Great Western Main Line
Encyclopedia
The Great Western Main Line is a main line
railway in Great Britain
that runs westwards from London
Paddington station
to the west of England
and South Wales
. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads
railway station in Bristol
. A major branch of the Great Western, the South Wales Main Line
, diverges from the core line west of and terminates in . The term "Great Western" is also used by Network Rail and other rail transport organisations in the UK rail industry to denote a wider group of routes, see Associated routes below.
The core London–Bristol Temple Meads line is the original route of the pre-1948 Great Western Railway
which was subsequently taken over by the Western Region of British Railways
and is now part of the Network Rail
system.
and engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
as a dual track line using a wider broad gauge
and was opened in stages between 1838 and 1840. It was supplemented with a third rail for Dual gauge
operation allowing standard gauge trains to also operate on the route in stages between 1854 and 1875. Dual gauge was introduced as follows: London to Reading (1 October 1861), Reading to (22 December 1856), Didcot to (February 1872), Swindon to Thingley Junction, (June 1874), Thingley Junction to (16 March 1875), Bathampton to Bristol (June 1874), Bristol station area (29 May 1854). The broad gauge remained in use until 1892. Evidence of the original broad gauge can still be seen at many places where bridges are a wider than usual, or where tracks are ten feet apart instead of the usual six.
The original dual tracks were widened to four track in various places between 1877 and 1899. Paddington to (1 October 1877), Southall to (25 November 1878), West Drayton to (1 June 1879), Slough to east side of Maidenhead Bridge
(8 September 1884), Maidenhead Bridge to (4 June 1893, Reading to (30 July 1893), Pangbourne to (?), Cholsey and Moulsford to Didcot
(27 December 1892), Various short sections between Didcot and Swindon, and at Bristol.
Following the Slough rail accident
in 1900 when five passengers were killed improved vacuum braking systems were used on locomotives and passenger rolling stock and Automatic Train Control (ATC) was introduced in 1908.
At the outbreak of World War I
in 1914, the Great Western Railway was taken into government control, as were most major railways in Britain and were reorganised after the war into the 'big four' companies, of which the Great Western Railway was one. The railways returned to direct government control during World War II
before being nationalised to form British Railways
in 1948.
The line speed was upgraded during the 1970s to support the introduction of the InterCity 125
(HST).
In August 2008, it was announced that a number of speed restrictions on the relief lines between Reading and London have been raised so that 86% of the line can be used at 90 miles per hour (144.8 km/h), however the time allowed between stations for trains running on the relief lines has been reduced in the December 2008 timetable to improve timekeeping.
(including Acton
, Ealing
, Hanwell
– Southall
– Hayes
– Harlington
– West Drayton
) – Iver
– Slough
– Langley
– Burnham
– Taplow
– Maidenhead
– Twyford
– Reading
– Tilehurst
– Goring-on-Thames
– Streatley
– Cholsey
– Didcot
– Swindon
– Chippenham
– Bath – Keynsham
– Bristol
From London to Didcot, the line follows the Thames Valley
, crossing the River Thames
three times, including on the famous Maidenhead Railway Bridge
. After Swindon
trains pass the Swindon Steam Railway Museum
. From Wootton Bassett there are two different routes to Bristol, firstly via Box Tunnel
and secondly via .
It is also possible to run via the Wessex Main Line
but this involves a reversal at Bradford Junction so is only really suitable for multiple unit trains or via Reading to Bath via Newbury. Trains on the Great Western Main Line are sometimes diverted from Reading along the Reading to Taunton line
as far as , from where they can use the Wessex Main Line
to reach either Chippenham, or Bath Spa. Beyond Bristol, some trains continue on the Bristol to Taunton Line to or beyond.
The following routes as managed by Network Rail
as part of the Great Western Main Line (Route 13): Didcot to and Worcester
via the Cherwell Valley Line
and Cotswold Line
, Swindon to via the Golden Valley Line
, Swindon to and via the South Wales Main Line
, Cross Country Routes south of Birmingham
and also aAll connecting branch lines.
(FGW). The stations served by express trains between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads are: , , , , , and . Not all trains call at all of these stations, especially Slough, Didcot and Keynsham.
