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

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 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.

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.