WATERLOO TO READING LINE

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The 'Waterloo to Reading Line' is a suburban railway line operated by South West Trains (SWT) in England. With its three connecting lines, it the most northern of the SWT franchise. The three lines are:

★ the 'Hounslow Loop Line', leaving the Reading line at Barnes, returning via Whitton and Feltham.

★ the 'Windsor branch' running from Staines railway station to Windsor and Eton Riverside railway station (the former GWR branch, from Slough, runs to Windsor and Eton Central railway station).

★ the 'Chertsey Branch', leaving the Reading line at Virginia Water, passing through Chertsey and Addlestone, and connecting to SWT at its terminus, Weybridge

Contents

The routes

Dates of opening

The routes

Dates of opening

★ the Reading line:

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★ 27 July 1846: the ''Richmond Railway'' opened, purchased by London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) 1847

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★ 22 August 1848: the ''Windsor, Staines and South Western Railway'' (WS&SWR) (under L&SWR auspices) extended the line to Staines and Datchet

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★ 1 December 1849: extended to Windsor

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★ 4 June 1856: the ''Staines, Wokingham and Woking Junction Railway'' (Staines - Ascot) opened, worked by the L&SWR

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★ 9 July 1856: extended to Wokingham, the junction with the South Eastern Railway line to Reading, opened in 1849
This line was electrified (750v DC third rail) 30th January 1916 by LSWR.

★ the Hounslow Loop

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★ 22 August 1849: Barnes to Isleworth opened by WS&SWR

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★ 1 February 1850: completion of loop to Feltham Junction - junction facing eastwards

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★ 1 January 1883: completion of triangular junction at Whitton to enable trains to travel eastwards to return to Waterloo
This line was electrified (750v DC third rail) 12th March 1916 by LSWR

★ the Chertsey branch

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★ 14 February 1848: Weybridge to Chertsey opened

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★ 1 October 1866: Chertsey to Virginia Water opened
This line was electrified (750v DC third rail) on 3rd January 1937 by Southern.
The Waterloo to Reading line is renowned as a painstakingly slow line, taking over 1 hour and 15 mins to get from Reading to London, due to the large number of stations called at. However the fares are usually cheaper than the more direct trains services from Reading to London Paddington.