Medway Valley Line
Encyclopedia
The Medway Valley Line is the name given to the railway line linking and the Medway Towns with and onward to , and London St Pancras International
(peak only). The section from Maidstone West to Tonbridge passes through some of Kent's most picturesque countryside along the narrower sections of the River Medway.
(SER). The first stage opened on 25 September 1844 and was a branch off the SER's first main line that crossed Kent between the coast ports of Dover and Folkestone and the LBSCR's
main line
at Redhill. The junction was at Paddock Wood and followed the Medway Valley up to the county town of Maidstone that had been by passed by the new main line. Twelve years later, on 18 June 1856 the line was extended up the Medway Valley to the North Kent Line
at Strood (which had opened in 1847). The SER merged with local rival London, Chatham and Dover Railway
(LCDR) on 1 January 1899 to form the South Eastern and Chatham Railway
(SECR). Post World War One, the railways were "grouped" and the SECR became part of Southern Railway
.
For a brief period in the 1990s some services were extended to via
and . This involved reversing trains and switching tracks at Strood.
It was designated by the Department for Transport
as a community rail
service on 28 September 2007.
, , , , , , , , , , and
systems were upgraded, replacing the traditional semaphore signals
with colour light signals.
(at 750 V DC third rail
) by the Southern Railway
, opening on 2 July 1939. The rest of the line from Paddock Wood to Maidstone West was electrified under Stage 2 of Kent Coast electrification by BR
's 1955 Modernisation Plan, opening to traffic on 18 June 1962.
Services are operated by Southeastern
.
Trains typically run a half-hourly service between Strood and Maidstone, and typically hourly through to Paddock Wood. There is no longer an early morning service to London Bridge
. Since the December 2009 timetable change, trains continue to rather than terminate at .
A trial service commenced on 23 May 2011 and comes as a result of changes on the North Kent line to improve punctuality of existing services.
Vince Lucas, service delivery director said, “We’re pleased to be able to introduce this new service from Maidstone West to London. The new service will provide the people of Maidstone with an alternative way of getting into London each morning. It will also help improve the reliability and punctuality of services along the North Kent Line
and the Sidcup line
into London by reducing the number of trains running through the Rochester area, as experience has shown this is vulnerable to congestion and delays.”
The new service will consist of three departures from Maidstone West in the morning at 06.56, 07.26 and 07.56. The return journeys will depart St Pancras International at 17.14, 17.44 and 18.14. The new services will call at Strood, Gravesend, Stratford International and St Pancras International with journey times of approximately 50 minutes.
There will also be one service in the morning departing St Pancras International at 06.25 to Maidstone West. In the evening there is one service departing at 19.13 from Maidstone West to St Pancras International. Passengers will continue to be able to travel twice an hour from Maidstone West to St Pancras International in 59 minutes changing at Strood.
To introduce this new service, existing services to and from Rochester and Faversham will be diverted. To ensure that Rochester receives the same number of trains, the current Broadstairs services* will call additionally at Rochester. These services will be increased to 12 carriages to accommodate the additional passengers. More information can be found here
together. Also, one of the three allocations is booked as a 465. This includes 465/0/1/2s only though.
A further change was made on 31st October 2011, This saw the removal of one of the two pairs of 466s, which was replaced by a Class 375/3 Electrostar
. Also, since the 375s introduction 465/9s have also been used, meaning all 465 sub-classes are cleared for the entire route. At weekends paired 466s operate but 465s do occasionally appear.
From 23 May, Class 395s
became regular peak only visitors to the Medway Valley Line, operating a new trial high speed service between Maidstone West and St. Pancras International via Strood.
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
(peak only). The section from Maidstone West to Tonbridge passes through some of Kent's most picturesque countryside along the narrower sections of the River Medway.