Fast trains from Paddington to London Heathrow Airport
are operated by BAA as the Heathrow Express
. Local services on this route are jointly operated by FGW and BAA under the Heathrow Connect
name.
CrossCountry
operate trains between Reading and Oxford, using the Great Western Main Line as far as Didcot and South West Trains
operate a limited number of trains between Bath and Bristol.
First Great Western
also operate a train between London Paddington – Cardiff Central (South Wales) every 30 minutes, with hourly extensions to Swansea. Additionally, 2–3 trains continue to Pembroke Dock on weekends during the Summer season to connect with ferry services to Ireland.
The line is currently not electrified except for a short 12 miles section of electrified
25 kV AC
overhead wires between Paddington and Airport Junction (the junction with the line to London Heathrow Airport
near Hayes
).
The line speed is 125 miles per hour (201.2 km/h). The relief lines from Paddington to Didcot are currently limited to 90 miles per hour (144.8 km/h) as far as Reading, and then 100 miles per hour (160.9 km/h) to Didcot. Lower restrictions apply at various locations. It is one of only two Network Rail
-owned lines to be equipped with the Automatic Train Protection
(ATP) system, the other being the Chiltern Main Line
.
Reading railway station
is undergoing a major redevelopment with new platforms, a new entrance, footbridge and lifts.
Swansea railway station
is undergo renovation which will include an enlarged concourse, a new entrance, a new partition wall between concourse and platforms together with a new cafe and more shops.
A major renewal programme is underway from bases at Reading and Taunton.
(ERTMS) in-cab signalling on the Great Western line: this is a pre-requisite for the new Super Express trains to run at 140 mph (225 km/h). Some or all of the resignalling work will be done during the electrification work.
Further capacity improvements are also scheduled at Swindon, adding to recent changes and the new Platform 4.
Crossrail services are planned to terminate at Maidenhead. However with electrification of the Great Western now being extended westwards beyond Maidenhead, the Department of Transport is considering extending Crossrail to terminate at Reading from the outset. Some of the current suburban services into London Paddington are planned to be transferred to the new Crossrail service, which will in turn free up some surface-level capacity at London Paddington.
By 2016, there are plans for a direct rail link from Swindon to London Heathrow Airport. There are also calls for the reintroduction of a station at Corsham
due to recent growth of the town. The original station
was closed to passengers in 1965.
Other more distant aspirations include resignalling and capacity improvements at Reading; the provision of four continuous tracks between Didcot and Swindon (including a grade-separated junction at Milton, where the down (westbound) relief line switches from the north side of the line to the south); and resignalling between Bath and Bristol to enable trains to run closer together.
Access to Heathrow Airport from the west remains an aspiration and there is a proposed future link to Heathrow Airport directly from Reading under the Heathrow Airtrack
scheme which would use a route south of the Great Western main line. Plans for electrification of the line will make it easier to access Heathrow from Reading given that lack of electrification between Reading station and Heathrow Airport Junction near West Drayton station was a limiting factor.
Network Rail intends to replace the ATP system with ETCS – Level 2 from 2017 to 2035 along with the introduction of the new IEP
trains.
Signalling Solutions is to resignal the 12 miles from Paddington to , including the Airport branch, as part of the Crossrail
project.
in June 1900 occurred after an express train from Paddington to Falmouth Docks ran through two sets of signals at danger, and collided with a local train heading for Windsor. Five passengers were killed and 35 were seriously injured.
occurred on 19 December 1973 when a train from Paddington to Oxford derailed: ten passengers were killed and 94 injured.
in 1997 resulted in seven deaths and 139 injuries and severely damaged public confidence in the safety of the rail system. Great Western Trains
was fined £1.5 million for allowing high speed trains to run long journeys with Automatic Warning System
inoperative as was the case in this incident.
in 1999 resulted in thirty-one deaths and more than 520 injured. Thames Trains was fined a record £2,000,000 for violations of health and safety law in connection with this accident. Network Rail
pleaded guilty to charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in relation to the accident. It received a fine of £4 million on 30 March 2007, and was ordered to pay £225,000 in costs.
