The
Portsmouth Direct Line is a railway service operated by
South West TrainsSouth West Trains is the trading name of a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom, providing train services to the south-west of London, chiefly in Greater London and the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight, the area...
which runs between
London WaterlooWaterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a major railway terminus in London, England owned and operated by Network Rail. It is near the South Bank in the London Borough of Lambeth, and in Travelcard Zone 1...
and
Portsmouth HarbourPortsmouth Harbour railway station is a railway station in Portsmouth, England. It is situated beside Gunwharf Quays in the city's harbour, and is an important transport terminal, with a bus interchange and ferry services to Gosport and the Isle of Wight. The station currently has four platforms,...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Trains use the same tracks between London and a junction south of
WokingWoking railway station is a railway station in England, serving the town of Woking, Surrey. It is a major stop on the South Western Main Line and is used by many commuters...
as the
South Western Main LineThe South Western Main Line is a railway line from London Waterloo to Weymouth on the Dorset coast, in the south of England. It is a major railway which serves many important commuter areas, as well as the major settlements of Southampton and Bournemouth...
(SWML) and
West of England LineThe West of England Main Line is a British railway line, running from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids. Historically, the main line continued to Okehampton and Plymouth, and competed for the lucrative Atlantic Boat Train traffic.-History:...
, and then branch off.
The earliest railway to reach Portsmouth - in reality
GosportGosport is a town, district and borough in Hampshire with around 79,000 resident inhabitants, with a further 5-10,000 during the summer months, situated on the south coast of England...
on the opposite side of Portsmouth Harbour - was via a
London and South Western RailwayThe London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(LSWR) branch via
FarehamThe market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation....
to
EastleighEastleigh is a railway town in Hampshire, England, and the main town in the Eastleigh borough. The town lies between Southampton and Winchester, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation...
and thence via
WinchesterWinchester is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. It lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of the River Itchen...
to
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.
The first section of the direct route was opened to Guildford as the
Guildford Junction Railway on 5 May 1845; the line was extended to
GodalmingGodalming railway station is a stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line. The station, which opened in 1859 to replace one on a different site of the town, is situated at the edge of the town of Godalming. The current typical off-peak service is two trains per hour in each direction...
on 15 October 1849.
The
Portsmouth Direct Line is a railway service operated by
South West TrainsSouth West Trains is the trading name of a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom, providing train services to the south-west of London, chiefly in Greater London and the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight, the area...
which runs between
London WaterlooWaterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a major railway terminus in London, England owned and operated by Network Rail. It is near the South Bank in the London Borough of Lambeth, and in Travelcard Zone 1...
and
Portsmouth HarbourPortsmouth Harbour railway station is a railway station in Portsmouth, England. It is situated beside Gunwharf Quays in the city's harbour, and is an important transport terminal, with a bus interchange and ferry services to Gosport and the Isle of Wight. The station currently has four platforms,...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Trains use the same tracks between London and a junction south of
WokingWoking railway station is a railway station in England, serving the town of Woking, Surrey. It is a major stop on the South Western Main Line and is used by many commuters...
as the
South Western Main LineThe South Western Main Line is a railway line from London Waterloo to Weymouth on the Dorset coast, in the south of England. It is a major railway which serves many important commuter areas, as well as the major settlements of Southampton and Bournemouth...
(SWML) and
West of England LineThe West of England Main Line is a British railway line, running from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids. Historically, the main line continued to Okehampton and Plymouth, and competed for the lucrative Atlantic Boat Train traffic.-History:...
, and then branch off.
History
The earliest railway to reach Portsmouth - in reality
GosportGosport is a town, district and borough in Hampshire with around 79,000 resident inhabitants, with a further 5-10,000 during the summer months, situated on the south coast of England...
on the opposite side of Portsmouth Harbour - was via a
London and South Western RailwayThe London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(LSWR) branch via
FarehamThe market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation....
to
EastleighEastleigh is a railway town in Hampshire, England, and the main town in the Eastleigh borough. The town lies between Southampton and Winchester, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation...
and thence via
WinchesterWinchester is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. It lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of the River Itchen...
to
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.
