Chiltern Main Line

The Chiltern Main Line is a two-track, non-electrified main railway line in England. She is, along with the West Coast Main Line one of the two rail links between London and Birmingham. It is located in the property of Network Rail.

• 2.1 Chiltern Main Line
• 2.2 New North Main Line

• 4.1 High Speed ​​2
• 4.2 Chiltern Main Line
• 4.3 Other Projects

History

Chiltern Main Line

1852 opened the Great Western Railway railway line from London to their Oxford and Leamington Spa to Birmingham. London was then approached to Paddington Station. In 1854 it was extended to Wolverhampton. However, the trains had a long itinerary, she was compared to the faster London and North Western Railway (now the West Coast Main Line) thus not competitive. This route included several parts of today Chiltern Main Line, the route Birmingham Aynho Junction and section Princes Risborough High Wycombe. In between she led on the Cherwell Valley Line and the Wycombe Railway Station to Maidenhaid, then einzumünden in the Great Western Main Line to Paddington.

To keep up with the LNWR, the GWR had a on a partnership with the Great Central Railway, which in turn a main line from London to Leeds and Manchester, the later and now disused Great Central Main Line, planned and this also opened in 1899. These built the GWR until 1906, a new route from High Wycombe to South Ruislip, where the joint project should start at one, ' Northolt Junction '' called branching. We have realized two routes:

• A direct fast track for New North Main Line called, which via the railway station Greenford to Old Oak Common to einzumünden there in the GWML to Paddington. In Greenford a track triangle is also provided to connect a branch line of the GWML.
• The used today mainly by the Chiltern Railways route via Wembley after Neasden, then einzumünden to London Marylebone Neasden Junction at the node in the GCML. The building permit was issued in 1898, in 1906 it was opened to traffic.

In addition, the section between High Wycombe and Princes Risborough was expanded to double track - north of Saunderton extend the distances on horizontal and vertical planes briefly disconnected because the old line - which is now used for trains to London - for the coal trains of the Great Central Railway to were difficult. So the lane towards Birmingham crosses the eponymous Chiltern Hills in a tunnel, while that towards London runs along the valley floor. 1906 a small branch line along with the head station Uxbridge High Street was built, which was established in 1964 again decommissioned and dismantled. After the opening, both parties benefited: The GWR could now accelerate their fast trains from Paddington to Birmingham and the GCR could separate long-distance and freight traffic in the direction of the East Midlands Regional traffic to Aylesbury. Opened in 1910, the GWR a faster direct line of Aynho Junction to Haddenham, the old route was sold to the GCR, which now took over the sole on this. By this route the GWR could save the detour via Oxford, which gave her a faster way of around 32 kilometers.

With the nationalization of Britain's railways in 1948 the Chiltern Main Line came into possession of the Western Region of British Railways, which continue to operate the high-speed trains between London and Wolverhampton, as the West Coast Main Line in the possession of the London Midland Region 's ( LMR ) arrived and the competition situation thus persisted.

After the closure of the Great Central Main Line between Calvert and rugby trains from North and Central England Southern England were also performed on the Chiltern Main Line.

On March 6, 1967 after the electrification of the West Coast Main Line, has been the removal of the fast trains London Wolverhampton of the Chiltern Main Line, this. Beeching Axe as part of the Numerous stations were also closed, so the Birmingham Snow Hill station in 1972, the Snow Hill tunnel was shut down in 1968. The remaining regional trains from Leamington Spa and Stratford- upon- Avon to Birmingham ended from now on in Moor Street Station, the remaining Direktüge from Paddington to Birmingham were led to New Street. They stopped at six intermediate stations, but were out again on the old route via Oxford and Reading. The operation was performed every two hours, as well as that of the suburban trains from Marylebone to Banbury.

In 1980, the closure of the southern part of the route between South Ruislip and Marylebone and the remaining remnant of the Great Central Main Line from Aylesbury after Marylebone has been requested. All trains should be done about the New North Main Line to Paddington. During the Marylebone railway station would be completely abolished, the Aylesbury station would still retain via the branch line to Princes Rinsborough the rail connection. The closure plans have been put on hold in 1986.

