Chatham Main Line

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Chatham Main Line
Principal stations

London Victoria

Brixton
Herne Hill
West Dulwich
Sydenham Hill
Penge East
Kent House
Beckenham Junction

Shortlands
Bromley South
Bickley

  • St Mary Cray Junction

St Mary Cray
Swanley

Farningham Road

Longfield
Meopham
Sole Street

Rochester
Chatham

Gillingham
Rainham
Newington

Sittingbourne
Teynham
Faversham

Trains divide for the Ramsgate branch or Dover Branch
Dover Branch

Selling
Canterbury East
Bekesbourne
Adisham
Aylesham
Snowdown

Shepherds Well
Kearsney
Dover Priory


Ramsgate Branch

Whitstable
Chestfield & Swalecliffe
Herne Bay
Birchington-on-Sea
Westgate-on-Sea
Margate
Broadstairs
Dumpton Park
Ramsgate

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.

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 consists 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 Ashford via Maidstone East Line.

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 electrifed the urban (within London) workings of the SECR in the 1920s. Outer suburban electrfication reached Gillingham in the 1930s. Post war, under the BR's 1955 Modernisation plan, electrification was completed under "Kent Coast Electrifcation" stage 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.


Railway lines in South-East England:
Main lines:   Arun Valley Line   Ashford via Maidstone East Line   Ashford-Ramsgate via Canterbury Line   Brighton Main Line   Chatham Main Line   East Coastway   Hastings Line   Channel Tunnel Rail Link   Kent Coast Line   London–Ashford–Dover Line   North Downs Line   Portsmouth Direct Line   South Western Main Line   Thameslink   West Coastway   West of England Main Line
Commuter lines:   Alton Line   Ascot-Guildford Line   Bexleyheath Line   Caterham Line   Catford Loop   Chessington Branch   Dartford Loop   Eastleigh-Fareham Line   Eastleigh-Romsey Line   Greenwich Line   Hayes Line   Hounslow Loop   Mid-Kent Line   New Guildford Line   North Kent Line   Oxted Line   Sheerness Line   Slough-Windsor & Eton Line   South London Line   Staines-Windsor & Eton Line   Staines to Weybridge Line   Sutton Mole Valley Line   Tattenham Corner Line   Waterloo-Reading Line   West London Line
Rural lines:   Brockenhurst-Lymington Line   Henley Branch Line   Island Line   Marlow Branch Line   Marshlink Line   Medway Valley Line   Redhill-Tonbridge Line