History
The line was built in two stages by the South Eastern RailwaySouth Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
(SER). The first stage opened on 25 September 1844 and was a branch off the SER's first main line that crossed Kent between the coast ports of Dover and Folkestone and the LBSCR's
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...
main line
Brighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a British railway line from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. It is about 50 miles long, and is electrified throughout. Trains are operated by Southern, First Capital Connect, and Gatwick Express, now part of Southern.-Original proposals:There were no fewer...
at Redhill. The junction was at Paddock Wood and followed the Medway Valley up to the county town of Maidstone that had been by passed by the new main line. Twelve years later, on 18 June 1856 the line was extended up the Medway Valley to the North Kent Line
North Kent Line
The North Kent Line is a railway line which connects central and south east London with Dartford and Medway.-Construction:The North Kent Line was the means by which the South Eastern Railway were able to connect its system to London at London Bridge...
at Strood (which had opened in 1847). The SER merged with local rival London, Chatham and Dover Railway
London, Chatham and Dover Railway
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1859 until the 1923 grouping which united it with other companies to form the Southern Railway. Its lines ran through London and northern and eastern Kent to form a significant part of the Greater London...
(LCDR) on 1 January 1899 to form the South Eastern and Chatham Railway
South Eastern and Chatham Railway
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee , known by its shorter name of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eastern Railway and London, Chatham and Dover Railway , that operated services between...
(SECR). Post World War One, the railways were "grouped" and the SECR became part of Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
.
For a brief period in the 1990s some services were extended to via
and . This involved reversing trains and switching tracks at Strood.
It was designated by the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
as a community rail
Community rail
In the United Kingdom, a community rail line is a local railway which is specially supported by local organisations. This support is usually through a Community Rail Partnerships – comprising both the railway operator, local councils and other community organisations – or sometimes by...
service on 28 September 2007.
Stations
The line serves the following stations: , , HallingHalling railway station
Halling railway station is a railway station in the United Kingdom. It is located on the Medway Valley Line in the local government area of Medway, and it lies a little to the north of the village of Halling.Train services are provided by Southeastern....
, , , , , , , , , , and
Signalling
During 2005, the signallingRailway signalling
Railway signalling is a system used to control railway traffic safely, essentially to prevent trains from colliding. Being guided by fixed rails, trains are uniquely susceptible to collision; furthermore, trains cannot stop quickly, and frequently operate at speeds that do not enable them to stop...
systems were upgraded, replacing the traditional semaphore signals
Railway semaphore signal
One of the earliest forms of fixed railway signal is the semaphore. These signals display their different indications to train drivers by changing the angle of inclination of a pivoted 'arm'. Semaphore signals were patented in the early 1840s by Joseph James Stevens, and soon became the most...
with colour light signals.
Electrification
The line from Strood to Maidstone West was electrifiedRailway electrification in Great Britain
Railway electrification in Great Britain started towards of the 19th century. A great range of voltages have been used in the intervening period using both overhead lines and third rails, however the most common standard for mainline services is now 25 kV AC using overhead lines and the...
(at 750 V DC third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
) by the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
, opening on 2 July 1939. The rest of the line from Paddock Wood to Maidstone West was electrified under Stage 2 of Kent Coast electrification by BR
Southern Region of British Railways
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...
's 1955 Modernisation Plan, opening to traffic on 18 June 1962.
Train services
Southeastern (train operating company)
London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee for the new Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise...
.
Trains typically run a half-hourly service between Strood and Maidstone, and typically hourly through to Paddock Wood. There is no longer an early morning service to London Bridge
London Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
. Since the December 2009 timetable change, trains continue to rather than terminate at .
Future services
On 18 March 2011, Southeastern announced the start of a new high speed service from Maidstone to St Pancras International via Strood on a trial basis.A trial service commenced on 23 May 2011 and comes as a result of changes on the North Kent line to improve punctuality of existing services.
Vince Lucas, service delivery director said, “We’re pleased to be able to introduce this new service from Maidstone West to London. The new service will provide the people of Maidstone with an alternative way of getting into London each morning. It will also help improve the reliability and punctuality of services along the North Kent Line
North Kent Line
The North Kent Line is a railway line which connects central and south east London with Dartford and Medway.-Construction:The North Kent Line was the means by which the South Eastern Railway were able to connect its system to London at London Bridge...
and the Sidcup line
Dartford Loop Line
The Dartford Loop Line is one of three lines linking London with Dartford in Kent, England. It lies to the south of the other two: the North Kent Line and the Bexleyheath Line.-Construction:...
into London by reducing the number of trains running through the Rochester area, as experience has shown this is vulnerable to congestion and delays.”
