Maidstone East Line

Maidstone East Line (Swanley to Ashford)

Legend Swanley   Chatham Main Line    A20 18m 60ch   M25    Eynsford Tunnel 19m 36ch   Lullingstone (never opened) Eynsford Viaduct   River Darent 20m 32ch   Eynsford 22m 52ch   Shoreham 24m 06ch   Otford 24m 53ch   M26 Bat & Ball spur    Bat & Ball    SEML (To London)        Sevenoaks     SEMLTo Tunbridge Wells     26m 79ch   Kemsing 29m 52ch   Borough Green & Wrotham 34m 61ch   West Malling 35m 64ch   East Malling 37m 43ch   Barming    Medway Valley Line    River Medway 39m 76ch   Maidstone East    Wheeler Street Tunnel (358 yds) 42m 59ch   Bearsted    M20 High Speed 1    45m 02ch   Hollingbourne 47m 36ch   Harrietsham 49m 11ch   Lenham 53m 11ch   Charing    M20 55m 61ch   Hothfield closed ? LCDR Ashford    High Speed 1   SEML 59m 19ch   Ashford International High Speed 1   Ashford to Ramsgate    (via Canterbury West) line Marshlink Line   SEML

Swanley to Ashford (via Maidstone East) Line, shown with other railway lines in Kent.

The Maidstone East Line diverges from the Chatham Main Line at Swanley Junction (after Swanley), proceeds down the Darenth valley (via a Tunnel to Eynsford) where the line diverges off the Sevenoaks line (via Bat and Ball) at Otford. It continues via Borough Green & Wrotham to Maidstone East, which leads onto Ashford and on to east Kent. The line is double track throughout.

The line from Swanley to Maidstone East was electrified using the third rail system in 1939. The section between Maidstone East and Ashford was electrified in 1961.

Services

Services on the Line are run by Southeastern. Services run to primarily London Victoria, with some peak services to Bedford via London Blackfriars. Hourly fast off-peak services run to Cannon Street, with a few terminating at Charing Cross instead. During the daytime off-peak, the slowest trains from London Victoria terminate at Maidstone East, in the bay platform (Platform 3). All other services continue at least as far as Ashford International, with some (mainly in the mornings) running beyond Ashford to Canterbury West, Margate or Ramsgate on the Ashford to Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) line.

Due to its place between the two main lines through Kent, comparatively the line had infrequent services and longer journey times.

The map has been produced using data from Trackmaps^[1].

History

The line was built by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway from their first line (the Chatham Main Line). Upon the creation of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway the original Ashford terminus was closed in 1899 and services diverted to the South Eastern Railway's Ashford station. The line was electrified in 1939(750v DC third rail) to Maidstone East by the Southern Railway prior to World War Two. Electrification between Maidstone East and Ashford was completed in 1961 under the BR 1955 Modernisation Plan.

References

v • d • e Railway lines in the South East Primary High Speed 1 · Great Western Main Line · West Coast Main Line Secondary Bexleyheath Line · Brighton Main Line · Caterham Line · Chatham Main Line · Dartford Loop Line · London to Aylesbury Line · North Kent Line · Oxted Line · Shepperton Branch Line · South Eastern Main Line · South Western Main Line · Sutton & Mole Valley Lines · Tattenham Corner Line · Thameslink · Waterloo to Reading Line Local Alton Line · Arun Valley Line · Ascot to Guildford line · Ashford to Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) line · Cherwell Valley Line · Cotswold Line · East Coastway Line · Eastleigh to Fareham line · Eastleigh to Romsey Line · Hampton Court Branch Line · Hastings Line · Henley Branch Line · Island Line, Isle of Wight · Kent Coast Line · Lymington Branch Line · Maidstone East Line · Marlow Branch Line · Marshlink Line · Marston Vale Line · Medway Valley Line · New Guildford Line · North Downs Line · Oxford to Bicester Line · Portsmouth Direct Line · Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line · Reading to Plymouth Line · Redhill to Tonbridge Line · Sheerness Line · Slough to Windsor & Eton Line · Staines to Weybridge Line · Staines to Windsor Line · Wessex Main Line · West Coastway Line · West of England Main Line