Between 1988 and 1992 the British Rail had rehabilitate the track, but was demoted to a suburban route with only a conditional degree of infrastructure. The four-track section between West Ruislip and diversion Northolt Junction was stripped down to two tracks, also of High Wycombe train station lost most of its sidings after he was the only one who had survived this measure in the Beeching ax.

1987 Haddenham & Thame Parkway new station was opened in the same year the Snow Hill station in Birmingham was reactivated. From the south, ending in Moor Street Regional trains were extended through the Snow Hill tunnel.

In the 1990s, the once double track between Old Oak Common and the former Station Park Royal and between Greenford and South Ruislip was stripped down to a track. These were the last works so far at the track, an intended replacement of the old signaling system by remote control from the train stations Slough and Marylebone income was due to the excessive costs declined at little.

In 1991 the M40 motorway was opened between Birmingham and Oxford parallel to the track, which the along -lying towns and villages gave a boost, from which also the Chiltern Main Line could benefit. That same year, new trains of type 165 were purchased, which occurred mainly in the London environs used. In 1993 the trains from Marylebone to Banbury were extended to Birmingham in 1994 the two-hour clock was extended to a hour. 1995 Snow Hill was back to a transit station, as the also closed during the Beeching - time direct line was reopened to Worcester and again drove off the trains from that direction instead of Snow Hill New Street.

After privatization in 1996 received the M40 consortium awarded the contract for the operation of the Chiltern Railways, which also committed itself to modernization measures. This is also the first station opened in 1987, Haddenham & Thame Parkway was created from scratch and expanded the section between Princes Risborough and Bicester North on double track. 1998 saw the delivery of the new British class 1968 diesel trains, which (160 kilometers per hour), the journey time between London and Birmingham reduced with a top speed of 100 miles an hour again.

2000 Warwick Parkway station was opened, which was close to the motorway and trunk roads. They also enabled the towns south of Birmingham, which do not have direct rail access, a connection to the grid.

2002 received Chiltern Railways, since 2008 owned by Deutsche Bahn, the contract to operate until 2022 and she let Network Rail section expand Bicester North - Aynho Junction twofold. They also took over the operation of the stations between Leamington Spa and Birmingham, after they also won the contract for the operation of trains to Stratford -upon- Avon.

Meanwhile, most of the route and the Chewell Valley Line were upgraded signally. The section between Snow Hill and Wolverhampton is used by the city train network Midland Metro.

2006 received two new tracks, which were built instead of a laid to North London parking area and also the new station to the Wembley stadium went into operation in the Marylebone railway station. The station has been designed to transport a maximum of 20 trains per hour. In contrast to the old station he is right on the train line and is no longer connected to a turning loop.

New North Main Line

The NNML was opened in 1903 as a joint project of the LNWR and GCR. Today, its official name is, however, Acton Northolt Line.

In the 1930s, according to the London Board of Transportation was provided that the Central Line of the London Underground between West Acton and West Ruislip station to lead a double track subway line parallel to NNML double track. Due to the Second World War, the Central Line extension could not be opened until 1947/1948. At the same time all the intermediate stations of the NNML were down to the station Greenford, as he held a Umsteigefunktion to a branch line of the GWML and Ruislip Gardens shut down at the CML, but only Northolt, Perivale, North Acton and Ruislip Gardens were reactivated by the Underground. The stops and Park Royal Park Royal West were abandoned in favor of the Piccadilly Line Station Park Royal. In contrast to the Metropolitan line between Harrow-on- the-Hill and Amersham or the Watford DC Line between Queens Park and Harrow & Wealdstone traveled railroad and subway are not the same track.

The importance of the route adopted for the first time from the merger of the British railway companies for British Rail, as these with the West Coast Main Line, East Coast Main Line, the Great Central Main Line, the Midland Main Line and the New North Main Line / Chiltern Mainline possessed equal to about five connections from London to central and northern England, but the first two are the most important turning.