Main line (railway)
The Mainline or Main line of a railway is a track that is used for through trains or is the principal artery of the system from which branch lines, yards, sidings and spurs are connected....
railway in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
that runs westwards from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Paddington station
Paddington station
Paddington railway station, also known as London Paddington, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex.The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates...
to the west of England
West of England
The West of England is a loose and locationally unspecific term sometimes given to the area surrounding the city and county of Bristol, England, and also sometimes applied more widely and in other parts of South West England.-Use in the Bristol area:...
and South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads
Bristol Temple Meads railway station
Bristol Temple Meads railway station is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is an important transport hub for public transport in Bristol, with bus services to various parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry service to the city centre in addition to the...
railway station in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. A major branch of the Great Western, the South Wales Main Line
South Wales Main Line
The South Wales Main Line , originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain...
, diverges from the core line west of and terminates in . The term "Great Western" is also used by Network Rail and other rail transport organisations in the UK rail industry to denote a wider group of routes, see Associated routes below.
The core London–Bristol Temple Meads line is the original route of the pre-1948 Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
which was subsequently taken over by the Western Region of British Railways
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
and is now part of the Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
system.
History
The line was built by the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
and engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
as a dual track line using a wider broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
and was opened in stages between 1838 and 1840. It was supplemented with a third rail for Dual gauge
Dual gauge
A dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway has railway track that allows trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally, a dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail...
operation allowing standard gauge trains to also operate on the route in stages between 1854 and 1875. Dual gauge was introduced as follows: London to Reading (1 October 1861), Reading to (22 December 1856), Didcot to (February 1872), Swindon to Thingley Junction, (June 1874), Thingley Junction to (16 March 1875), Bathampton to Bristol (June 1874), Bristol station area (29 May 1854). The broad gauge remained in use until 1892. Evidence of the original broad gauge can still be seen at many places where bridges are a wider than usual, or where tracks are ten feet apart instead of the usual six.
The original dual tracks were widened to four track in various places between 1877 and 1899. Paddington to (1 October 1877), Southall to (25 November 1878), West Drayton to (1 June 1879), Slough to east side of Maidenhead Bridge
Maidenhead Railway Bridge
Maidenhead Railway Bridge is a railway bridge carrying the main line of the Great Western Railway over the River Thames between Maidenhead, Berkshire and Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England...
(8 September 1884), Maidenhead Bridge to (4 June 1893, Reading to (30 July 1893), Pangbourne to (?), Cholsey and Moulsford to Didcot
Didcot Parkway railway station
Didcot Parkway is a railway station serving the town of Didcot in Oxfordshire in England. The station was opened as Didcot on 12 June 1844, and renamed Didcot Parkway on 29 July 1985 to reflect its role as a park and ride railhead....
(27 December 1892), Various short sections between Didcot and Swindon, and at Bristol.
Following the Slough rail accident
Slough rail accident
The Slough rail accident happened on 16 June 1900 at Slough railway station on the Great Western Main Line when an express train from to ran through two sets of signals at danger, and collided with a local train heading for Windsor...
in 1900 when five passengers were killed improved vacuum braking systems were used on locomotives and passenger rolling stock and Automatic Train Control (ATC) was introduced in 1908.
At the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1914, the Great Western Railway was taken into government control, as were most major railways in Britain and were reorganised after the war into the 'big four' companies, of which the Great Western Railway was one. The railways returned to direct government control during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
before being nationalised to form British Railways
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
in 1948.
The line speed was upgraded during the 1970s to support the introduction of the InterCity 125
InterCity 125
The InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rail's High Speed Train fleet. The InterCity 125 train is made up of two power cars, one at each end of a fixed formation of Mark 3 carriages, and is capable of , making the train the fastest diesel-powered locomotive in regular service in the...
(HST).
In August 2008, it was announced that a number of speed restrictions on the relief lines between Reading and London have been raised so that 86% of the line can be used at 90 miles per hour (144.8 km/h), however the time allowed between stations for trains running on the relief lines has been reduced in the December 2008 timetable to improve timekeeping.
Route
Communities served: West LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(including Acton
Acton, London
Acton is a district of west London, England, located in the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross.At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people...
