West Coastway line

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West Coastway line
West coastway line from fishersgate.jpg
Looking eastwards from Fishersgate, April 2007.
Overview
StatusOperational
Owner Network Rail
Locale West Sussex
Hampshire
South East England
Termini
Stations39
Service
Type Suburban rail, Heavy rail
System National Rail
Operator(s) Southern (over whole)
GWR (long haul services from Portsmouth Harbour to Southampton and beyond to Bristol/Cardiff)
SWR (west part and parts north of Portsmouth)
Depot(s)Brighton
Littlehampton
Fratton
Southampton
Rolling stock Class 158 "Express Sprinter" (Southampton to Portsmouth)
Class 159 "South Western Turbo"
Class 166 "Networker Turbo" (Southampton to Portsmouth)
Class 377 "Electrostar"
Class 444 "Desiro"
Class 450 "Desiro"
History
Opened1840
Technical
Line length62 mi 4 ch (99.86 km)
Number of tracks2 (up to 4 in areas)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification 750 V DC third rail
Operating speed85 mph (137 km/h) maximum
Route map
West Coastway line.png
(Click to expand)

The West Coastway line is a railway line in England linking the conurbations of Brighton/Hove/Littlehampton and Southampton/Portsmouth, with 1.3 million people between them. It has short southward branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis, which offer direct services to and from London.

Contents

From Brighton the East Coastway line continues to Hastings via Lewes, Eastbourne and Bexhill, and then to Ashford International, Kent via the Marshlink line.

The section east of Portsmouth was electrified by the Southern Railway before the Second World War. The electrification of the tracks further west in the late 1980s enabled electric trains to travel the whole route via Netley to Southampton or via Botley to Eastleigh. The London and South Western Railway ran the tracks west of Farlington Junction, north of Portsmouth, by the inland shore of Langstone Harbour. This section was served and timetabled separately before its electrification, a vestige of having had a different original railway company.

Definition and electrification

The West Coastway line runs almost alongside or within a few miles of the south coast of Sussex and Hampshire, between Brighton and Southampton. [1] [2] [3]

East of Portsmouth the line was electrified (using 750 V DC third rail) by the Southern Railway before the Second World War in two stages:

  1. Brighton to West Worthing in 1933, [4] [5]
  2. West Worthing to Havant in 1938 (where it joined up with the electrified Portsmouth Direct line), including the Littlehampton and Bognor branches.

Services

Current service patterns

Southern is the main operator of passenger services and stations on the line east of Portsmouth. Service patterns have varied over the years, but have always included a slow service (calling at most or all stations) from Brighton to Portsmouth. Regular services run from London Victoria via Gatwick which avoid Brighton by using the tunnel between Preston Park and Hove. These services run to Littlehampton (2016); similar services extended to Chichester, Portsmouth and Southampton particularly in the initial decades of open competition between operators, making use of statutory and negotiated running rights. Other services run from London Victoria via Gatwick and the Arun Valley line to Bognor Regis or along more of the West Coastway line, between Ford and nearby Chichester, to Portsmouth or Southampton. All of the Southern services are operated by electric multiple-units. Many of these trains join/"couple" or divide/"uncouple" during their journey, historically at Barnham, today at Horsham (except on Sundays, when trains still divide at Barnham).

The section west of Portsmouth sees trains from typically three operators. Its stations are managed by South Western Railway, who operate regular services from Portsmouth either to Southampton or to London Waterloo (less directly than its Portsmouth Direct Line, instead via Fareham, Botley, Hedge End and Eastleigh). Great Western Railway operate diesel passenger trains from Portsmouth to Bristol Temple Meads and Cardiff Central, with occasional services to the West Country or Great Malvern. Southern operate hourly services: between Brighton and Southampton Central; and between London Victoria and Southampton. The Southampton to London Victoria trains introduced at electrification created many direct routes, from Southampton, Swanwick, Fareham and Cosham to the West Sussex coast and particularly to Gatwick Airport.

In 2024, Southern proposed significant service pattern changes, by diverting all the services from Southampton Central to London Victoria to Portsmouth Harbour, as well as doubling Southampton Central to Brighton services, with an additional stop at Woolston. The lightly-used Littlehampton to Portsmouth & Southsea and Bognor Regis services will be replaced by a new Brighton to Chichester (via Littlehampton) service. The new changes are planned for June 2024. [6]

Historic service patterns

Beyond the line and its main links to London, before late 2007 trains ran from Reading or Basingstoke to Portsmouth or Brighton; Basingstoke to Portsmouth being current. The Department for Transport withdrew the obligation of South West Trains to run Brighton services being somewhat orbital around London which left free train paths which were filled by extra Southern trains mainly bound to or from London.

