West of England Main Line

West of England Main Line
0.00 London Waterloo South Western Main Line Reading to Basingstoke Line 47.76 Basingstoke Basingstoke & Alton Light Rly 50.26 Worting Junction and Battledown Flyover South Western Main Line to Southampton Oakley 55.56 Overton 59.08 Whitchurch Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway Hurstbourne Fullerton to Hurstbourne Line to Southampton via Longparish Sprat and Winkle Line to Southampton via Andover Town 66.24 Andover Red Post Junction Midland & South Western Jn Railway to Cheltenham 72.61 Grateley Amesbury and Military Camp Light Railway to Bulford Camp Idmiston Halt Porton Wessex Main Line to Southampton Salisbury Tunnel 83.48 Salisbury Wessex Main Line to Westbury Wilton South Barford St Martin Viaduct Dinton Fovant Military Railway 96.18 Tisbury Tisbury West Semley 105.23 Gillingham Gillingham Viaduct Buckhorn Weston Tunnel Somerset & Dorset Joint Rly to Bath │ to Bournemouth 111.99 Templecombe Milborne Port Sherborne 118.05 Sherborne Heart of Wessex Line to Castle Cary Yeovil Pen Mill Heart of Wessex Line to Weymouth Yeovil Town Yeovil to Taunton Line 122.60 Yeovil Junction Sutton Bingham 131.41 Crewkerne Crewkerne Tunnel Hewish Chard Junction 139.44 Chard Junction Chard Branch Line Broom Axminster 144.51 Axminster Lyme Regis branch line Seaton Branch Line Seaton Junction Honiton Tunnel 154.70 Honiton Roundball Halt River Otter viaduct Sidmouth Railway 159.30 Feniton Feniton 163.03 Whimple Cannaford 166.15 Cranbrook Broad Clyst Pinhoe 168.55 Pinhoe Whipton Bridge Halt Avocet Line to Exmouth Exmouth Junction Mount Pleasant Road Halt Blackboy Tunnel 170.90 St James Park 171.38 Exeter Central St David's Tunnel Exeter to Plymouth line to Plymouth 172.15 Exeter St Davids Red Cow Crossing Cowley Bridge Junction Bristol to Exeter line to Taunton Tarka Line to Barnstaple

The West of England Main Line is a British railway line from Basingstoke, Hampshire to Exeter St Davids in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter. Despite its historic title, it is not today's principal route from London to the West of England: Exeter and everywhere further west is reached more quickly by Great Western Railway services from London Paddington. At Salisbury, the line intersects with the Wessex Main Line.

History

When all sections had been incorporated into the London and South Western Railway, they consisted of the following:

• Basingstoke to Salisbury
  • Basingstoke to Andover, opened 3 July 1854
  • Andover to Salisbury, opened 1 May 1857
• Branches:
  • Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway opened June 1901, closed 30 May 1936
  • From Hurstbourne and Andover to Romsey and on to Eastleigh and Southampton: both closed. Link via Longparish opened 1 June 1885; closed 6 July 1931.
  • At Andover, junction with the Midland and South Western Junction Railway to Cheltenham
  • Bulford Camp branch
  • Salisbury to Romsey, with a branch to Bournemouth
  • At Salisbury, the Great Western Railway (GWR) line from Westbury and Bristol had its own terminus: the L&SWR continued the route southeast towards Southampton. This route today is the Wessex Main Line.
• Between Salisbury and Exeter:
  • Salisbury — Yeovil opened 2 May 1859
  • Yeovil — Exeter opened 19 July 1860
• Branches:
  • To Yeovil Town joint station with the GWR
  • To Chard joint station with the GWR
  • To Lyme Regis from Axminster
  • To Seaton from Seaton Junction (closed)
  • To Sidmouth from Sidmouth Junction (also alternative route to Exmouth)
  • To Exmouth from Exmouth Junction near Exeter

The line was downgraded by being singled for long sections west of Salisbury by British Rail. This restricts the number of trains on this section, but passing loops have been added to alleviate this problem.

Beyond Exeter, the line continued to Plymouth via Okehampton and Tavistock as the Exeter to Plymouth railway of the LSWR. This line is now partly closed, with the surviving sections downgraded to branch lines. The section from Exeter to Coleford Junction, near Yeoford, is still in existence as part of the Tarka Line (which continues to Barnstaple). The Dartmoor Railway still exists as a heritage line and industrial line from Coleford Junction to Okehampton, where the track breaks. Tavistock lacks a rail connection, and the final section of the original main line, from Bere Alston, continues to Plymouth as part of the Tamar Valley Line.

Route

Trains between London Waterloo and Exeter run on the South Western Main Line as far as Basingstoke. The West of England Line diverges from this line at Worting Junction, a short distance west of Basingstoke.

Network Rail splits the line into two sections: the first section from the line's start at Worting Junction (near Basingstoke) to Wilton Junction (near Salisbury) is classified as "London & SE commuter"; the section from Wilton Junction to Exeter is a "Secondary" route. The secondary route west of Salisbury is predominantly single track, but has three sections of double track and also passing loops.^[1] The double-track sections and passing loops are Exeter to Pinhoe, a loop at Honiton station, 3 miles of double track centred on Axminster, a loop at the former Chard Junction station, Yeovil Junction to Templecombe, a loop at Gillingham station, and a final loop just outside Tisbury station.

