South Western Main Line

The South Western Main Line is the British railway line from London Waterloo to Weymouth on the Dorset coast.

Many sections of the line are relatively high-speed, with large stretches cleared for 100mph running.

History

See London & South Western Railway

The first section to be opened was from Nine Elms, the LSWR's first London terminus in the suburban parish of Battersea, to Woking (then named Woking Common) on 21 May 1838.

The remainder of the main line followed over the next two years:

• Woking to Winchfield (Shapley Heath): 24 September 1838
• Winchester to Southampton: 10 June 1839
• Winchfield to Basingstoke: 10 June 1839
• Basingstoke to Winchester: 11 May 1840. This last section was the most difficult on the route with an initial climb to Litchfield Tunnel and a ten-mile down-grade to Winchester.

Major settlements on route

The main towns served by the route, starting from London, are:

• London Waterloo
• Clapham Junction
• Woking
  • Connections with Portsmouth Direct Line to Guildford, Haslemere, Petersfield and Portsmouth
• Brookwood
  • Connections with Alton Line to Aldershot, Farnham and Alton
• Farnborough
• Fleet
• Basingstoke
  • Connections with West of England Main Line to Salisbury and Exeter
• Micheldever
• Winchester
• Eastleigh
  • Connections for lines to Fareham and Romsey
• Southampton Airport (Parkway)
• Southampton
  • Connections with West Coastway Line to Portsmouth, Chichester and Brighton
  • Connections with Wessex Main Line to Salisbury, Westbury, Bath and Bristol
• Beaulieu
• Brockenhurst
  • Connections with branch line to Lymington for ferry to the Isle of Wight
• Christchurch
• Bournemouth
• Poole
• Wareham
• Wool
• Dorchester
• Upwey
  • Connections with Heart of Wessex Line
• Weymouth

Electrification

The South Western Main Line at Poole

A train on the South Western Main Line at Holes Bay

The suburban portion of the line, as far as the junction for Alton, was electrified (750v DC third rail) by the London & South Western Railway and its successor, the Southern Railway, prior to World War II.

The main portion of the line to Southampton and Bournemouth was electrified in 1967. Electrification was extended to Weymouth in 1988 and saw the introduction of the new Class 442 'Wessex Electric' trains.

Services

The majority of passenger services are currently operated by South West Trains, with an hourly service departing Weymouth on the hour and Waterloo at 35 minutes past the hour; additional trains operate from Wareham to Winchester, stopping at all stations. Virgin Trains services between the Midlands and Bournemouth join the South Western Main Line at Basingstoke.

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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