In the 1960s, the New North Main Line had its heyday, as due to the electrification of the WCML and the related operating restrictions are numerous trains from London to Northern England and Scotland over the NNML and then continue on the Chiltern Main Line or the Great Central Mainline led. Following the electrification of the WCML express the compounds were reduced to the WCML and the ECML under the so-called Beeching Axe. During the Great Central Main Line had to be shut down at all, the NNML was indeed continue to operate, however, all stations were closed, as well as regional trains operated from 1963 by new Marylebone. The Greenford station retained its platforms on the subway and on the GWML branch distance to West Ealing, but the NNML - station platforms were closed. The platform of the branch line is a head platform and he has no track connection to NNML.

Operation

Chiltern Main Line

On the entire length of the Chiltern Railways offers direct trains between Marylebone and Snow Hill, led by diesel trains of the type British Class 150, Class 165 British and British Class 168 at. Incidentally, it also operates suburban trains in the metropolitan areas of London and Birmingham. Furthermore, provision of railway company London Midland passenger trains between Birmingham Snow Hill and Dorridge, some of which are extended even to Leamington Spa. The Arriva Cross Country daughter uses the distance between Leamington Spa and diversion Aynho Junction for their around London leading trains between North and Central England and Scotland and southern England. It leads also direct trains between Birmingham and Bournemouth. The original route via Oxford is traversed by First Great Western with the relation of Paddington to Banbury. Until the cessation of February 28, 2011, the railway company Wrexham & Shropshire led individual pairs of trains from Marylebone to Wrexham, who had the Chiltern Main Line shared to Leamington Spa. Due to lower speed limits (96 kilometers per hour between Princes Risborough and Bicester ) no high-speed trains or sprinter be used.

New North Main Line

Timetable default, the NNML is traveled only on weekdays by a single Chiltern Railways train pair between Gerrards Cross and Paddington. However, the greatest significance it has for freight services, since it provides a way to bypass London from west to east. Also it is used to transfer empty rail cars, an alternative route for possible closures of the stations Paddington and Marylebone and for training rides and test drives of new trains.

Trivia

• The Chiltern Main Line as in the Birmingham Snow Hill New Street Station instead of the departing train lines are referred to in common parlance as Snow Hill Lines.
• The southern access tracks to Birmingham New Street station run just below the Moor Street Station through, but there is no rail link
• As the Snow Hill tunnel is overloaded and it can not be extended because of the danger of collapse or for the construction of necessary demolition work, some coming from London trains already use in Moor Street, which will also get head platforms in its expansion phase.

Future

High Speed ​​2

The for speeds up to 400 km / h foreseen, planned high -speed rail High Speed ​​2 would initially led by the railhead Euston in a tunnel, which it is west leave Paddington, where the train station Old Oak Common from 2025 is provided for GWML and Crossrail a transfer hubs. She then takes you along the NNML and parts of the Chiltern Main Line to the north, before being hit own Trassee. In Birmingham, the planned high -speed railway station Curzon Street near the Moor Street station is scheduled, a connection structure between Curzon Street, Moor Street and New Street is also provided.

Chiltern Main Line

The rest of the route is to be extended for 200 million pounds under the name Evergreen 3 double track, so that a new train route between Marylebone and Oxford can be introduced. Also, the speed limit of the CML of 160 km / h will be introduced newly to a further 80 kilometers and the branches of Aynho, Northolt Neasden and should also be made ​​passable for higher speeds. The driving time from Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street would be reduced from the current 117 to 92 minutes. Another bus stop is provided at Bicester at a highway intersection. According to Chiltern Railways this is one of the largest rail projects, for which the taxpayer does not have to reach into his pocket.

The track is fully unelektrifiziert, however, is long-term planning, and the line voltage to setzen.In Next time, however, no investment in this direction are planned as the project enjoys higher priority to Oxford.

Other projects

The Chiltern Main Line runs to the east of the station West Hampstead North London Line, the Jubilee Line and Thameslink, but has no platforms. Plans call for a reconstruction of the station complex to a change junctions with the existing lines, but also new platforms at the Chiltern Main Line and the reactivation that of the Metropolitan Line.

The 1992 -built back on track four double track section between South Ruislip and West Ruislip to be expanded again. In addition, parts of the two stations to be rebuilt.