Waterloo to Reading Line
| Waterloo to Reading Line | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Type | |
| System | National Rail |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale | |
| Termini |
London Waterloo Reading |
| Stations | 26 |
| Operation | |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Operator(s) | South West Trains |
| Depot(s) | Clapham Junction |
| Rolling stock | |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 750 V DC third rail |
The Waterloo to Reading Line is a National Rail mainly suburban electric railway line between London Waterloo and Reading, running westwards from Central London to Reading, in central Berkshire. Its passenger operation is by South West Trains (SWT) which also manage its stations.
The Waterloo to Reading line is the core of a group of lines and branches heading generally westwards from Waterloo, providing predominantly passenger services into London. All of the branches and connecting lines have direct services into a dedicated group of platforms at Waterloo, so most of the services using the line do not run the whole length of the line. After leaving Waterloo, the line runs parallel to the South West Main Line before diverging at Clapham Junction and heading westwards. Within Greater London, the Hounslow Loop Line diverges at Barnes and reconnects again near Feltham, whilst the Kingston Loop Line diverges at Twickenham to join up with the South West Main Line at New Malden. At Staines, the original route carries onto Windsor, whilst the 1853 route to Reading diverges to run via Egham. At Virginia Water, the Chertsey Branch Line provides another connection to the South West Main Line whilst at Ascot, the Ascot to Guildford Line heads southwards towards Aldershot and Farnham. At Wokingham, the line is synonymous with the west end of the North Downs Line leading into Reading, to terminate in platforms 4, 5 and 6. The line also sees some freight services and special charters, which use the connecting line at Reading to join the Great Western Main Line or the Chertsey Loop/Branch Line to connect to the South West Main Line.
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Wikipedia