Prior to the 1980s electrification of the "(south) Hampshire lines", including the part of this line west of Farlington, they were operated as a separate entity terminating at Portsmouth few trains traversed the Cosham to Farlington triangle which lies north of Portsmouth and Langstone Harbours, except a daily Brighton-to-Exeter through (direct) train. [7] After dieselisation using 3H units in 1958, the general service pattern every hour was one semi-fast from Portsmouth to Southampton and Salisbury (some extended to Bristol), one stopping to Southampton Central and one train to Botley and Eastleigh (some extended to Reading and, until 1966, Romsey via Chandler's Ford).

History

The lines now operated under the banner "West Coastway" have a complex history and were built in stages by five different companies between 1840 and 1889.

The line from Brighton to Shoreham was a branch of the London and Brighton Railway which opened 12 May 1840, before the completion of the main line. The extensions of this line to Worthing (opened 24 November 1845), to Arundel & Littlehampton (opened 16 March 1846) and to Chichester (opened 8 June 1846) were built by the Brighton and Chichester Railway. In July 1846 these two companies merged with others to form the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR), which continued the line to Havant (opened 15 March 1847) and Portsmouth (opened 14 June 1847). Part of this section became jointly owned with the London and South Western Railway (LSWR), following the opening of the LSWR line from Fareham to Portcreek Junction on 1 October 1848 (connecting to the Eastleigh–Fareham line).

The Southampton and Netley Railway built a line to connect with the Victoria Military Hospital at Netley, which opened 5 March 1866 and was operated by the LSWR. The final connecting link from Netley to Fareham was opened by the LSWR on 2 September 1889.

In the meanwhile the LBSCR opened the Littlehampton branch from Ford Junction on 17 August 1863 and the Bognor Regis branch from Barnham Junction on 1 June 1864.

Accidents and incidents

Developments, major engineering features and minor station closures

Note: To the east of the Holland Road bridge lay the site of a first Hove station, 1840 to 1880, the site was later used as a commercial coal yard [11]

With the junction at St Denys the West Coastway Line joins the route of the South West Main Line

In July 2022, Transport for the South East proposed that an underground line should be built to connect Southampton Central and Netley stations, thus shortening the travel time between Southampton and Portsmouth to under 35 minutes. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portsmouth Direct line</span> Railway line from London to Portsmouth, England

The Portsmouth Direct line is a railway route between Woking in Surrey and Portsmouth Harbour in Hampshire, England. It forms the principal route for passenger trains between London, Guildford and Portsmouth; connections are made to the ferry services which operate between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. The final section of line from Havant to Portsmouth is shared with other passenger routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arun Valley line</span> Railway line in the UK

The Arun Valley line, also known as the Mid Sussex line, is part of the Southern- and Thameslink-operated railway services. For the initial part of the route trains follow the Brighton Main Line, and at a junction south of Three Bridges the route turns westwards. It then runs via Crawley, Horsham and Arundel, before meeting the West Coastway line at Arundel Junction. Trains on the Arun Valley line then proceed to either Bognor Regis, Portsmouth & Southsea or Southampton Central.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sutton and Mole Valley lines</span>

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.

<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">Goring-by-Sea railway station</span> Railway station in West Sussex, England

Goring-by-Sea railway station is in Goring by Sea in the county of West Sussex. It is 13 miles 7 chains (21.1 km) down the line from Brighton. The station is operated by Southern. It serves the Worthing suburb of Goring and the neighbouring village of Ferring. It is also located between two education facilities, thus providing a method of transport for students of St. Oscar Romero Catholic School and Northbrook College's West Durrington campus, also known as University Centre Worthing.

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

Cosham railway station serves Cosham, a northern suburb of the city of Portsmouth, Hampshire in southern England. It is 90 miles 6 chains from London Waterloo.

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

Littlehampton railway station is in Littlehampton in the county of West Sussex, England. The station and the trains serving it are operated by Southern.

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

Bognor Regis railway station is in the town of Bognor Regis, in the English county of West Sussex. It opened as the terminus of a short branch line in 1864, replacing a more distant station on the Worthing to Chichester main line. Like the town it served, it was known as Bognor until 1929. The junction on the main line is Barnham station, opened on the same day as the branch itself.

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

Barnham railway station is in Barnham, West Sussex, England around 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Bognor Regis.

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

Chichester railway station is a railway station in the city of Chichester in West Sussex, England. It is 28 miles 51 chains from Brighton.