The first section of the direct route was opened to Guildford as the
Guildford Junction Railway on 5 May 1845; the line was extended to
GodalmingGodalming railway station is a stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line. The station, which opened in 1859 to replace one on a different site of the town, is situated at the edge of the town of Godalming. The current typical off-peak service is two trains per hour in each direction...
on 15 October 1849. The line was extended to
HavantHavant railway station is a railway station near Portsmouth.It is located on the Portsmouth Direct Line which runs between London and Portsmouth...
in the 1850s as a speculative venture, backed by
PortsmouthPortsmouth is a city located in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is the United Kingdom's only island city and is located on Portsea Island. The City of Portsmouth and Portsmouth Football Club are both nicknamed Pompey...
townspeople frustrated with the circuitous routes via
EastleighEastleigh is a railway town in Hampshire, England, and the main town in the Eastleigh borough. The town lies between Southampton and Winchester, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation...
or
BrightonBrighton is a town in the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex on the south coast of Great Britain...
. The new line was taken over by the L&SWR who opened it on 28 December 1858, having already reached
PortsmouthPortsmouth and Southsea railway station is the main railway station in central Portsmouth in Hampshire, England. It is close to the Commercial Road shopping centre....
via
CoshamCosham railway station serves the former village of Cosham, today a northern suburb of the city of Portsmouth in southern England.Opened in 1847 by the London and South Western Railway , it is located on the West Coastway Line which runs between Brighton and Southampton...
. In order to reach it, however, trains had to use
London, Brighton and South Coast RailwayThe 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...
(LB&SCR) metals from a junction at
HavantHavant railway station is a railway station near Portsmouth.It is located on the Portsmouth Direct Line which runs between London and Portsmouth...
, and the latter objected to the L&SWR trains using the line. Fighting and obstruction took place, and passengers were forced to use a horse bus from
DenvillesDenvilles Halt was a station located between Havant and Rowlands Castle on the Portsmouth Direct Line. It was a temporary platform, erected by the L&SWR , as that company's adoption of the Portsmouth Direct line started a dispute with the LB&SCR....
to complete their journey, but after a legal resolution trains ran freely from 24 January 1859.
The route
Services leave
London WaterlooWaterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a major railway terminus in London, England owned and operated by Network Rail. It is near the South Bank in the London Borough of Lambeth, and in Travelcard Zone 1...
along the
South Western Main LineThe South Western Main Line is a railway line from London Waterloo to Weymouth on the Dorset coast, in the south of England. It is a major railway which serves many important commuter areas, as well as the major settlements of Southampton and Bournemouth...
and fork off at
WokingWoking railway station is a railway station in England, serving the town of Woking, Surrey. It is a major stop on the South Western Main Line and is used by many commuters...
to take the actual Portsmouth Direct Line (see Network Rail route SW 110). It joins the
West CoastwayThe West Coastway Line is a railway line in England, along the south coast of West Sussex and Hampshire, to the west of Brighton., plus the short branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis....
before
Havant stationHavant railway station is a railway station near Portsmouth.It is located on the Portsmouth Direct Line which runs between London and Portsmouth...
and then diverges again at Farlington Junction to reach
Portsmouth HarbourPortsmouth Harbour railway station is a railway station in Portsmouth, England. It is situated beside Gunwharf Quays in the city's harbour, and is an important transport terminal, with a bus interchange and ferry services to Gosport and the Isle of Wight. The station currently has four platforms,...
