Staines to Windsor Line
| Staines–Windsor line | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Type | Suburban rail, Heavy rail |
| System | National Rail |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale |
Berkshire South East England |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1848/9 |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 750 V DC Third rail |
The Staines–Windsor line is a National Rail suburban railway line in England operated by South West Trains. It branches from the Waterloo to Reading Line at Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey and runs to Windsor in Berkshire.
The line from Richmond through Staines to Datchet was opened on 22 August 1848 by the Windsor, Staines and South Western Railway under the auspices of the London and South Western Railway(L&SWR) and reached Windsor on 1 December 1849. The line was electrified in 1930 at 660 V DC (since raised to 750 V) on the third rail system by the Southern Railway.
The L&SWR opposed connection with the Staines West branch but three separate connections have existed. The earliest was through the sidings of the Staines Linoleum Company and would have required use of turntables or reversals to pass wagons between the lines. In World War II a single track spur was laid from just south of Yeoveney Halt facing up on the Staines to Windsor Line as a diversionary route should cross-London routes be blocked by bombing, this link existed from 23 June 1940 to 16 December 1947 but was little used. The last, laid in 1981 when the Staines West branch was severed by the M25 motorway, was to an oil terminal built in the former goods yard of Staines West station and lasted until 1991.
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Wikipedia