Kent Coast Line

Kent Coast Line
The Kent Coast Line, shown with other railway lines in Kent.
Overview
Type	Suburban rail, Heavy rail
System	National Rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Kent South East England
Operation
Owner	Network Rail
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Kent Coast Line
Legend
Chatham Main Line (Ramsgate Branch) to London Victoria and other London Terminals Margate originally Margate West Margate Sands(SER) Closed 1926 Margate East(LCDR) Closed 1953 Broadstairs Tivoli Closed 1872 Ramsgate Harbour Tunnel Ramsgate Harbour(LCDR) Closed 1926 Dumpton Park Opened 1926 Ramsgate Town(SER) Closed 1926 Ramsgate St Lawrence for Pegwell Bay Closed 1916 Ebbsfleet and Cliffsend Halt Closed 1933 Ashford to Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) Line to Ashford International Richborough Castle Halt Closed 1939 Sandwich Betteshanger Colliery Deal Walmer Martin Mill Guston Tunnel Buckland Jn Chatham Main Line (Dover Branch) to Faversham Charlton Tunnel Dover Priory Dover Harbour Tunnel Dover Harbour 1861–1927 Mileage Change ↑ 77 mi 76 ch (Victoria) ↓ 76 mi 50 ch (Charing Cross) Hawkesbury Street Junction Connection to Train Ferry Pier Junction Admiralty Pier 1860–1909 Dover Marine 1909–1994 Dover Town 1844–1914 Archcliffe Junction South Eastern Main Line to London Charing Cross and other London Terminals

The Kent Coast Line is the railway line that runs from Dover Priory to Margate in the English county of Kent.

It was electrified (750 V DC third rail) by BR under the 1955 Modernisation Plan.

Services

Services are operated by Southeastern, using Class 375 Trains. Typical service is hourly from Charing Cross to Ashford, dividing there into a part to Ramsgate via Canterbury West, and a part via the Kent Coast Line. See South Eastern Main Line.

A small number of the services via the Kent Coast Line (via Dover Priory) call additionally at Minster on weekday mornings and afternoons, acting as a school service.

History

The South Eastern Railway's (SER) first main line went to Dover via Folkestone and Ashford. The SER Ashford to Margate Broadstairs and Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) line was then extended south to Deal. This was linked up by the "Dover & Deal Joint Railway" with their bitter rival the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR).

Upon the joint management of the SER and LCDR in 1899 the track layout at Ashford rationalised, with Thanet receiving similar treatment (by Southern) in the 1920s.

The line was electrified under the BR 1955 Modernisation Plan, in "Kent Coast Electrification (Stage 2)" opening January 1961.

The building of the railway was significant in the development of seaside resorts like Broadstairs.

Dover track layout

The Railway Clearing House produced a map that shows the complex layout of this area. This shows the separate connection to the pier where trains used to board ferries.

References