Redhill–Tonbridge line

Redhill–Tonbridge line
Looking east towards the Bletchingley Tunnel
Overview
Type	Suburban rail, Heavy rail
System	National Rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Kent Surrey South East England
Termini	Tonbridge, Kent Redhill, Surrey
Stations	7
Operation
Opened	c. 1836
Owner	Network Rail
Operator(s)	Southern
Rolling stock	Class 377 Electrostar
Technical
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	750 V DC Third rail

Redhill– Tonbridge line
Brighton main line to London Redhill North Downs Line to Guildford Brighton main line to Brighton Quarry line Nutfield M23 motorway (Coopers Hill Viaduct) Bletchingley Tunnel Godstone Oxted line to East Grinstead │ to S Croydon Crowhurst Spur closed 1970s Oxted line to Uckfield │ to South Croydon Edenbridge Penshurst Penshurst Tunnel Leigh River Medway A21 Tonbridge Bypass Tonbridge West Yard South Eastern main line to Sevenoaks Tonbridge Hastings line South Eastern main line to Ashford

The Redhill–Tonbridge line is a railway line running from Redhill, Surrey to Tonbridge, Kent in southeast England. It branches off the Brighton Main Line at Redhill and, after 20 miles, joins the South Eastern main line at Tonbridge^[1]

History

It was originally part of the South Eastern Railway having been sanctioned by Act of Parliament in 1836 as part of the first rail route from London to Dover. This may explain its remarkably straight route: serving the settlements en route was a secondary consideration. Following the completion of new South Eastern Main Line in 1868, along which services run a more direct route between London and Tonbridge, the Redhill–Tonbridge line's function as the trunk route between London and Dover was transferred to the new line.

Aircraft coming into London's Croydon Airport in the early part of the 20th century used this line as a point of navigation. All the stations along this route had their names written in bold white paint on the roofs.

It starts with an initial curve just outside Redhill where it passes over the Quarry line which is in Redhill tunnel (649 yards). The Bletchingley Tunnel (grid reference TQ340486), about a mile southeast of Bletchingley is about ½ mile long. At grid reference TQ400480 the "Crowhurst Spur"^[2] connected with the East Grinstead branch of the Oxted line but this was lifted in the early 1970s. Just west of Edenbridge, in a hamlet called Troy Town it crosses, but does not connect with, the Uckfield branch of the Oxted line.^[3]

The line was electrified (750 V DC third rail) in 1993 and services started to run through to London rather than being an extension of the Reading to Redhill North Downs Line service. The electrification also created a diversionary route for Eurostar services until 2007 from Waterloo International through Tonbridge and Ashford International.

Stations and services on the line are operated by Southern using Class 377 units. They provide an hourly shuttle service between Tonbridge and Redhill.

Accidents

• On 28 July 1845, a passenger train was run into by a steam locomotive at Penshurst, injuring about 30 people.^[4]
• On 21 January 1846, a bridge over the River Medway collapsed in a flood. The driver of a freight train was killed when he tried to jump clear of the train.^[5]

Gallery

• 
  The Redhill–Tonbridge line, shown with other railway lines in Kent. Note the line's relation with the South Eastern Main Line.
• 
  A 1910 Railway Clearing House map of the interaction of the Oxted lines and the Redhill–Tonbridge line.
• 
  A 1905 Railway Clearing House map of the western end of the Redhill–Tonbridge line.

External links

• Steve's Railway pages – SER lines & stations
• Saxon Court Books
• Southern E-mail Group

References