The new service will consist of three departures from Maidstone West in the morning at 06.56, 07.26 and 07.56. The return journeys will depart St Pancras International at 17.14, 17.44 and 18.14. The new services will call at Strood, Gravesend, Stratford International and St Pancras International with journey times of approximately 50 minutes.
There will also be one service in the morning departing St Pancras International at 06.25 to Maidstone West. In the evening there is one service departing at 19.13 from Maidstone West to St Pancras International. Passengers will continue to be able to travel twice an hour from Maidstone West to St Pancras International in 59 minutes changing at Strood.
To introduce this new service, existing services to and from Rochester and Faversham will be diverted. To ensure that Rochester receives the same number of trains, the current Broadstairs services* will call additionally at Rochester. These services will be increased to 12 carriages to accommodate the additional passengers. More information can be found here
Traction and rolling stock
From Monday 3 October, services on this route were strengthened to four carriages until May 2012. This was done by joining two Class 466sBritish Rail Class 466
The Class 466 750 V DC third rail electric multiple unit is a suburban EMU, which operates with Class 465 EMUs in southeast London and Kent on the Southeastern network...
together. Also, one of the three allocations is booked as a 465. This includes 465/0/1/2s only though.
A further change was made on 31st October 2011, This saw the removal of one of the two pairs of 466s, which was replaced by a Class 375/3 Electrostar
British Rail Class 375
The British Rail Class 375 Electrostar electric multiple unit train was built by Bombardier Transportation at their Derby Works, from 1999 to 2005...
. Also, since the 375s introduction 465/9s have also been used, meaning all 465 sub-classes are cleared for the entire route. At weekends paired 466s operate but 465s do occasionally appear.
From 23 May, Class 395s
British Rail Class 395
British Rail Class 395 is a dual-voltage electric multiple unit used by train operating company Southeastern for its services along High Speed 1 and onwards to the Kent coast. The trains were built in Japan by Hitachi and shipped to the United Kingdom to operate new high speed domestic services...
became regular peak only visitors to the Medway Valley Line, operating a new trial high speed service between Maidstone West and St. Pancras International via Strood.
| Class | Image | Type | Cars per set | Top speed | Number | Operator | Notes | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||||
| Class 395 Javelin British Rail Class 395 British Rail Class 395 is a dual-voltage electric multiple unit used by train operating company Southeastern for its services along High Speed 1 and onwards to the Kent coast. The trains were built in Japan by Hitachi and shipped to the United Kingdom to operate new high speed domestic services... |
 |
EMU Electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages... |
6 | 140 (HS1) 100 (Mainline) | 225 (HS1) 160 (Mainline) | 29 | Southeastern Southeastern (train operating company) London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee for the new Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise... |
Peak time high speed services between Maidstone West and St.Pancras International | 2007–2009 |
| Class 375 British Rail Class 375 The British Rail Class 375 Electrostar electric multiple unit train was built by Bombardier Transportation at their Derby Works, from 1999 to 2005... |
 |
EMU Electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages... |
4/3 | 100 | 160 | 140 | Southeastern Southeastern (train operating company) London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee for the new Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise... |
One 375/3 used on The Medway Valley Line on Weekdays | 1999–2005 |
| Class 465 Networker British Rail Class 465 The British Rail Class 465 Networker electric multiple units were built by GEC Alsthom and BREL between 1991 and 1993, and by ABB Rail between 1993 and 1994. They were brought into service from 1991 onwards. They are mostly used on suburban routes serving the South East of England, now operated by... |
EMU Electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages... |
4 | 75 | 121 | 147 | Southeastern Southeastern (train operating company) London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee for the new Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise... |
At least one 465 used for services on weekdays | 1991–1994 | |
| Class 466 Networker British Rail Class 466 The Class 466 750 V DC third rail electric multiple unit is a suburban EMU, which operates with Class 465 EMUs in southeast London and Kent on the Southeastern network... |
EMU Electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages... |
2 | 75 | 121 | 43 | Southeastern Southeastern (train operating company) London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee for the new Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise... |
One pair of 466s used on weekdays, at weekends all services are operated by paired 466s. | 1993–1994 | |
External links
- http://www.kentrail.org.uk/medway_valley_line.htm - Map of the Medway Valley Line (Strood to Paddock Wood)
- http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/ - Ordnance SurveyOrdnance SurveyOrdnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
website.