West Coastway Line

The West Coastway Line runs from Brighton to Southampton and is the western counterpart of the East Coastway Line. It connects the Brighton Main Line to the South Western Main Line. In addition to the main line there are branch lines after Littlehampton, Bognor Regis and Portsmouth, where trains usually not to the latter of London ago via Brighton Mainline - run West Coastway Line, but on the Portsmouth Direct Line or the South Western Main Line Eastleigh to Fareham Line, as they are operated by another railway company (South West Trains ). The West Coastway Line is mainly operated by the Southern, the infrastructure and the real estate is owned by the British authority Network Rail infrastructure.

History

The construction of the line lasted 49 years and was carried out of a total of five railway companies, although it seemed that a company was the successor of the other.

Brighton - Shoreham

The section Brighton - Shoreham- by-Sea was opened on 12 May 1840, the branch line of the London and Brighton Railway, before the main line, the Brighton Main Line.

Brighton - Worthing - Littlehampton / Chichester - Portsmouth Harbour

The Brighton and Chichester Railway then extended this route: On November 24, 1845, the extension was opened after Worthing, on 18 March 1846, the branch line to Littlehampton and on June 9, 1848 reached the track Chichester. In July 1846, the London and Brighton Railway and were the Brighton and Chichester Railway merged with several other railway companies operating in the region to London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB & SCR). Under their tutelage 1847 Havant was reached on March 15, before a short time, was put into operation later on 14 June 1847 the extension to Portsmouth Harbour.

However, the section short time later went on to Portsmouth on the London and South Western Railway ( LSWR ), which in turn the Portsmouth Connection ' also realized of Fareham, in order to connect them to the Eastleigh to Fareham Line.

The LB & SCR opened the branch line to Bognor Regis on June 1, 1864. Approximately one year earlier, on August 17, 1863, she made ​​the connection from Ford to the branch line to Little Hampton finished, so the place can also be reached from the west.

Southampton - Netley - Fareham

The Southampton and Netley Railway opened on 5 March 1866, the connection Netley Hospital - Southampton. The operation of this route was incumbent since entering the LSWR.

1887, the branch line was built after Littlehampton on double track.

The gap closure Fareham - Netley realized the LSWR on September 2, 1889.

Between the First and Second World War, the route was electrified with a lateral busbar and 750 volts AC.

Operation

In addition to the operator Southern on the First Great Western and South West Trains trains run at least partly on the West Coast Line.

Mostly by the following relations:

  • Brighton - Hove - Shoreham- by-Sea - Worthing - Littlehampton
  • London Victoria - Gatwick Airport - Hove - Shoreham- by-Sea - Worthing - Littlehampton
  • Brighton - Eastleigh - Southampton Central
  • Brighton - Portsmouth & Southsea - Portsmouth Harbour
  • Southampton Central - Portsmouth Harbour
  • Portsmouth Harbour - Fareham - Eastleigh - London Waterloo (via SWML )
Brighton railway station Eastbourne railway station Hastings Gatwick Airport railway station London Bridge station Southwick Shoreham-by-Sea Lancing, West Sussex Arun (disambiguation) Midhurst Northam Bournemouth Southern (train operating company)
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