Golden Valley line

Golden Valley line
Class 800 on the Golden Valley line
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, in South West England
Service
Type	Heavy rail
System	National Rail
Operator(s)	Great Western Railway
Rolling stock	Class 800
Technical
Number of tracks	Double track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	None
Operating speed	100 mph (160 km/h) maximum
Route map (Click to expand)

v t e Golden Valley line
Legend
miles Cross Country Route 42⅛ Cheltenham Spa 36¾ Gloucester 35¾ Gloucester–Newport line Haresfield 29⅝ Cross Country Route 27⅝ Stonehouse Ebley Crossing Halt Cashes Green Halt Downfield Crossing Halt 24⅞ Stroud Bowbridge Crossing Halt Ham Mill Halt Brimscombe Bridge Halt Brimscombe St Mary's Crossing Halt Chalford Sapperton Tunnel Tetbury Road Tetbury branch line Cirencester branch line 13¾ Kemble Kemble Tunnel Oaksey Halt Minety and Ashton Keynes Purton 0¾ Swindon Great Western Main Line

The Golden Valley line is the popular name given to the railway line between Swindon, Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa in England.^[1]

The line was originally built as the Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway in the 1840s. It was opened between Swindon and Kemble, along with a branch line to Cirencester, in 1841. It was a further four years before the remainder of the line, including the tunnel at Sapperton, was completed.

The line diverges from the Great Western Main Line at Swindon. After passing through the Sapperton tunnel and down the Golden Valley to Stroud, it joins the Bristol Temple Meads to Birmingham New Street main line at Standish Junction, just north of Stonehouse.