Ascot–Ash Vale line

Ascot–Guildford line
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	South East England
Termini	Ascot Guildford
Stations	8
Service
Type	Heavy rail, Commuter Rail
System	National Rail
Operator(s)	South Western Railway
Technical
Number of tracks	1-2
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	750v DC 3rd rail
Route map Ascot–Ash Vale Jn Waterloo–Reading line to Reading & Waterloo Ascot 28 mi 79 ch 46.65 km Bagshot 32 mi 08 ch 51.66 km Guildford Road Viaduct Bagshot Tunnel Camberley 35 mi 30 ch 56.93 km Frimley 37 mi 48 ch 60.51 km South West Main Line to Weymouth & Waterloo Mytchett Lake Railway Bridge Alton line to Pirbright Jn Ash Vale Jn 40 mi 57 ch 65.52 km Ash Vale Alton line to Alton

The Ascot–Guildford line is a railway line in South East England.

The line is also a part of the following routes:

• Waterloo to Reading Line
• Alton Line
• North Downs Line

Infrastructure

Ascot station is located on the line from London Waterloo to Reading, just to the south of the famous racecourse. From here, the service travels a short distance west along the Waterloo to Reading Line to Ascot Junction. Here it turns south and travels to Ash Vale junction, joining a section of the Alton Line as far as Aldershot. The service then retraces its route back along the Alton Line towards Ash Vale before joining the North Downs Line via a chord at Aldershot South Junction for the remainder of the journey to Guildford.

There is a section of single track from just south of Frimley station (and north of the South Western Main Line between Brookwood and Farnborough Main) and Ash Vale Junction. The rest of the route is double-tracked.

Electrification

The line is electrified using 750 V DC third rail.

Services

Until 2017, pairs of Class 456, transferred from Southern, used to operate the shuttles between Ascot and Guildford (turning around at Aldershot). The trains have since been replaced by Class 450s.

The service is currently 2 trains per hour between Guildford and Farnham and another 2 trains per hour between Aldershot and Ascot through most of the day. There are several trains to And from London Waterloo railway station during peak times. The running of Guildford-Farnham services was required under the franchise agreement. The current timetables due to be implemented in December 2018, however due to the May 2018 timetable problems the changes were delayed.

The Monday to Saturday service prior to May 2019 was:

• 2 trains an hour between Guildford and Ascot stations during the day.
• In the evening 1 train between Guildford station and Aldershot station and a train an hour between Guildford and Ascot stations per hour.
• The first trains towards Ascot start from, and the last trains terminate at, Farnham railway station or Aldershot railway station, not stopping at Ash railway station, Wanborough railway station or Guildford station.
• Some trains during the Morning and Evening peaks, Monday to Friday, travel to/from London Waterloo station joining the Waterloo–Reading line at Ascot station.

On Sundays an hourly service runs.