Medway Valley Line
Template:Medway Valley Line The Medway Valley line is a railway line in Kent linking Strood and the Medway Towns with Maidstone West and on to Paddock Wood, Tonbridge and London St Pancras International (peak only). The section from Maidstone West to Tonbridge passes through some of Kent's most picturesque countryside along the narrower sections of the River Medway.
| Medway Valley line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 The line being crossed by the Maidstone East line near Maidstone Barracks. There is no direct rail connection between them.
Foot interchange exists between the two lines. | |||
| Overview | |||
| Type | Suburban rail, Heavy rail | ||
| System | National Rail | ||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Locale | Kent South East England | ||
| Termini | Strood Paddock Wood | ||
| Stations | 13 | ||
| Operation | |||
| Opened | 1856 | ||
| Owner | Network Rail | ||
| Operator(s) | SE Trains | ||
| Rolling stock | Class 375 "Electrostar" Class 395 "Javelin" | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 21 miles 19 chains (34.18 km) | ||
| Track gauge | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Track gauge/data' not found. | ||
| Operating speed | 70 mph (110 km/h) | ||
| Route number | 01 | ||
| |||
Stations
The line serves the following stations: Strood, Cuxton, Halling, Snodland, New Hythe, Aylesford, Maidstone Barracks, Maidstone West, East Farleigh, Wateringbury, Yalding, Beltring, Paddock Wood and Tonbridge
Trains
The main trains used on the line is Class 375 Electrostars. Before the May 2012 Timetable changes Class 465 and Class 466 Networkers were used, these units still appear on the line when a 375 unit fails or is unavailable. In May 2011, Class 395s was introduced on the Medway Valley line, operating a high speed service between Maidstone West and St. Pancras International via Strood.
| Class | Image | Type | Cars per set | Top speed | Number | Operator | Notes | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||||
| Class 395 Javelin | 
|
EMU | 6 | 140 (HS1) 100 (Mainline) | 225 (HS1) 160 (Mainline) | 29 | Southeastern | Peak time high speed services between Maidstone West and St.Pancras International | 2007–2009 |
| Class 375 | 
|
3 or 4 | 100 | 160 | 140 | All services usually operated by 375/3s but 375/6/7/8/9s may occasionally appear. | 1999–2005 | ||
| Class 465 / 466 | 
|
EMU | 4 (465)
2 (466) |
75 | 120 | 145 (465)
43 (466) |
Services usually operated by single Class 466, although during leaf-fall season or during periods of potential icing on the conductor rail, a pair of 466's or a single Class 465 may be used for resiliance | 1992 | |
Medway Valley Line Media
375301 Strood to Maidstone West 2T46 at Cuxton railway station (23556434162)
59001 'Yeoman Endeavour' at Doncaster Works
The five door model
Highlander_sleeper_diverted_to_Oban_-_February_2016_(5)_(geograph_4833956)
A track cleaning train leaving Swanwick railway station.
.jpg)
.jpg)
_(geograph_4833956).jpg)
References
Further reading
- R.V.J.Butt (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1.
- John Glover (2001). Southern Electric. Ian Allan Ltd. ISBN 0-7110-2807-9.
Other websites
Media related to Medway Valley Line at Wikimedia Commons- http://www.kentrail.org.uk/medway_valley_line.htm – Map of the Medway Valley line (Strood to Paddock Wood)
- https://web.archive.org/web/20081112101428/http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/ – Ordnance Survey website