Greenford branch line
| Greenford branch line | |
|---|---|
The bay platform at Greenford station.
A Paddington train awaits departure. |
|
| Overview | |
| Type | Suburban rail |
| System | National Rail |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale | Greater London |
| Termini |
Greenford West Ealing |
| Stations | 5 |
| Services | 1 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1903 |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Operator(s) | Great Western Railway |
| Depot(s) | Old Oak Common TMD |
| Rolling stock | Class 165 "Turbo" |
| Technical | |
| Track length | 2.7 mi (4.3 km) |
| Number of tracks | 1–2 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The Greenford branch line is a 2 3⁄4-mile (4.4 km) Network Rail suburban railway line in west London, England. It runs northerly from a triangular junction with the Great Western Main Line west of West Ealing to a central bay platform at Greenford station which is also on the London Underground Central line. A triangular junction near Greenford connects to the Acton–Northolt line (formerly the New North Main Line). The line serves mainly the suburbs of Ealing and Greenford.
The passenger service is provided by Great Western Railway. Trains from the branch terminate at West Ealing, except for one service each way from Paddington at the start of the day, and to Paddington at the end of the day.
All services are operated with two-car Class 165 Turbo diesel trains. There is no Sunday service.
The opening of the line in 1903 coincided with the opening of a station at Park Royal on the Acton–Northolt line to serve the Royal Agricultural Show held in the grounds of part of the Twyford Abbey Estate. The Show ran from 15 June 1903 to 4 July 1903 during which period trains operated a circular service to and from Paddington via Park Royal and Ealing. Normal services started on 2 May 1904 and the links to Greenford station were put in on 1 October 1904.
The loop formed by the GWML, the branch and the ANL is sometimes used for turning trains for operational reasons such as balancing wheel wear. On weekends in 2008 during engineering works on the West Coast Main Line the line was used by Virgin Trains' Euston-Birmingham International "Blockade Buster" service which ran to Euston via Willesden, Acton Main Line, Ealing Broadway, Greenford, High Wycombe, Banbury and Coventry using pairs of 5-car Voyager sets. On two Sundays in February 2010, Chiltern and Wrexham & Shropshire trains were diverted to Paddington via the line while engineering work blocked the route to Marylebone.
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