Knights Hill Tunnel
BSicon v-SHI3l.svg
BSicon SHI3g+r.svg
Tulse Hill Junction
BSicon HST.svg
Tulse Hill
BSicon kABZg23.svg
BSicon CONTgq.svg
BSicon kABZq1.svg
BSicon KRZu+k14.svg
BSicon kABZq+4.svg
BSicon lCONTf@Fq.svg
BSicon TUNNEL1.svg
Leigham Tunnel
BSicon TUNNEL1.svg
Streatham Tunnel
BSicon HST.svg
Streatham
BSicon kABZg2.svg
BSicon CONTgq.svg
BSicon kABZq2.svg
BSicon KRZo+k13.svg
BSicon kkABZ+4r.svg
BSicon kABZg+4.svg
BSicon LSTR.svg
BSicon MFADE3+1.svg
BSicon LKRW+l.svg
BSicon KRWgr.svg
BSicon INT.svg
West Croydon Overground roundel (no text).svg Tramlink no-text roundel.svg
Mitcham Eastfields
BSicon HST.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Waddon
Mitcham Junction Tramlink no-text roundel.svg
BSicon INT.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
Bandon Halt
Hackbridge
BSicon HST.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Wallington
Carshalton
BSicon HST.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Carshalton Beeches
BSicon BS2c2.svg
BSicon KRWg+l.svg
BSicon BS2r.svg
BSicon KRWr.svg
BSicon MFADEg.svg
BSicon LSTR.svg
BSicon vBHF.svg
Sutton
BSicon CONTg.svg
BSicon STRl.svg
BSicon ABZgr.svg
BSicon lCONTf2.svg
BSicon vSTR2-.svg
Raynes Park
BSicon HST.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon KRWgl.svg
BSicon KRW+r.svg
BSicon STR.svg
Motspur Park
BSicon lCONTf@G.svg
BSicon HST.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Cheam
BSicon CONTgq.svg
BSicon ABZgr.svg
BSicon STR.svg
Worcester Park
BSicon HST.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Ewell East
Stoneleigh
BSicon HST.svg
BSicon STR.svg
Ewell West
BSicon HST.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
Epsom Town
BSicon KRWl.svg
BSicon KRWg+r.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
Epsom
BSicon HST.svg
Ashtead
BSicon SKRZ-Bu.svg
BSicon CONTg.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Leatherhead
Bookham tunnel
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon POINTER2.svg
BSicon tSTRc2.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon tSTR3a@f.svg
Bookham
BSicon STR+c2.svg
BSicon lHST.svg
BSicon tSTR3+1e@g.svg
BSicon tSTRc4.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon ABZg+1.svg
BSicon STRc4.svg
BSicon TUNNEL1.svg
Mickleham tunnel
Effingham Junction
BSicon HST.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon CONTf.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Box Hill &
Westhumble
BSicon d-CONT2.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
BSicon STR.svg
Dorking Deepdene
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon HST2+4.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
Dorking
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon KRZ2+4u.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
Betchworth tunnel
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon tSTRa.svg
BSicon CONT4.svg
Holmwood
BSicon PORTALg.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Ockley
BSicon HST.svg
Warnham
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon HST.svg
BSicon CONT3.svg
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon ABZ3+1g.svg
BSicon STRc4.svg
Horsham
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon BHF3+1.svg
BSicon STRc4.svg
BSicon CONT1.svg
BSicon STRc4.svg

The Sutton and Mole Valley lines were constructed between 1847 and 1868 by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, the London and South Western Railway and the LBSCR-sponsored Horsham, Dorking and Leatherhead Railway.

Contents

Services

Services include commuter services in South London, Surrey and West Sussex operated by Southern, usually from London Victoria to Horsham via Sutton and Dorking. Some Southern services in peak hours from London Bridge call at West Croydon and diverge at Leatherhead and serve Effingham Junction and Guildford via the New Guildford Line. The South Western Railway services are operated by Class 455/7s, 455/8s and 455/9s.

The Southern services use the same type of train, but sometimes Class 377 instead. Southern previously used Class 456 trains but these were transferred to South West Trains in March 2014. SWT re-released these trains on the line in late 2014, but they were withdrawn in 2022.

