New Guildford line
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|} The New Guildford Line, now operated by South West Trains, is a commuter line between London and Guildford. It branches off the South Western Main Line just south of Surbiton, at the same point as the short branch line to Hampton Court. The section of the line from Guildford to Effingham Junction is shared by a branch of the Sutton & Mole Valley Line, continuing to London via Leatherhead and Epsom. On timetables, trains on this route are advertised as going to Guildford via Cobham.
Rush hour services provide one (inbound) morning service and one (outbound) evening service non-stop between Surbiton and Waterloo. Off-peak services run only twice per hour (once on Sundays) and are considerably slower, stopping at intermediate stations between Surbiton and Waterloo. Service is poor compared to many years ago. Until 1967 the line provided non-stop service from Waterloo to Surbiton every 20 minutes for a 3 hour period in the morning and evening. In 1967 this service was changed to a 15 minute interval for a 1 and one half hour period. Over the last quarter of a century the service has deteriorated so that there is now little difference between the off-peak and rush hour service. A more detailed discussion can be found under the Hinchley Wood Station entry at [14].
The line was electrified using the 750 V DC third rail system in 1925.
History of the route
The 'New Line' opened in 1885.
Current Services
At present on Monday to Saturday there are two trains per hour to Guildford. All services on the line call at all station on the line between Surbiton and Guildford. These trains also stop at the following stations between London Waterloo and Surbiton:
London Waterloo
Vauxhall
Clapham Junction
Earlsfield
Wimbledon
Surbiton
There is one additional train during the morning peak period to London and conversely in the evening to Guildford on weekdays. This 'extra' train does not stop at any stations between London Waterloo and Surbiton in either direction. On Sundays there is just one train per hour in each direction.
South West Trains also operate another service from Waterloo to Guildford which runs via the Mole Valley Line between Raynes Park and Leatherhead then following the branch through Bookham and joining the New Guildford Line at Effingham Junction and running alongside the trains via Cobham to the terminus at Guildford. Southern Railway operate peak time services between Guildford and Effingham Junction, which go to London Victoria and London Bridge via Sutton and West Croydon, with one train per hour in each direction on both routes.
Old Rolling Stock
Train stock was kept at Durnsford Road depot, Wimbledon and Effingham Junction. The latter depot was closed in 1990. From electrification to the early 1960s train stock was formed of 3 and latterly 4 car 3-SUB and 4-SUB units - see Southern Electric Railway Assn (which erroneously states that these units were withdrawn in the 1950s) [1]. In the early 1940s a new 4-SUB was introduced, as shown in this photo by the Southern Railways Group [2] Subsequently, following world war 2, a large number of a sleeker design of 4-SUB was made as shown by Hart[3] and Law [4]. It is not known if this type of unit was used on the line in its early years, but presumably so. 4-SUB units were used exclusively on the line in the early 1960s, replacing the newer EPB units (below), and then once again exclusively substituted by EPB stock around 1964. For a while around this period the line was the only route from Waterloo that had 4-SUB units substituted by EPB units. For many years new train stock was tested for long periods on this route - a real benefit to users of the route. The line received the first post second world war EPB (Electro Pneumatic Brake) electric stock that became the standard for British Railways Southern Region for many years. One of the new electric trains in the 1950s is illustrated in (Sep 1959 The Railway Magazine) [5]. For a brief period in the 1970s first class service was provided - but for most of the life of this station only second or standard class service has been available. First class train stock was of the 4VEP type (latterly designated class 423), but owing to a shortage of this stock on the stopping services between Waterloo and Woking [6] first class service was abruptly withdrawn and second class only service reinstated. Typical first and second class 4VEP EMU (Electric Multiple Units) trains used on this line are illustrated at [7]. During this period of first class service, a number of trains ran as stopping services to and from Portsmouth with a 84 headcode (see next paragraph). Very occasionally during times of disrupted working, 4-COR [8] and 2-LAV/2-BIL units [9] and [10] that had been displaced from the main line would be seen- the former causing substantial delays owing to the lack of doors for quick rush-hour loading.
Trains show a headcode of 42 on the front to identify this route. Prior to 1962 old train stock showed a headcode of H with a bar on top. Non-stop trains occasionally run on this route when there are track works on the main line that runs via Woking. The route codes seen in this case are 84 Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour and 74 to Portsmouth and Southsea. Prior to 1967 the respective codes were 5 and 6. The 42 code has never changed. A photograph of the very first EPB unit manufactured at the Eastleigh works, number 5001, with 42 headcode has been published on the web by the Suburban Electric Railway Association [11]. This same unit (5001) repainted in its original colour is shown at London Bridge station in 1993 - it was scrapped the following year [12]. This unit would no doubt be surprised to know that the 21 minute journey time it consistently provided daily for years from Waterloo is now typically 10 minutes longer using modern train stock that is 50 years its younger.
Mitchell and Smith have published a book on the line [13].
Current Rolling Stock
Currently the Services to Guildford and London Waterloo are using South West Trains Class 455 carriages. These are from the 1990's and are currently in the process of refurbishment by South West Trains. This refurbishment will finish by 2007-2008 and will upgrade the following features:
- Wider Doors on the trains to allow easier and faster entrance or exit.
- Ergonomic seats which allow a higher capacity of passengers and are higher and slimmer than previous ones.
- External and Internal colour changes, with a red/blue/yellow scheme on the exterior to complement the South West Trains and Stagecoach Franchise
- Visual announcements on-board
- CCTV and Video Recording to improve safety and security on-train
Typical journey times from London Waterloo
Based on the December 2006 - May 2007 timetable.
Stations in italics are served by through trains but are not on the New Guildford Line
| Destination | Peak fast service minutes |
Off-peak services minutes |
Change for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vauxhall | - | 5 | London Underground Victoria Line |
| Clapham Junction | - | 9 | London Victoria, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Brighton, Eastbourne, Littlehampton |
| Earlsfield | - | 12 | |
| Wimbledon | - | 16 | London Underground District Line, Croydon Tramlink, Sutton, Luton, London Blackfriars |
| Surbiton | 18 | 24 | Thames Ditton, Hampton Court |
| Hinchley Wood | 22 | 28 | |
| Claygate | 25 | 31 | |
| Oxshott | 28 | 34 | |
| Cobham and Stoke D'Abernon | 32 | 38 | |
| Effingham Junction | 36 | 42 | Bookham, Leatherhead, Epsom |
| Horsley | 39 | 45 | |
| Clandon | 44 | 50 | |
| London Road (Guildford) | 49 | 55 | |
| Guildford | 55 | 60 | Havant, Portsmouth, Aldershot, Ascot, Reading, Redhill, Gatwick Airport |
References
Further reading
- Mallinson, Howard (2006). Guildford via Cobham: The Origins and Impact of a Country Railway. ISBN 978-0-9543934-2-7.
External links
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