Kent Coast line

Railway line in Kent, England

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Kent Coast line" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Kent Coast Line

Southeastern EMUs at Ramsgate in 2019

Overview
Status| Operational
Owner| Network Rail
Locale| Kent
South East England
Service
Type| Suburban rail, Heavy rail
System| National Rail
Operator(s)| SE Trains
Rolling stock|

* Class 375
* Class 395
* Class 465 (peak hours and a few summer services only)
* Class 466 (peak hours and a few summer services only)

Technical
Line length| 16mi 64ch (27.03 km)[1]
Track gauge| 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Route map

(Click to expand)

* v
* t
* e

Kent Coast line

Legend

|  |  |

|  |

| Chatham Main Line

to Faversham

|  |

|  | Margate
|  |

|  | Margate Sands

(closed 1926)

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  | Margate East

(closed 1953)

|  |

|  | Broadstairs
|  |

|  | Tivoli

(closed c. 1867)

|  |

|  |

Ramsgate Harbour Tunnel

|  |

|  | Ramsgate Harbour

(closed 1926)

|  |

|  | Dumpton Park
|  |

|  | Ramsgate Town

(closed 1926)

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  | Ramsgate
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  | St Lawrence for Pegwell Bay

(closed 1916)

|  |

|  | Thanet Parkway
|  |

|  | Ebbsfleet and Cliffsend Halt

(closed 1933)

|  |

|  |

| Ashford to Ramsgate line

to Ashford International

|  |

|  | Richborough Castle Halt

(closed 1939)

|  |

|  |

| East Kent Light Railway

to Shepherdswell & Richboro Port

|  |

|  | Sandwich
|  |

|  |

Betteshanger Colliery

|  |

|  | Deal
|  |

|  | Walmer
|  |

|  | Martin Mill
|  |

|  |

Guston Tunnel

|  |

|  |

| Chatham Main Line

to Faversham

|  |

|  |

Charlton Tunnel

|  |

|  |

Priory Tunnel

|  |

|  | Dover Priory
|  |

|  |

Dover Harbour Tunnel

|  |

|  | Dover Harbour

(closed 1927)

|  |

|  |

Hawkesbury Street Junction

|  |

|  |

Train ferry to Dunkirk

|  |

|  |

Pier Junction

|  |

|  | Admiralty Pier

(closed 1909)

|  |

|  | Dover Western Docks

(closed 1994)

|  |

|  | Dover Town

(closed 1914)

|  |

|  |

Archcliffe Junction

|  |

|  |

| South Eastern Main Line

to Ashford International

|  |  |  |  |  |

The Kent Coast Line is the railway line that runs from Minster East Junction to Buckland Jn connecting Ramsgate and Dover Priory in the English county of Kent.

It was electrified (750 V DC third rail) by BR under the 1955 Modernisation Plan.

## Services

[edit]

As of November 2021[update], the off-peak service is operated as an extension of the South Eastern Main Line service from Charing Cross to Dover Priory. Trains run hourly terminating at Ramsgate. Services are operated by SE Trains using class 375 units. Some peak trains use Cannon Street or are High Speed 1 services to or from London St. Pancras or the Class 465/466 Networkers are also used in the Peak Hours or in the summer timetable services from London Cannon Street extended to Ramsgate via Greenwich, Woolwich Arsenal and Dartford.[2]

During the late 2010s, the entire off-peak service was run as part of the High Speed domestic service, running in a loop around the coast with trains at both ends continuing towards St. Pancras via Ashford International and Faversham.[3][4] This service was ended after the COVID pandemic massively reduced rail use.[5]

A small number of the peak services run to Minster on the Ashford to Ramsgate line before reversing back onto the coast line as a school service, running Ramsgate-Minster-Sandwich-Deal in the mornings and the reverse in the evenings.[2]

## History

[edit]

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. In 1881 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.

The line was electrified under the BR 1955 Modernisation Plan, in "Kent Coast Electrification (Stage 2)" opening January 1961.

The building of the railway was significant in the development of seaside resorts like Broadstairs.

## Dover track layout

[edit]

The Railway Clearing House produced a map that shows the complex layout of this area. This shows the separate connection to the pier where trains used to board ferries.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "BME2 mileages".
2. ^ a b "Timetables". Southeastern. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
3. ^ "A Study in Sussex Part 3: HS1 to Hastings?". London Reconnections. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
4. ^ Perkins, Eleanor. "Towns could lose out on number of high speed trains". Kent Online. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
5. ^ Lennon, Sam. "MP Natalie Elphicke asks Southeastern for return of all-day hugh speed trains for Deal area". KentOnline. Retrieved 1 November 2021.

* v
* t
* e

Railway lines in South East England

Primary|

| International|

* High Speed 1

|

National|

* Great Western Main Line

* West Coast Main Line

* Chiltern Main Line

Secondary|

| Berks/Bucks/Oxon
to London|

* Elizabeth line
* Aylesbury line
* Waterloo–Reading line (and in Surrey)
* Windsor & Eton Riverside line (and in Surrey)

|

Kent to London|

* Bexleyheath line
* Chatham Main Line
* Dartford Loop Line
* Kent Coast line
* Maidstone line
* Medway Valley line
* North Kent line
* Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) line
* Sheerness line
* South Eastern Main Line
* Redhill–Tonbridge line (and in Surrey)

Surrey/Sussex/Hants
to London|

* Alton line
* Arun Valley line
* Brighton Main Line
* Caterham line
* Eastleigh–Fareham line
* Hampton Court branch line
* Hastings line (and in Kent)
* Chertsey branch line
* Epsom Downs Branch
* New Guildford line
* Oxted line (and in Kent)
* Portsmouth Direct line
* Shepperton branch line
* South West Main Line
* Sutton and Mole Valley lines
* Tattenham Corner line
* West of England line

Others|

* Ascot–Guildford line
* Cherwell Valley line
* Cotswold Line
* Eastleigh–Romsey line
* East Coastway line (inc Marshlink line)
* Henley branch line
* Island line
* Lymington branch line
* Marlow branch line
* Marston Vale line
* North Downs Line
* Oxford–Bicester line
* Aylesbury–Princes Risborough line
* Reading–Taunton line
* West Coastway line
* Wessex Main Line
* Slough–Windsor & Eton line
* Reading–Basingstoke line
* Seaford branch line

Non-passenger|

* Fawley branch line
* Hundred of Hoo Railway
* Staines-West Drayton line
* Varsity line

Heritage|

* Bluebell Railway
* Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway
* Cholsey & Wallingford Railway
* East Kent Railway
* Isle of Wight Steam Railway
* Kent & East Sussex Railway
* Lavender Line
* Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway
* Spa Valley Railway
* Watercress Line

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[c.]: circa