Chatham Main Line

Chatham Main Line
Southeastern Class 465/9 Networker at Chatham in 2015
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Greater London South East England
Termini	London Victoria Ramsgate Dover Priory
Stations	40
Service
Type	Commuter rail, Heavy rail
System	National Rail
Operator(s)	SE Trains Thameslink
Depot(s)	Gillingham EMUD, Ramsgate EMUD, Grovesnor Carriage Shed
Rolling stock	Class 375 "Electrostar" Class 377 "Electrostar" Class 395 "Javelin" Class 465 "Networker" Class 466 "Networker" Class 700 "Desiro City"
History
Opened	1860-1863
Technical
Line length	116 mi 63 ch (187.95 km) (Includes both branches down from Faversham)
Number of tracks	Mainly 2, 3 between London Victoria and Voltaire Jn and 4 between Shortlands Jn and Swanley Jn
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	750 V DC third rail
Operating speed	145 km/h (90 mph)
Route map (Click to expand)

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v t e Chatham Main Line
Legend
London Victoria Grosvenor Road Victoria carriage sidings Grosvenor Bridge River Thames Battersea Park Battersea Park Road Brighton Main Line South West Main Line to London Waterloo all lines to Clapham Junction South London line Factory Junction Stewarts Lane TMD Wandsworth Road Jn Wandsworth Road Voltaire Road Jn Clapham High Street Shepherds Lane Jn Brixton Jn Brixton Atlantic lines to Peckham Rye Jn Catford loop line Holborn Viaduct–Herne Hill line to Farringdon Herne Hill Portsmouth Line to Tulse Hill West Dulwich Sydenham Hill Sydenham (Hill) or Penge Tunnel 2,141 yards (1,958 m) to Crystal Palace Crystal Palace and South London Junction Rwy Brighton Main Line (London Bridge branch) Penge East Kent House Crystal Palace line Mid-Kent line Hayes–Lewisham Beckenham Junction Catford loop line Shortlands Jn. Shortlands Bromley South Bickley to London Bridge and other London terminals Chislehurst Junction South Eastern Main Line St Mary Cray to Orpington and Tonbridge River Cray Swanley Swanley Junction Maidstone line M25 motorway Farningham Road River Darent Horton Kirby Boys Home Fawkham Junction Longfield to High Speed 1 and former Gravesend West Branch Meopham Sole Street High Speed 1 M2 motorway North Kent Line towards London Medway Valley line to Maidstone Strood Rochester Bridge (LCDR) Rochester Bridge River Medway Goods station Rochester Rochester Common Chatham Central Fort Pitt Tunnel 428 yards (391 m) Chatham Chatham Tunnel 297 yards (272 m) Gillingham Tunnel 897 yards (820 m) Gillingham Gillingham Depot to Chatham Dockyard Rainham Newington Sheerness line Sittingbourne Teynham Faversham Dover branch Ramsgate branch Whitstable Town Whitstable Canterbury & Whitstable Rwy Chestfield & Swalecliffe Hampton pier Herne Bay and Hampton-on-Sea (1861-1863) Herne Bay RAF Manston Birchington-on-Sea Westgate-on-Sea Margate Margate Sands (SER) Selling Margate East Broadstairs Tivoli Dumpton Park Hereson Road (Tunnel Railway) Ramsgate Harbour Tunnel 1,124 yards (1,028 m) Ramsgate Harbour (LCDR) Ramsgate Town (SER) Ramsgate Depot Ramsgate St Lawrence for Pegwell Bay Ebbsfleet and Cliffsend Halt Ashford to Ramsgate line Canterbury East Kent Coast line Bekesbourne Adisham Aylesham Snowdown East Kent Railway Shepherds Well Shepherd's Well Tunnel 2,376 yards (2,173 m) Stonehall and Lydden Halt Kearsney Kent Coast line from Ramsgate Buckland Junction Charlton Tunnel 265 yards (242 m) Priory Tunnel 158 yards (144 m) Dover Priory Dover Harbour Tunnel 684 yards (625 m) Dover Harbour Mileage change 77 mi 76 ch (Victoria) 76 mi 50 ch (Charing Cross) Hawkesbury Street Junction Connection to train ferry Dover Town Pier Junction Archcliffe Junction Admiralty Pier South Eastern Main Line Dover Marine

The Chatham Main Line is a railway line in England that links London Victoria^[1] and Dover Priory / Ramsgate, travelling via Medway (of which the town of Chatham is part, hence the name).

Services to Cannon Street follow the route as far as St Mary Cray Junction where they diverge onto the South Eastern Main Line near Chislehurst.

Thameslink services to Luton run in parallel from Rainham to Rochester, diverging once across the River Medway at Rochester Bridge Junction onto the North Kent Line via Gravesend and Dartford.

A shuttle service operates on the Sheerness Line which starts at Sittingbourne.