South Western Railway operates services between London Waterloo and Leatherhead via Raynes Park and Epsom. Half continue along the main line to Dorking, others run to Guildford via Bookham and Effingham Junction.

Thameslink operates services from Tulse Hill to Sutton as part of the Thameslink route to London Blackfriars and Luton using Class 700 trains.

Technical information

The route from Raynes Park to Horsham via Epsom and Dorking (including the Bookham Branch) is known to commuters as the Mole Valley Line – seven out of the 15 stations are in the Surrey district of Mole Valley. The full title Sutton and Mole Valley Lines is used for the lines north of Epsom via Sutton. Confusingly, all Southern services that terminate or call at Sutton are branded as Sutton and Mole Valley Line services.

The lines which form the route include (in order of construction):

None of the lines leads directly to a London terminus, but services use the South West Main Line to access London Waterloo, the Brighton Main Line to access London Victoria and the Brighton Main Line (via Norwood Junction) or the South London Line (via South Bermondsey) to access London Bridge.

The following lines are associated with the route, but are considered separate:

The lines are electrified at 750 V DC third rail. Class 455 electrical multiple units are used, with semi-fast and stopping services to Horsham from London Victoria frequently operated by Class 377 Electrostars. Up to the early 1980s, express services to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis were routed along these lines and called at Sutton, Dorking, Horsham and stations to the south coast along the Arun Valley Line & West Coastway Line.

The maximum speed is 50 mph (80 km/h), with 20 mph (32 km/h) restrictions at Clapham Junction, Streatham Junction, Mitcham Junction, Raynes Park, West Croydon, Sutton and Epsom; 30 mph (48 km/h) at Dorking and the approach to London Victoria; and 75 mph (121 km/h) between Box Hill and Westhumble and Dorking, and between Dorking and Holmwood. Signalling between London Victoria and Ewell East (including the Epsom Downs Branch) is controlled by London Victoria (VC); between London Waterloo and Box Hill and Westhumble by Wimbledon (W); between Box Hill and Westhumble and Warnham by Dorking (CBK); and between West Croydon & Waddon and Warnham & Horsham by Three Bridges Signalling Centre (T).

Platform lengths have been extended recently[ when? ] at most stations with twelve-car length platforms at Sutton, Horsham and Dorking and ten-car platforms at most other stations including Ashtead, Ewell East and Epsom.

History of the route

A 1908 Railway Clearing House map, showing part of the Sutton & Mole Valley lines though South London Streatham & Tulse Hill Hastings & St Leonards RJD 100.jpg
A 1908 Railway Clearing House map, showing part of the Sutton & Mole Valley lines though South London

The lines used were the result of several schemes:

11 March 1867: Leatherhead to Dorking
1 May 1867: Dorking to Horsham

Accidents and incidents

Tunnels

There are two tunnels, built between 1860 and 1867.

Mickleham Tunnel is midway between Leatherhead and Box Hill & Westhumble. It is 524 yards (479 m) long and runs through the lower chalk of Norbury Park, entering the hillside immediately north of one of the three viaducts over the River Mole. [14] Restrictions imposed by the landowner, Thomas Grissell, meant that vertical ventilation shafts could not be constructed and the tunnel portals were given lavish architectural treatment.

Betchworth Tunnel is 14 mile (400 m) south of Dorking. It is 385 yards (352 m) long with a maximum gradient of 1 in 80 (1.25 per cent). It runs through the upper greensand of the Deepdene Ridge to the east of the town. Construction difficulties delayed the opening south of Dorking. It collapsed on 27 July 1887, remaining closed for over six months. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitcham Junction station</span> Railway station and tram stop in Merton, London

Mitcham Junction is a National Rail station served by Southern and Thameslink trains, and a Tramlink stop. It is in the London Borough of Merton and is in Travelcard Zone 4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epsom railway station</span> Railway station in Surrey, England

Epsom railway station serves the town of Epsom in Surrey, England. It is located off Waterloo Road and is less than two minutes' walk from the town's high street. It is 14 miles 18 chains (22.9 km) down the line from London Waterloo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheam railway station</span> National Rail station in London, England

Cheam railway station serves Cheam in the London Borough of Sutton. It is located on the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines section from Sutton to Epsom with trains to London Victoria and London Bridge both via Mitcham Junction and West Croydon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sutton railway station (London)</span> National Rail station in London, England

