The South West Main Line[1] (SWML) is a 143-mile (230 km) major railway line between Waterloo station in central London and Weymouth on the south coast of England. A predominantly passenger line, it serves many commuter areas including south western suburbs of London and the conurbations based on Southampton and Bournemouth. It runs through the counties of Surrey, Hampshire and Dorset. It forms the core of the network built by the London and South Western Railway, today mostly operated by South Western Railway.
Operating speeds on much of the line are relatively high, with large stretches cleared for up to 100 mph (160 km/h) running. The line has four tracks for most of the length between Waterloo and Worting Junction near Basingstoke, from which point most of the line is double track. A couple of miles from the Waterloo terminus, the line runs briefly alongside the Brighton Main Line west branch out of London Victoria, including through Clapham Junction – the busiest station in Europe by railway traffic.[citation needed]
The first written proposal for a railway line linking London and Southampton was published on 23 October 1830 by a group chaired by the Southampton MP Abel Rous Dottin.[2][3] The following February, Francis Giles was commissioned to survey the route and a formal scheme, which also included the construction of new docks on the Solent, was presented at a public meeting on 6 April 1831.[4] Giles, who was familiar with the west Surrey and north Hampshire area, having worked as an engineer for the Basingstoke Canal, examined potential routes via Guildford and Farnham.[2] However, his favoured alignment, via Basingstoke, was chosen to facilitate a future western branch to Bath and Bristol.[4] His detailed survey was published on 5 December 1833[5] and the construction of the line from London to Southampton was approved in the London and South Western Railway Act 1834 on 25 July the following year.[6][7][a]
Under the terms of the 1834 act, the London and Southampton Railway company was authorised to issue shares to the value of £1 million (equivalent to £120 million in 2023) and to borrow a further £330,000.[9] Around half of the money was raised from businessmen from Lancashire, with much of the remainder provided by landowners from south Hampshire. Giles had estimated that his route would take three years to build at a cost of £800,000–£900,000.[8] A formal ceremony to mark the start of construction took place at Shapley Heath, near Winchfield, on 6 October 1834, and the contracts for the earthworks and bridges had been let by the end of that month.[10] Giles's strategy was to use numerous small-scale, local contractors, with work taking place simultaneously on multiple sites along the route.[10] By February 1836, just under 10 mi (16 km) had been finished,[11] with a further 12 mi (19 km) completed by the end of August 1936.[12] Shareholder dissatisfaction with progress led to Giles's resignation on 13 January 1837 and his replacement by Joseph Locke.[9][13]
Locke assessed the progress of the construction works and estimated that around £1.7 million (£200 million in 2023) would be required to complete the line.[14] He dismissed many of the smaller contractors, awarding much of the remaining work to Thomas Brassey. He also instituted a more rigorous supervision system by his assistant engineers.[15][16] On 30 June 1837, the London and South Western Railway Deviations Act 1837 was passed, enabling the company to raise further capital and authorising deviations to the route.[17][b] On 21 May 1838, the first section of the South West Main Line, between Nine Elms and Woking Common, opened with intermediate stations at Wandsworth (later replaced by Clapham Junction), Wimbledon, Kingston (now Surbiton), Ditton Marsh (now Esher), Walton and Weybridge.[18][19] The extension westwards to Shapley Heath (now Winchfield), with a station at Farnborough, opened on 24 September 1838.[20][21]
On 14 June 1839, the London and Southampton Railway adopted the new name of the London and South Western Railway (LSWR).[22] Four days earlier, the first trains had run from Winchester to a temporary terminus north of Southampton at Northern Road (now Northam).[23] The extension from Shapley Heath to Basingstoke also opened on 10 June 1839,[24] and the section between Basingstoke and Winchester, which required three tunnels, was finished in May the following year.[25] The opening ceremony for the completed line from Nine Elms to Southampton took place on 11 May 1840, with a directors' train leaving London at 8 am and arriving at the permanent terminus, designed by William Tite, around three hours later.[21][26]
The LSWR did not intend Nine Elms to be its permanent northern terminus,[27] and in 1844 an extension of 1+3⁄4 mi (2.8 km) to a new station at Waterloo Bridge was authorised.[28] Three years later, the company acquired the Richmond and West End Railway, which had been authorised to build its own tracks alongside the London–Southampton line between Clapham Junction and Waterloo.[29] Construction of the line north of Nine Elms, known initially as the "Metropolitan extension", began on 11 July 1848.[30] The four-track line was carried on a viaduct of 290 arches,[29] which followed a sinuous path to avoid encroaching on Vauxhall Gardens, the local gas works, and Lambeth Palace.[31][32] The new terminus, designed by Tite and with four platforms, was initially known by a variety of names including York Road, Waterloo Bridge and Waterloo.[31] On the day that Waterloo was opened, the Nine Elms terminus closed to passengers and was replaced by Vauxhall station.[32][33]
