West Coastway line

West Coastway line
Looking eastwards from Fishersgate, April 2007.
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerNetwork Rail
LocaleWest Sussex
Hampshire
South East England
Termini
Stations39
Service
TypeSuburban rail, Heavy rail
SystemNational Rail
Operator(s)Southern (over whole)
GWR (long haul services from Portsmouth Harbour to Southampton and beyond to Bristol/Cardiff)
SWR (west part and parts north of Portsmouth)
Depot(s)Brighton
Littlehampton
Fratton
Southampton
Rolling stockClass 158 "Express Sprinter" (Southampton to Portsmouth)
Class 159 "South Western Turbo"
Class 166 "Networker Turbo" (Southampton to Portsmouth)
Class 377 "Electrostar"
Class 444 "Desiro"
Class 450 "Desiro"
History
Opened1840
Technical
Line length62 mi 4 ch (99.86 km)
Number of tracks2 (up to 4 in areas)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification750 V DC third rail
Operating speed85 mph (137 km/h) maximum
Route map

(Click to expand)

The West Coastway line is a railway line in England linking the conurbations of Brighton/Hove/Littlehampton and Southampton/Portsmouth, with 1.3 million people between them. It has short southward branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis, which offer direct services to and from London.

From Brighton the East Coastway line continues to Hastings via Lewes, Eastbourne and Bexhill, and then to Ashford International, Kent via the Marshlink line.

The section east of Portsmouth was electrified by the Southern Railway before the Second World War. The electrification of the tracks further west in the late 1980s enabled electric trains to travel the whole route via Netley to Southampton or via Botley to Eastleigh. The London and South Western Railway ran the tracks west of Farlington Junction, north of Portsmouth, by the inland shore of Langstone Harbour. This section was served and timetabled separately before its electrification, a vestige of having had a different original railway company.