Wessex Main Line

Wessex Main Line
Crossing the river at Bradford-on-Avon
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Wiltshire Hampshire South East England South West England
Service
Type	Suburban rail, Heavy rail
System	National Rail
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Wessex Main Line
Bristol–Exeter line to Taunton Bristol Temple Meads South Wales Main Line to Cardiff Central River Avon St Anne's Park Keynsham Saltford Twerton-on-Avon Oldfield Park Bath Spa River Avon Hampton Row Halt Bathampton Bathampton Junction Great Western Main Line Bristol & North Somerset Rly Camerton branch Limpley Stoke Freshford Avoncliff Thingley Junction Great Western Main Line to London Lacock Halt Beanacre Halt Melksham Broughton Gifford Halt Devizes branch line Holt Junction Holt Junction Staverton Halt Bradford-on-Avon Bradford South Junction Trowbridge Reading–Taunton line to Reading Westbury Reading–Taunton line to Taunton Dilton Marsh Warminster Heytesbury Codford Camp Branch Codford A303 Wylye Langford Wishford Wilton North West of England line to Exeter Wilton South Salisbury River Avon Fisherton Tunnel West of England line to London Milford goods depot Alderbury staff platforms Salisbury & Dorset Jn Rly Dean Mottisfont & Dunbridge Sprat and Winkle Line & Andover to Redbridge Line River Test Romsey Eastleigh–Romsey line M27 Nursling South West Main Line to Bournemouth and Weymouth Redbridge Millbrook Southampton Central Southampton Tunnel Southampton Terminus South West Main Line to London West Coastway line to Brighton

The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton. Diverging from this route is the Heart of Wessex Line from Westbury to Weymouth. The line intersects with the West of England Main Line at Salisbury, and with the Reading to Taunton Line at Westbury.

Places served

The places served are listed below.

• Bristol
• Keynsham
• Oldfield Park
• Bath
  • Great Western Main Line diverges to Chippenham, Swindon and London Paddington
• Freshford
• Avoncliff
• Bradford-on-Avon
• Trowbridge
• Westbury
  • Heart of Wessex Line diverges to Weymouth
• Dilton Marsh
• Warminster
• Salisbury
• Dean
• Mottisfont & Dunbridge
• Romsey
  • Eastleigh to Romsey Line diverges to Chandler's Ford and Eastleigh
• Southampton

Passenger services are currently operated by Great Western Railway local services, supplemented by South West Trains between Salisbury and Bristol Temple Meads, and Great Western high-speed express services between Bristol and Bath. Some services start at Swindon also. Many services continue beyond Southampton along the West Coastway Line to Portsmouth Harbour and Brighton, and beyond Bristol to Severn Tunnel Junction, Newport and Cardiff Central along the South Wales Main Line. Strong passenger growth meant that Wessex Trains increased train lengths from two carriages to three in 2004, but the new franchise specification reduced them back to two carriages, with inevitable chronic overcrowding and passenger protests. As of 2011, the service now regularly runs with three carriages, but significant overcrowding continues at peak times.

Chippenham branch

There is a link from Trowbridge to Chippenham, with an intermediate stop at Melksham. Despite showing strong passenger growth in the previous few years, the new franchise reduced services in December 2006 to two each way per day, at times barely convenient for commuters. The service was increased again to eight trains each way per day (six northbound and five southbound on Sundays) from December 2013.

History

Main article: Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway

References

• Daniels, Gerald David; Dench, Leslie Alan (May 1973) [1964]. Passengers No More (2nd ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0438-2. OCLC 2554248. 1513 CEC 573.

External links

• www.savethetrain.org.uk - Melksham-based campaign to maintain services on the Chippenham branch
• www.twcrp.org.uk - TransWilts Community Rail Partnership