Southampton–Brockenhurst and Hamworthy–Weymouth (1844–1857)
In February 1844, a group of Dorset businessmen, led by Charles Castleman, a solicitor from Wimbourne, proposed a railway line linking Southampton to Dorchester.[25] Surveyed by William Moorsom, the Southampton and Dorchester Railway (S&DR) was to take an indirect route to serve as many towns as possible, and its sinuous nature gave rise to the nickname "Castleman's Corkscrew".[34][35] In particular the line would run via Ringwood, bypassing Bournemouth, which was a small village at the time. Poole, with a population of only 6,000, would be served by a branch from a station at Hamworthy.[36] Castleman hoped to persuade the LSWR to operate the route, but the company refused, fearing that it would not be able to build any further lines west of Salisbury if it accepted.[37][38] Instead, the Great Western Railway (GWR) agreed to run services using broad-gauge trains.[39] Concerned at this development, the LSWR proposed a rival scheme, the Salisbury & Dorsetshire Railway, which would have paralleled much of Castleman's line.[37] Both proposals were considered by the Board of Trade, which favoured the S&DR, but which also indicated that the route should be standard gauge.[39] The LSWR agreed to lease Castleman's line for an annual sum of £20,000 (equivalent to £2.5 million in 2023).[40]
The Southampton and Dorchester Railway (S&DR) on opening in June 1847: Bournemouth and Weymouth were not connected to the railway at this point and Poole was served by a branch line.
The Southampton and Dorchester Railway Act 1845 was granted royal assent on 21 July 1845 and, the following month, Samuel Morton Peto was contracted to build the line.[39][40] Materials were shipped by sea to Poole[39] and the first part to be completed was the section between Ringwood and Dorchester. Wet weather during the winter of 1846–1847 delayed the completion of the eastern half of the line.[41] Difficulties encountered during the construction of Southampton Tunnel meant that the first public trains between Blechynden (close to the site of the present Southampton Central station) and Dorchester ran on 1 June 1847.[41] The link to the LSWR opened on 29 July that year, allowing through running of trains between London and Dorset, albeit with a reversal at the Southampton terminus station.[35] The initial timetable was five trains per day in each direction between Nine Elms and Dorchester, with the fastest services taking 5+3⁄4 hours.[42] The LSWR was authorised to acquire the S&DR in the London and South Western and Southampton and Dorchester Railways Amalgamation Act, passed on 22 July 1848.[43][44]
The S&DR Dorchester station on opening in 1847
The Southampton and Dorchester Railway Act 1845 gave the LSWR running rights over the southern section of the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway. The line, which was taken over by the GWR in 1850, was laid with dual-gauge track between Dorchester and Weymouth to allow both companies' trains to operate.[45][46] The first trains ran over the new line on 20 January 1857, although trains to and from Weymouth could not call at the LSWR's Dorchester station without reversal.[43][47]
The section of the South West Main Line between Christchurch and Bournemouth was built as part of the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway. The company had opened the first part of its line, between Ringwood and Christchurch, on 13 November 1862, but passenger numbers were low.[48][49] The proposal to continue the line to the growing seaside resort of Bournemouth was authorised by the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway Act 1863. Work on the 3 mi 52 ch (5.9 km) extension began in late 1865, and the single line opened 14 March 1870.[48][50]
Railway lines in the west Hampshire and east Dorset area in 1874
Until December 1872, Poole was served by a station on the western side of the Harbour Bridge. Through carriages to London had been introduced by the LSWR in May 1860, and the branch line had been doubled in 1863-1864.[48] The second station to serve Poole opened on 2 December 1872 and was served at first only by Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway trains. It was constructed as part of the Poole and Bournemouth Railway, initially an independent company, but taken over by the LSWR in July 1871.[51][52] The extension to Bournemouth West, including an intermediate station at Parkstone, opened on 15 June 1874.[53]