The line's speed limit is mainly 80–90 mph over its whole length from Basingstoke to Exeter.^[2] Speed is further limited around the junctions. The first section to Wilton Junction has a listed line speed of 50–90 mph, and the secondary section to Exeter has a line speed of mainly 85 mph with parts at 70 mph.^[1]

Current operations

A Class 159 arrives at Axminster with an Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo service

Passenger services are currently operated by South West Trains using Class 159 and Class 158 trains. They generally run half-hourly from London to Salisbury and hourly to Exeter, calling at Clapham Junction and/or Woking and then most stations between Basingstoke and Exeter St Davids although some smaller stations east of Salisbury and near Exeter have a reduced service.^[3][4]

The Network Rail South West Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy (March 2006) recommended building an extended section of double track from Chard Junction to Axminster, plus a passing loop at Whimple. However, Network Rail's Route Plan,^[5] is silent on the Whimple loop. The Axminster Loop is centred on Axminster station, and does not extend to Chard Junction as originally proposed. The line between Basingstoke, Salisbury and Exeter is not electrified.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to West of England Main Line.

• Exeter to Plymouth railway of the LSWR
• Southern Railway routes west of Salisbury

References

• Network Rail Business Plan 2006: Route 3 - South West Main Line (PDF)
• Network Rail Business Plan 2006: Route 4 - Wessex Routes (PDF)
• Network Rail Business Plan 2006: Route 12 - Reading to Penzance (PDF)
• Ordnance Survey

Bibliography

• R.V.J.Butt, (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens. ISBN 9781852605087. 
• J.H. Lucking (1968). Railways of Dorset: an outline of their establishment, development and progress from 1825. Lichfield: Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. OCLC 31916. 

Further reading

• Johnston, Howard (22 April – 5 May 1998). "Unlocking the potential to Exeter". RAIL. No. 329. EMAP Apex Publications. pp. 20–24. ISSN 0953-4563. OCLC 49953699. 

Railway lines in the South East
Primary	International High Speed 1 (Ashford • Ebbsfleet) National Great Western Main Line (Slough • Maidenhead • Reading • Didcot Parkway) West Coast Main Line (Watford Junction • Milton Keynes Central)
Secondary	Berks/Bucks/Oxon to London Aylesbury Line Chiltern Main Line Waterloo to Reading Line (and in Surrey) Windsor & Eton Riverside Line (and in Surrey) Crossrail (under construction) (and past London to Essex) Kent to London Bexleyheath Line Chatham Main Line Dartford Loop Line Kent Coast Line Maidstone Line Medway Valley Line North Kent Line Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) Line Sheerness Line South Eastern Main Line Tonbridge Line (and in Surrey) Surrey/Sussex/Hants to London Ascot to Guildford Line Alton Line Arun Valley Line Brighton Main Line Caterham Line Fareham Line Hampton Court Branch Line Hastings Line (and in Kent) Chertsey Branch Line Epsom Downs Branch New Guildford Line Oxted Line (and in Kent) Portsmouth Direct Line Shepperton Branch Line South Western Main Line Sutton and Mole Valley Lines Tattenham Corner Line Thameslink (and past London to Beds/Herts) West of England Main Line Others Cherwell Valley Line Cotswold Line Eastleigh to Romsey Line East Coastway Line (inc Marshlink Line) Henley Branch Line Island Line Lymington Branch Line Marlow Branch Line Marston Vale Line North Downs Line Oxford to Bicester Line Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line Reading to Taunton Line West Coastway Line Wessex Main Line Slough to Windsor & Eton Line Reading to Basingstoke Line Seaford Branch Line
Heritage	Bluebell Railway Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway Cholsey & Wallingford Railway East Kent Railway Isle of Wight Steam Railway Kent and East Sussex Railway Lavender Line Spa Valley Railway Watercress Line
Non-passenger/ Defunct	Hundred of Hoo Railway Oxfordshire Ironstone Railway

Railway lines in the South West
Primary	Cross Country Route Exeter Bristol Cheltenham Great Western Main Line Exeter Bristol Keynsham Bath Spa Chippenham Swindon (fast services calling points only)
Secondary	To London South Western Main Line (from Weymouth) Reading to Taunton Line (from Taunton) West of England Main Line (from Exeter) Others Atlantic Coast Line Avocet Line Bristol to Taunton Line Cornish Main Line Cotswold Line Gloucester to Newport Line Golden Valley Line Heart of Wessex Line Henbury Loop Looe Valley Line Lostwithiel to Fowey Maritime Line Portishead Branch Riviera Line Severn Beach Line St Ives Bay Line Tamar Valley Line Tarka Line Wessex Main Line
Heritage	Avon Valley Railway Bristol Harbour Railway Bodmin and Wenford Railway East Somerset Railway Dartmoor Railway Dartmouth Steam Railway Dean Forest Railway Helston Railway Plym Valley Railway South Devon Railway Swanage Railway Swindon & Cricklade Railway West Somerset Railway