Mid-Kent Railway

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The Mid-Kent Line is the successor to railways built by the Mid Kent Railway between 1857 and 1882. The railway was originally planned to carry traffic through mid Kent, but because other railways were being built at the time (notably the line constructed by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway via Penge East), the scheme did not materialise. The South Eastern Railway worked the line.

Despite its name none of its stations lie within the current county of Kent. For this reason the name is nowadays considered misleading and is not used. It is generally referred to as the Hayes Line. The line was electrified (750v DC Third Rail) by the Southern Railway during the interwar years.

The line was opened on 1 January 1857 between Lewisham, now in the London borough of that name, and Beckenham Junction. Stations on that section are:

• Ladywell
• Catford Bridge
• Lower Sydenham - rebuilt on a new site in 1907
• New Beckenham - this became a junction when the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway opened its line between Norwood Junction and St Mary Cray

In 1864 the line was extended to Addiscombe, near Croydon (now closed).

In 1882 two extensions were constructed; one the Hayes branch went to Hayes, while the second went south as the Woodside and South Croydon Railway (a joint South Eastern Railway and London, Brighton and South Coast Railway line) to the Oxted Line. Today trains run only to Hayes. Tramlink now occupies the track of the former line south of Elmers End.

v • d • e Railway lines in South-East England: Eastern  (Kent) Primary Routes: High Speed 1 · Chatham Main Line · South Eastern Main Line Secondary Lines: Ashford-Ramsgate via Canterbury Line · East Coastway · Hastings Line · Kent Coast Line · Maidstone East Line Minor/Branch Lines: Bexleyheath Line · Bromley North Line · Catford Loop · Dartford Loop · Greenwich Line · Hayes Line · Marshlink Line · Medway Valley Line · Mid-Kent Line · North Kent Line · Nunhead to Lewisham link · Sheerness Line Central  (Sussex) Primary Routes: Arun Valley Line · Brighton Main Line · Thameslink Secondary Lines: East Coastway · New Guildford Line · North Downs Line · Redhill-Tonbridge Line · Sutton & Mole Valley Line · West Coastway Minor/Branch Lines: Caterham Line · Epsom Downs Branch · Oxted Line · Seaford Branch Line · South London Line · Tattenham Corner Line Western  (Wessex) Primary Routes: North Downs Line · Portsmouth Direct Line · South Western Main Line · West Coastway · West of England Main Line Secondary Lines: Alton Line · Ascot-Guildford Line · Chertsey Branch · Eastleigh-Fareham Line · Eastleigh-Romsey Line · Hounslow Loop · Kingston Loop Line · Waterloo-Reading Line · West London Line Minor/Branch Lines: Chessington Branch · Greenford Branch · Hampton Court Branch · Henley Branch Line · Island Line · Lymington Branch Line · Marlow Branch Line · Shepperton Branch Line · Slough-Windsor & Eton Line · Staines-Windsor & Eton Line Northern  (Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire) Primary Routes: West Coast Main Line · Chiltern Main Line Secondary Lines: London to Aylesbury Line · Cherwell Valley Line · Cotswold Line Minor/Branch Lines: Marston Vale Line · Oxford to Bicester Line · Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line · Varsity Line (currently partially disused)