Sutton railway station (sometimes referred to as Sutton (Surrey) on tickets and timetables) is in the London Borough of Sutton in South London and is the main station serving the town of Sutton. It is served by Southern and Thameslink trains, and lies in Travelcard Zone 5, 14 miles 75 chains (14.94 miles, 24.04 km) down the line from London Bridge, measured via Forest Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raynes Park railway station</span> National Rail station in London, England

Raynes Park railway station serves the district of Raynes Park in the London Borough of Merton. It is 8 miles 51 chains (13.9 km) south-west of London Waterloo and is situated between Wimbledon and New Malden on the South West Main Line. The next station along on the Mole Valley branch line is Motspur Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Downs Line</span> Railway line in southern England

The North Downs Line is a railway line in South East England. It runs for 41 miles 40 chains (66.8 km) from Reading in Berkshire to Redhill in Surrey. It is named after the North Downs, a range of chalk hills that runs parallel to the eastern part of the route. The name was introduced in 1989 by Network SouthEast, the then operator. The North Downs Line serves the settlements in the Blackwater Valley as well as the towns of Guildford, Dorking and Reigate. It acts as an orbital route around the south and southwest of London and has direct connections to the Great Western Main Line at Reading, the Waterloo-Reading line at Wokingham, the Alton line at Ash, the Portsmouth Direct Line at Guildford and the Brighton Main Line at Redhill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horsham railway station</span> Railway station in West Sussex, England

Horsham railway station serves the town of Horsham in West Sussex, England. It is 37 miles 56 chains (60.7 km) down the line from London Bridge, measured via Redhill, on the Arun Valley Line and the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines, and train services are provided by Southern and Thameslink. Services on the Sutton & Mole Valley Line from London Victoria via Dorking terminate here, as do Thameslink services from Peterborough via London Bridge. The other services continue into the Arun Valley: a half-hourly service from London Victoria to Bognor Regis, and hourly services to Southampton Central or Portsmouth & Southsea. These trains usually divide here with the front (Southampton/Portsmouth) portion travelling fast and the rear half providing stopping services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westhumble</span> Village in Surrey, England

Westhumble is a village in south east England, approximately 2 km (1.2 mi) north of Dorking, Surrey. The village is not part of a civil parish, however the majority of the settlement is in the ecclesiastical Parish of Mickleham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Box Hill & Westhumble railway station</span> Railway station in Surrey, England

Box Hill & Westhumble is a railway station in the village of Westhumble in Surrey, England, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Dorking town centre. Box Hill is located approximately 12 mile (800 m) to the east. It is 21 miles 14 chains (34.1 km) down the line from London Waterloo. Train services are operated by Southern who manage the station, and South Western Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leatherhead railway station</span> Railway station in Surrey, England

Leatherhead railway station is in Leatherhead, Surrey, England. It is managed by Southern, with services provided by them and South Western Railway. It is 18 miles 2 chains (29 km) from London Waterloo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorking railway station</span> Railway station in Surrey, England

Dorking railway station is a railway station in Dorking, Surrey, England. Located on the Mole Valley line, it is 22 miles 8 chains (35.6 km) down the line from London Waterloo. The station is one of three that serve the town of Dorking, alongside Dorking Deepdene and Dorking West stations. Dorking and Dorking Deepdene stations are within walking distance of each other and interchange between them on a through ticket is permitted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holmwood railway station</span> Railway station in Surrey, England

Holmwood railway station serves the villages of Beare Green and South Holmwood in Surrey, England, on the Sutton and Mole Valley Lines between Dorking and Horsham, 27 miles 5 chains (43.6 km) from London Waterloo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Guildford line</span>

The New Guildford line, presently operated by South Western Railway, is a commuter line between London Waterloo and Guildford. It branches off the South West Main Line at Hampton Court Junction, just south-west of Surbiton. On timetables, trains on this route are advertised as going to Guildford via Cobham.

The Steyning Line was a railway branch line that connected the West Sussex market town of Horsham with the port of Shoreham-by-Sea, with connections to Brighton. It was built by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, and opened in 1861. It was 20 miles in length. It followed the course of the River Adur for much of its extent and was alternatively known as the Adur Valley Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portsmouth line</span>

The Portsmouth line is a secondary main line originally built by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and the London and South Western Railway between 1847 and 1868. It leaves the South London Line at Peckham Rye, with connections to the Victoria branch of the Brighton Main Line at Streatham, and continues via Sutton, Epsom and Dorking to join the Mid-Sussex Line at Horsham.