By 1881, the population of Bournemouth had reached 17,000. The town was served by two stations, neither of which was in the town centre.[54] The LSWR proposed a new station, adjacent to the town hall, on a new railway between the two existing facilities. Local opposition to the proposed link resulted in its route being moved northwards, and plans for the central station were abandoned. Instead, a new Bournemouth East station, designed by William Jacomb with a 350 ft × 100 ft (107 m × 30 m) roof, was constructed. It opened on 20 July 1885 and the new link line was commissioned on 28 September 1886.[54][55] Pokesdown station, between Christchurch and Bournemouth East, opened on 1 July 1886.[56]
Railway lines in the Bournemouth and Poole area in 1888 after the opening of the link line between Bournemouth East and West stations, and the cut-off line from Brockenhurst to Christchurch
The South Western (Bournemouth & c.) Act 1883, passed on 20 August 1883, authorised the construction of a cut-off line between Brockenhurst and Christchurch, which would reduce the distance between the two by around 7+3⁄4 mi (12.5 km) compared to the existing route via Ringwood.[57][58] The works included a new Christchurch station and the doubling of the single line between Christchurch and Bournemouth East, both completed on 30 May 1886.[57] Progress on the 10 mi 38 ch (16.9 km) cut-off line was hindered by poor weather in spring 1887, which flooded cuttings and damaged embankments. The direct Brockenhurst–Christchurch line opened about a year later than planned, on 5 March 1888, with intermediate stations at Sway, New Milton and Hinton.[58][59] The initial timetable was nine services per day from London to Bournemouth East, with eight in the opposite direction. The fastest trains took around three hours to cover the 108 mi (174 km) between the capital and Bournemouth.[60] Portion working was instituted, allowing trains to split at Brockenhurst, with the front sections running as express services to Weymouth and the rear sections operating as local stopping trains to Bournemouth.[55]
The Bourne Valley Viaducts east of Branksome station: The near structure was built in 1888 and formerly carried the line to the now closed Bournemouth West station; the far viaduct carries the South West Main Line and opened in 1893.[61]
The Holes Bay Curve, authorised by the South Western Railway Act 1890, was constructed by Lucas and Aird and opened on 1 June 1893. The new link allowed London-Weymouth trains to bypass Ringwood, taking the shorter route via Bournemouth and Poole.[62] Opening on the same day was the avoiding line at Branksome, which allowed trains to bypass Bournemouth West, eliminating the need for reversal.[61]
Late 19th century
The first line to branch from the London–Southampton route was the Eastleigh–Gosport line, opened on 29 November 1841.[63][c] The line was intended to serve Portsmouth, which could be reached via a floating bridge from Gosport.[65] The station at Eastleigh, originally known as "Bishopstoke", was designed by William Tite, and had opened on 10 June 1839 with the section of line between Basingstoke and Northern Road.[66] A further junction at the station was added with the completion of the Eastleigh–Salisbury line, which opened to freight on 27 January 1847 and to passenger trains on 1 March of the same year.[67]
West of Southampton, the Lymington Railway Company opened the first part of its line from Brockenhurst to Lymington Town to paying passengers on 12 July 1858,[81][82] and services on a second branch serving Romsey, the so-called Sprat and Winkle Line between Redbridge and Andover, began on 6 March 1865.[83] The branch from Wareham to Swanage opened on 20 May 1885.[82][84]
Infrastructure
Track
Between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction, the line has eight tracks. It runs over the Nine Elms to Waterloo Viaduct for much of its length. It crosses beneath the Chatham Main Line where the Brighton Main Line runs alongside it on the southern side. At Clapham Junction, some of these tracks leave on the Waterloo to Reading Line and the remaining tracks are reduced to four. The Brighton Line, which also has four tracks, separates from it shortly afterwards.
The four tracks initially have a pair of "slow" tracks to the east with the two "fast" tracks on the western side. This arrangement continues to north of Wimbledon where a flyover transfers the northbound slow line across the fast lines, leaving the inner tracks being used for the fast services and the stopping services using the outer tracks. This arrangement continues to Worting Junction, just after Basingstoke. Many stations on this section had island platforms which have since been removed - this is evident with wide gaps between station platforms at stations such as Winchfield. The island platforms survive at New Malden, Esher and Walton-on-Thames, although mothballed and out of use.
The line continues as double-track to Winchester but expands to three tracks through Shawford station with one up platform and fast and slow down platforms. There are four tracks from Shawford to Eastleigh. The line from Romsey via Chandler's Ford trails in just north of Eastleigh which is also the junction for the Fareham line. The line returns to double track until St Denys where the West Coastway Line trails in. At Northam the original route to Southampton Terminus carries on south towards Eastern Docks and the main route curves west to enter a tunnel through to Southampton Central station.
