Sheerness Line

Sheerness Line

Principal stations Sittingbourne (for Chatham Main Line) Kemsley Swale Queenborough Former branches to; Queenborough Pier Sheerness Dockyard Sheppey Light Railway Sheerness-on-Sea

The Sheerness Line connects Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent with Sittingbourne on the mainland, and with the Chatham Main Line for trains to London and elsewhere in Kent. It opened on 19 July 1860.

The line was electrified by BR as part of "Kent Coast electrification" in the 1955 modernisation plan.

The connection to Sittingbourne faces away from London, and most trains on the line run as shuttles between the station and Sheerness - there are, however, a few through trains which run directly between Newington station and Kemsley.

Swale station is earmarked for closure. It currently receives an off-peak service of a train every thirty minutes in either direction, but this is due to be reduced to either one train a week or the station to be closed altogether.

Train services on the line are operated by Southeastern. The trains that run on the line are Class 466 EMUs which replaced the old Class 508's introduced as a stop gap to replace Mk1 Slam Door EMUs.

There was a branch line from Queenborough to Leysdown, opened in 1901 and closed 1950 - see the Sheppey Light Railway.

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