Before electrification the route was a difficult one, since there are two summits on its 74ΒΌ-mile (120km) run. After using the
River WeyThe River Wey in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex is a tributary of the River Thames with two separate branches which join at Tilford. The source of the north branch is at Alton, Hampshire and of the south branch at Blackdown south of Haslemere. The Wey has a total catchment area of , draining...
valley through Guildford, the line climbs from
GodalmingGodalming railway station is a stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line. The station, which opened in 1859 to replace one on a different site of the town, is situated at the edge of the town of Godalming. The current typical off-peak service is two trains per hour in each direction...
for eight miles (13km) at 1:80/1:82 to a summit near
HaslemereHaslemere railway station is a busy stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line, serving the town of Haslemere, Surrey.The large car park and industrial estate were originally large goods sidings. Platform 3 is an addition to the original structure, built in 1938 when the line was electrified...
; the second climb is three miles (5km) near
Buriton Tunnel south of
PetersfieldPetersfield railway station is a railway station serving the market town of Petersfield, Hampshire, England. It is located on the Portsmouth Direct Line which runs between London and Portsmouth ....
.
The route was
electrifiedRailway electrification in Great Britain describes the past and present electrification systems used to supply traction current to railways and tramways in Great Britain with a chronological record of development, a list of lines using each system, and a history and a technical description of each...
by Southern Railway in May 1937. , leading to major service improvements; passenger numbers more than doubled in the following two years.
Rolling stock
As of 2007-08, services are provided by
Class 450The British Rail Class 450 third rail DC EMU began service during 2003. They are a part of the Siemens Desiro modular train family and are more popularly known as the 'Blue Desiro'...
,
Class 444The British Rail Class 444 "Desiro" electrical multiple units were built by Siemens AG from 2003-04. Forty-five of these units were built for express services for South West Trains. The "Desiro" family also includes Electric units of Classes 350, 360 and 450...
or
class 455The British Rail Class 455 is a type of electric multiple unit drawing power from a 750 V DC third rail. Built by BREL at York works in the early and mid-1980s, they were initially categorised as Class 510 as the successor to the Class 508...
electric multiple units.
Stations
Most of the stations are of similar design, possibly that of Sir
William TiteSir William Tite, CB was an English architect who served as President of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He was particularly associated with various London buildings, with railway stations and cemetery projects....
the L&SWR
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
.
There are closed stations at
FarlingtonFarlington Railway Station is a disused station between Bedhampton and Hilsea on the Portsmouth Direct Line.The station was originally built to serve Portsmouth Park racecourse, opening as Farlington Race course on 26 June 1891. The racecourse was closed during World War One but the station...
,
DenvillesDenvilles Halt was a station located between Havant and Rowlands Castle on the Portsmouth Direct Line. It was a temporary platform, erected by the L&SWR , as that company's adoption of the Portsmouth Direct line started a dispute with the LB&SCR....
and
WoodcroftWoodcroft Halt was a railway halt located in the parish of Buriton between Rowlands Castle and Petersfield on the Portsmouth Direct Line. During World War II, in 1940 the Admiralty requisitioned Ditcham Park, a nearby country house for use as a convalescent home for sailors...
.
{|{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="2" style="margin: 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 85%;"
|align=left|
SW 110
|width=50 align=right|M-
ChA chain is a unit of length; it measures 66 feet or 22 yards or 4 rods or 100 links . There are 10 chains in a furlong, and 80 chains in one statute mile. An acre is the area of 10 square chains...
|width=50 align=right|km
|-
|align=left|Woking Junction
|align=right|0-00
|align=right|0.00
|-
|align=left|
WorplesdonWorplesdon railway station is near to the village of Worplesdon, Surrey, England. The station on the Portsmouth Direct Line between Woking and Guildford, 43 km south west of London Waterloo....
|align=right|2-03
|align=right|3.25
|-
|align=left|
GuildfordGuildford railway station is an important railway junction on the Portsmouth Direct Line serving the town of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is 30.3 miles from London Waterloo....