The line remains double-tracked most of the way to Weymouth, but there is a single-track section between Moreton and Dorchester South which constrains capacity.[85]
The bulk of the line (from Pirbright Junction to Bournemouth/Bournemouth depot) was electrified in 1967. Rolling stock constructed or modified and rebuilt under the original 1967 project consisted of:
The 4-Rep tractor units 3001-3011 motor coaches were newly built, as were the complete 4-Vep units 7701-7720, but the 4-Rep trailer coaches and all cars in the 4-TC and 3-TC sets 401-428 and 301-303 were conversions from locomotive-hauled stock; the four spare trailer coaches were two RU, one BFK and one DTSO. It was planned originally that a 3-car single ended push pull trailer set formed DTC+BFK+RU would work with a Class 74 to cover 4-Rep heavy maintenance, but this formation never operated but was replaced by the 8-Vab unit 8001. The three cars remained as spares. The other RU was deployed on special trains with TC units when needed.
Class 74 were heavy rebuilds of Class 71 electric locomotives; Class 33/1 were a push-pull modification of 33/0. The Class 12 shunters were air brake fitted and intended as depot shunters and station pilots. The de-icing units were formed of three pairs of 2-Hal and 4-Lav EMU motor coaches coupled back to back and adapted for electro-pneumatic brakes. In later days, there were several changes to allocations and formations.
From then until 1988, trains on the Bournemouth to Weymouth section operated a push-pull system. One or two 4-TC units would be propelled from London to Bournemouth by a 4-REP unit, controlled from the leading cab of the former. At Bournemouth, one or both of the 4-TCs would continue over the unelectrified line to Weymouth hauled by a Class 33/1 diesel locomotive. Trains from Weymouth would follow the same procedure in reverse.
Electrification was extended to Weymouth in 1988 and saw the introduction of then new Class 442 Wessex Electric trains; these were withdrawn by February 2007. Class 444 and Class 450 trains are now used.
Services
The majority of passenger services are currently operated by South Western Railway. CrossCountry operates the Bournemouth – Manchester services travelling on the line between Bournemouth and Basingstoke.
In particular, the London Waterloo – Weymouth services run on the whole length of South West Main Line, and other intercity services which run on a significant portion of the line include
London Waterloo – Portsmouth Harbour (via Eastleigh) services branching off at Eastleigh as an indirect service
London Waterloo – Salisbury and Exeter St Davids services branching off at Basingstoke
London Waterloo – Portsmouth services branching off at Woking
In July 2011, Network Rail in its London & South East Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) recommended adding a fifth track to the four-track stretch of line between Clapham Junction and Surbiton. This was found to be feasible within the existing land (rail corridor), and was seen as the most practicable way of providing more capacity on the route. It would permit up to eight additional trains to run in the peak hour, for a maximum of 32 trains in this stretch. The scheme would also entail more flexible track use, modifying one Windsor Line track to permit use by mainline trains. Options rejected in the RUS as not viable included double-deck trains, building a flyover at Woking, and introducing 12- or 16-car trains.[86]
2 Apr 1842: Wallers Ash Tunnel, between Micheldever and Winchester, collapsed. Four maintenance workers, who had been attempting to shore up the tunnel roof, were killed.[88][89]
11 September 1880: A locomotive waiting to access Nine Elms depot was struck by a passenger train south of Vauxhall station due to a signaller's error. Seven people were killed.[90][91][92]
25 May 1933: A derailed passenger train at Raynes Park was struck by a passing train on the adjacent track. Five people were killed.[93][94]
26 November 1947: A passenger train ran into the back of a second train that had stopped at a red signal at Cove near Farnborough. Two people were killed.[95][96]
12 December 1988, Clapham Junction rail crash: A passenger train ran into the rear of a second train south of Clapham Junction, after faulty wiring caused a signal to display an incorrect proceed aspect. A third train collided with the wreckage. The accident occurred shortly after 8am on a weekday morning and 35 people were killed.[97][98][99]
Listed buildings and structures
Stations
There are seven Grade II-listed stations on the South West Main Line:
^Five deviations from the planned route of the London–Southampton line were authorised by the London and South Western Railway Deviations Act 1837: the longest, of 8 mi (13 km) at Popham, reduced the amount of tunnelling required. The deviation between Walton-on-Thames and Byfleet allowed the line to pass to the north of St George's Hill and to reduce the depth of the cutting at Weybridge. Three minor route changes, at Brookwood, Northam and Southampton, were also authorised.[17]
^Although the Eastleigh–Gosport line had opened on 29 November 1841, it closed three days later as a result of a partial collapse of the Fareham No 2 Tunnel. The line reopened on 7 February 1842.[63][64]
^ abThe date given is the date used by Historic England as significant for the initial building or that of an important part in the structure's description.
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Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1988b). Bournemouth to Weymouth. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN978-0-90-652057-4.
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