| North Kent Line | |
|---|---|
The North Kent Line, shown with other railway lines in Kent. |
|
| Overview | |
| Type | Commuter rail, Suburban rail |
| System | National Rail |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale | Greater London South East England |
| Termini | London Charing Cross London Cannon Street Gillingham Dartford |
| Operation | |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Operator(s) | Southeastern |
| Depot(s) | Slade Green |
| Rolling stock | Class 375 "Electrostar" Class 376 "Electrostar" Class 395 "Javelin" Class 465 "Networker" Class 466 "Networker" |
| Technical | |
| No. of tracks | 2 |
| Track gauge | Standard gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Electrification | 750 DC third rail |
The North Kent Line is a railway line which runs from Lewisham Vale junction [1][2] (at the country end of St Johns station) where it splits from the Southeastern Main Line to Rochester Bridge junction [3][4] (just south of Strood station) where it links up with the Chatham Main Line
Contents |
The North Kent Line was the means by which the South Eastern Railway (SER) was able to connect its system to London at London Bridge. In 1846 the SER purchased the Thames and Medway Canal tunnel near Higham and laid railway tracks through it; in 1847 trains were working through from the Strood terminus, on the River Medway to Gravesend. From 30 July 1849 the line was extended, via Blackheath, to a junction with the London and Greenwich Railway at North Kent East Junction, near Deptford, and through trains were now working.
The line is electrified (750v DC third rail). Electrification was initially to Dartford (6 June 1926) and was extended to Gillingham by World War Two.
The North Kent Line is regarded as a high-frequency line, with all stations in the London area being served by at least 4 trains per hour, with Lewisham being served by 14tph. Interchange with the Docklands Light Railway is available at Lewisham, Woolwich Arsenal & Greenwich.
A major timetable change was introduced in December 2009 in connection with domestic high speed services on High Speed 1. This has led to additional services from St Pancras International operating along High Speed 1, then using the North Kent Line from Gravesend, continuing then along the Chatham Main Line to Faversham.
All passenger services are provided by Southeastern, and interchange with the Docklands Light Railway is available at Lewisham, Woolwich Arsenal & Greenwich. From January 2010, Oyster Pay-as-you-Go has been accepted on services within the London Travelcard Zones. The entire line is also within the Penalty fare scheme.
The line has a mixture of fast, semi fast and slow services, and from 2009 high speed services on the High Speed One route from Gravesend to St. Pancras International.
From 1999-2002 there were semi-fast trains starting from Plumstead to London Victoria briefly resuming a 1980s service pattern. This service was for the Millennium Dome.
Abbey Wood is to become the eastern terminal for Crossrail.
Train services working the Line today take the following route; the first ten miles (16 km) passes through many tunnels, included on the list:
The North Kent Line connects with the LCDR Chatham Main Line at Rochester Bridge Junction, about 200 m beyond Strood station. It totals some 30 miles (48 km) in length.
The current service pattern (as of December 2009) is as follows:
Off-peak & Saturday:
Sunday:
Peak hour frequencies vary, with services from the Bexleyheath & Dartford loop lines also running to & from stations to Gillingham
The December 2009 timetable withdrew peak hour services between Charlton & Blackheath with all services running via Greenwich instead. This has been met with much criticism from passenger groups.
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