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

Ford railway station is a railway station in Ford, West Sussex, England. It is located on the West Coastway Line which runs between Brighton and Southampton and it is 60 miles 48 chains (97.5 km) down the line from London Bridge via Redhill. The station and the trains serving it are operated by Southern.

The Midhurst Railways were three branch lines which were built to serve the market town of Midhurst in the English county of West Sussex. The three lines were the Petersfield Railway, from Petersfield; the Mid-Sussex Railway extended by the Mid-Sussex and Midhurst Junction Railway, from Hardham Junction (Pulborough); and from Chichester. The Petersfield Railway opened in 1864, the promoting company having been absorbed by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1863. The Mid-Sussex lines reached Midhurst in 1866, after being absorbed by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) in 1862. The two lines did not connect, and there were two separate stations close by one another. The Chichester line took much longer to complete, and was opened in 1881, and a new LBSCR station was opened, replacing the first station. In 1925 the former LSWR line was connected to that station.

The Southampton–Fareham line is a railway line in England, along the south coast of Hampshire. As a through line it came late in British Railway history, traversing unpromising coastal terrain. The first part from Portswood, near Southampton, to Netley was opened in 1866, prompted by the establishment of the Royal Victoria Hospital at Netley, which had been established for the care of wounded soldiers.

The Gosport and Cosham lines were a collection of railway lines in southern Hampshire. Most of the lines are now closed but some elements are still in use, forming part of the West Coastway line. The lines originally linked to the main London to Southampton line via the Eastleigh–Fareham line and subsequently with a line from Southampton via Bursledon, both of which are still in use.

The Bognor Regis branch line is a short branch railway line in West Sussex. It is a branch of the West Coastway Line, a main line railway running from Brighton to Portsmouth and Southampton. The branch forms a trailing connection with the main line immediately West of the platforms at Barnham railway station and then proceeds in a broadly southwards direction for 3.5 miles to Bognor Regis, where all trains terminate. All trains using the branch to or from Bognor Regis stop at Barnham. The branch is operated with a shuttle train service from Barnham but this is supplemented with through trains to and from Littlehampton and London Victoria. The terminus of the line is Bognor Regis railway station. All trains on the line are operated by Southern. There is only one station on the branch, the terminus at Bognor Regis.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portsmouth and Ryde Joint Railway</span>

The Portsmouth and Ryde Joint Railway was a group of three railway lines in Southern England that were jointly owned and operated by the London and South Western Railway and the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. The main line was between Cosham and Portsmouth Harbour; there was a branch from Fratton to East Southsea; and a line between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde St John's Road. The last-named section was isolated from the others, being on the Isle of Wight. The first section of line opened in 1847 and the last in 1885; the Southsea branch closed in 1914 but all of the other routes have since been electrified and remain open.

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.

The Portsmouth to Brighton Railway was built by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and its immediate predecessor in several stages.

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. Colin J. Marsden (1985). Route Recognition 1: Southern Region. Ian Allan. p. 83. ISBN   0-7110-1553-8.
  2. Graham Collett, ed. (1988). Surrey and Sussex by Rail. Jarrold. Chapters 5, 6, 8 & 9. ISBN   0-7117-0331-0.
  3. Southern Main Lines – Crawley to Littlehampton. Middleton Press. 1986. Photo 105 caption.
  4. Edwin Course (1974). The Railways of Southern England: The Main Lines. Batsford. ISBN   0-7134-0490-6.
  5. H. P. White (1982). A Regional History of the Railways of Southern England. Vol. 2 - Southern England (4th ed.). David and Charles. ISBN   0-7153-8365-5.
  6. "Southern West Coastway changes". 4 March 2024.
    • Edwin Course (1974). The Railways of Southern England: Secondary and Branch Lines. Batsford. ISBN   0-7134-2835-X.
  7. "The Why and Wherefore: Accident at Farlington, 1894". Railway Magazine. 123 (919): 571. November 1977.
  8. Glover, John (2001). Southern Electric. Hersham: Ian Allan. p. 137. ISBN   0-7110-2807-9.
  9. Vic Mitchell; Keith Smith (1983). Brighton to Worthing. Middleton Press. plates 19 through 22. ISBN   978-0-906520-03-1.
  10. Vic Mitchell; Keith Smith (1983). Brighton to Worthing. Middleton Press. plate 20 and line map. ISBN   978-0-906520-03-1.
  11. Vic Mitchell; Keith Smith (1983). Brighton to Worthing. Middleton Press. Plate 89. ISBN   978-0-906520-03-1.
  12. "Southampton underground line proposed by transport planners". BBC News . 4 July 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2024.