The Wimbledon and Dorking Railway (W&DR) was an early railway company in southern England. It was independently promoted with the intention of penetrating into West Sussex, but it only succeeded in getting authorisation as far as Epsom. It joined the Epsom and Leatherhead Railway there, and opened in 1859.

The Epsom and Leatherhead Railway (E&LR) was a railway company in Surrey, England. Promoted independently, it opened its short line in 1859 and was worked by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR). It was transferred to the joint ownership of the LSWR and the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) in 1860. Those companies operated passenger trains to Waterloo and London Bridge station respectively. In 1867 the LBSCR built an extension line from Leatherhead to Dorking, with the declared intention of continuing to the Sussex coast. A new Leatherhead station was built on the new line, and the LSWR was obliged to build its own independent, new Leatherhead station; this was a terminus for some years.

The Horsham, Dorking and Leatherhead Railway (HD&LR) was an early railway company in southern England. It planned to fill in a gap in the network of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, shortening the route from London to coastal towns from Littlehampton to Portsmouth. It only obtained Parliamentary authorisation to build from Horsham to Dorking, and it sold its company to the LBSCR, which completed the construction, and itself built the remaining section from Dorking to Leatherhead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epsom Town railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Epsom Town railway station is a closed railway station that served the town of Epsom in Surrey, England. For many years, Epsom had two railway stations, one built by the LSWR in 1859, and this station, built by the LBSCR twelve years earlier. It was located on Upper High Street and is less than ten minutes' walk from the town's other station. It closed in 1929 when the former LSWR station was rebuilt and expanded to four platforms.

The Mid-Sussex railways were a group of English railway companies that together formed what became the Mid-Sussex line, from Three Bridges through Horsham to Littlehampton, in southern England. After 1938 the Southern Railway operated a regular electric train service ran from London to Bognor Regis and Portsmouth using the marketing brand "Mid-Sussex Line", leading to an informal consensus. The Mid-Sussex Railway company ran from Horsham to Petworth, and the Mid-Sussex Junction line of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) extended from the Petworth line to Littlehampton. The Three Bridges to Horsham branch of the LBSCR was at first the sole access from the north to the Mid-Sussex railways, although a line from Leatherhead was used later.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Railway Track Diagrams #5 – Southern & TFL. Vol. [page 22] Feb 1998 (Retrieved 2017-01-09). Quail Maps.
  2. "The Kent Sussex Wessex Route Sectional Appendix; LOR SO510 Seq009 to 011" (PDF). Network Rail. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  3. "The Kent Sussex Wessex Route Sectional Appendix; LOR SO680 Seq005 to 006" (PDF). Network Rail. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  4. Railway Track Diagrams #5 – Southern & TFL. Vol. [page 29] Feb 1998 (Retrieved 2017-01-09). Quail Maps. ISBN   978-1-9996-2712-6.
  5. Dendy Marshall, CF (1963). History of the Southern Railway. Ian Allan. p. 223.
  6. Dendy Marshall, CF (1963). History of the Southern Railway. Ian Allan. p. 219.
  7. Dendy Marshall, C F (1963). History of the Southern Railway. Ian Allan. pp. 224, 513.
  8. "Guildford via Cobham" Mallinson 2006 pp. 137, 141
  9. 1 2 "Southern Electric 1909 – 1979" G.T. Moody Ian Allan 1979 pp. 26, 27, 60, 61, 62.
  10. "Southern Electric 1909 – 1979" G.T. Moody Ian Allan 1979 p. 42
  11. "Southern Electric 1909 – 1979" G.T. Moody Ian Allan 1979 p. 38
  12. https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/timetabling/electronic-national-rail-timetable/ (Timetable Nos. 172 and 180 May 2018)
  13. 1 2 Glover, John (2001). Southern Electric. Hersham: Ian Allan. pp. 136, 141. ISBN   0-7110-2807-9.
  14. Beechcroft G (2009). "Mickleham Tunnel". Railway Structures. Southern E-Group. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  15. Capper I (2010). "Betchworth Tunnel". TQ1849. Geograph Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 14 August 2011.