| West of England Main Line | |
|---|---|
Templecombe station |
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| Overview | |
| Type | Suburban rail, Heavy rail |
| System | National Rail |
| Status | Operational |
| Operation | |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Standard gauge |
The West of England Main Line is a British railway line that runs from Basingstoke, Hampshire to Exeter St Davids in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter. Despite its historic title, this is not today's principal route from London to the West of England: Exeter and beyond are reached more quickly by the Great Western Main Line from London Paddington.
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When all routes had been incorporated into the London and South Western Railway, this section of the network consisted of the various sections and stations listed below.
The line was significantly downgraded by being singled for long sections west of Salisbury by British Rail. This restricts the number of trains that can serve stations on this section of the line, passing loops have been added to alleviate this problem.
The main towns served by the route are listed below. The line between London and Basingstoke is part of the South Western Main Line. Stations between Honiton and Exeter (Feniton, Whimple and Pinhoe) are limited service stations.
Passenger services are currently operated by South West Trains using Class 159 and Class 158 trains. Currently trains generally run half-hourly from London to Salisbury, and hourly to Exeter. The Network Rail South West Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy (March 2006) recommended building an extended section of double track from Chard Junction to Axminster, plus a passing loop at Whimple. However, Network Rail's Route Plan,[1] is silent on the Whimple loop. As built, the Axminster Loop is centred on Axminster station, and does not extend to Chard Junction as originally proposed.
An hourly service now runs between Exeter and London Waterloo (almost clockface except for a few early morning services) as published in the timetable[2] starting 12 December 2010. The stations between Exeter Central and Honiton (Pinhoe, Whimple and Feniton) retain a two-hourly service, but with services alternating between calling at Pinhoe, and Whimple and Feniton with few services calling at all three stations. South West Trains no longer runs beyond Exeter from December 2009.
The line is not electrified (except for the SWML portion).
The typical off-peak services are:
Between London Waterloo and Basingstoke, trains for the West of England Main Line call at Clapham Junction and Woking.
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