|align=right|5-45
|align=right|8.95
|-
|align=left|Shalford Junction
|align=right|6-60
|align=right|10.85
|-
|align=left|
FarncombeFarncombe railway station opened in 1897 as a minor stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line between Guildford and Godalming. It is said to have been built at the instigation of General Sir Frederick Marshall, a director of the London and South Western Railway Company, who lived nearby at Broadwater...
|align=right|8-58
|align=right|14.05
|-
|align=left|
GodalmingGodalming railway station is a stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line. The station, which opened in 1859 to replace one on a different site of the town, is situated at the edge of the town of Godalming. The current typical off-peak service is two trains per hour in each direction...
|align=right|9-55
|align=right|15.60
|-
|align=left|
MilfordMilford railway station is a stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line, serving the village of Milford, Surrey in England.- Services :There is an hourly service to Haslemere and Portsmouth Harbour southbound and London Waterloo northbound....
|align=right|11-39
|align=right|18.50
|-
|align=left|
WitleyWitley railway station serves the villages of Wormley, Witley, Hambledon and Chiddingfold, in Surrey, England. It is a stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line 62 km south of London Waterloo...
|align=right|13-54
|align=right|22.00
|-
|align=left|
HaslemereHaslemere railway station is a busy stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line, serving the town of Haslemere, Surrey.The large car park and industrial estate were originally large goods sidings. Platform 3 is an addition to the original structure, built in 1938 when the line was electrified...
|align=right|18-17
|align=right|29.30
|-
|align=left|
LiphookLiphook railway station is a railway station serving the large village of Liphook, Hampshire, England. It is served by the semi-fast service on the Portsmouth Direct Line running between and . One train per hour in each direction calls at Liphook station at off-peak times...
|align=right|22-05
|align=right|35.50
|-
|align=left|
LissLiss railway station is a stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line, serving the village of Liss in Hampshire, England. As a small station, for most of the day there is one train each way an hour...
|align=right|26-53
|align=right|42.90
|-
|align=left|
PetersfieldPetersfield railway station is a railway station serving the market town of Petersfield, Hampshire, England. It is located on the Portsmouth Direct Line which runs between London and Portsmouth ....
|align=right|30-09
|align=right|48.45
|-
|align=left|
Rowlands CastleRowlands Castle railway station is a railway station serving the village of Rowland's Castle, Hampshire, England. It is located on the Portsmouth Direct Line which runs between London and Portsmouth ....
|align=right|38-36
|align=right|61.90
|-
|align=left|
HavantHavant railway station is a railway station near Portsmouth.It is located on the Portsmouth Direct Line which runs between London and Portsmouth...
|align=right|41-53
|align=right|67.05
|-
|align=left|
BedhamptonBedhampton railway station serves the former village of Bedhampton, now a suburb lying a mile west of the centre of Havant, in Hampshire, England.- History :...
|align=right|42-26
|align=right|68.10
|-
|align=left|Farlington Junction
|align=right|44-50
|align=right|71.80
|-
|align=left|Portcreek Junction
|align=right|45-15
|align=right|72.70
|-
|align=left|
HilseaHilsea railway station is a railway station in Portsmouth, England with a limited service. It serves the northern end of Portsea Island, including a large industrial estate nearby....
|align=right|45-53
|align=right|73.50
|-
|align=left|
FrattonFratton railway station is a railway station in Portsmouth, located near Fratton Park, the stadium of association football club Portsmouth F.C.....
|align=right|47-76
|align=right|77.15
|-
|align=left|
Portsmouth and SouthseaPortsmouth and Southsea railway station is the main railway station in central Portsmouth in Hampshire, England. It is close to the Commercial Road shopping centre....
|align=right|48-62
|align=right|78.50
|-
|align=left|
Portsmouth HarbourPortsmouth Harbour railway station is a railway station in Portsmouth, England. It is situated beside Gunwharf Quays in the city's harbour, and is an important transport terminal, with a bus interchange and ferry services to Gosport and the Isle of Wight. The station currently has four platforms,...
|align=right|49-48
|align=right|79.80
|}