, Ealing
Ealing
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
, Hanwell
Hanwell
Hanwell is a town situated in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, between Ealing and Southall. The motto of Hanwell Urban District Council was Nec Aspera Terrent...
– Southall
Southall
Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
– Hayes
Hayes, Hillingdon
Hayes is a town in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. It is a suburban development situated west of Charing Cross. Hayes was developed in the late 19th and 20th centuries as an industrial locality to which residential districts were later added in order to house factory workers...
– Harlington
Harlington, London
Harlington is a suburban area in the London Borough of Hillingdon, on the northern perimeter of London Heathrow Airport. It is situated west of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
– West Drayton
West Drayton
West Drayton is a suburban area in the London Borough of Hillingdon in the far west of London, England. Formerly part of the Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District of Middlesex, the district became part of Greater London in 1965....
) – Iver
Iver
Iver is in the south-east corner of the English county of Buckinghamshire and it forms one of the largest civil parishes in the South Bucks district.Iver railway station is in Richings Park.-Etymology:...
– Slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
– Langley
Langley, Slough
Langley is a large village in the unitary authority of Slough, Berkshire in South East England. It is situated 2 miles east of central Slough, and 20 miles west of London...
– Burnham
Burnham, Buckinghamshire
Burnham is a village and civil parish that lies north of the River Thames in the South Bucks District of Buckinghamshire, and sits on the border with Berkshire, between the towns of Maidenhead and Slough. It is served by Burnham railway station in the west of Slough on the main line between London...
– Taplow
Taplow
Taplow is a village and civil parish within South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It sits on the east bank of the River Thames facing Maidenhead on the opposite bank. Taplow railway station is situated near the A4 south of the village....
– Maidenhead
Maidenhead
Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...
– Twyford
Twyford, Berkshire
For other places of the same name, see Twyford.Twyford is a village and civil parish in the English Royal county of Berkshire. It is situated, at , in the heart of the Thames Valley on the A4 between Reading and Maidenhead, close to Henley-on-Thames and Wokingham.-History:The town's name is...
– Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
– Tilehurst
Tilehurst
Tilehurst is a suburb of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is also, with different boundaries as described below, a civil parish in West Berkshire district.-History:...
– Goring-on-Thames
Goring-On-Thames
Goring-on-Thames is a large village and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, about south of Wallingford.-Geography:...
– Streatley
Streatley, Berkshire
Streatley is a village and civil parish on the River Thames in Berkshire, England.-Location:Streatley is about from Reading and from Oxford. It is in the Goring Gap on the River Thames and is directly across the river from the Oxfordshire village of Goring-on-Thames...
– Cholsey
Cholsey
Cholsey is a village and civil parish south of Wallingford, in South Oxfordshire. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire to the county of Oxfordshire, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire....
– Didcot
Didcot
Didcot is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire about south of Oxford. Until 1974 it was in Berkshire, but was transferred to Oxfordshire in that year, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire...
– Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
– Chippenham
Chippenham
Chippenham may be:* Chippenham, Wiltshire* Chippenham * Chippenham, Cambridgeshire-See also:* Virginia State Route 150, also known as Chippenham Parkway, USA* Cippenham, Berkshire, UK...
– Bath – Keynsham
Keynsham
Keynsham is a town and civil parish between Bristol and Bath in Somerset, south-west England. It has a population of 15,533.It was listed in the Domesday Book as Cainesham, which is believed to mean the home of Saint Keyne....
– Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
From London to Didcot, the line follows the Thames Valley
Thames Valley
The Thames Valley Region is a loose term for the English counties and towns roughly following the course of the River Thames as it flows from Oxfordshire in the west to London in the east. It includes parts of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, North Hampshire, Surrey and west London...
, crossing the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
three times, including on the famous Maidenhead Railway Bridge
Maidenhead Railway Bridge
Maidenhead Railway Bridge is a railway bridge carrying the main line of the Great Western Railway over the River Thames between Maidenhead, Berkshire and Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England...
. After Swindon
Swindon railway station
Swindon railway station is in the town of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The station entrance is on Station Road, to the south of the line.It is approximately from the central bus station and the town centre...
trains pass the Swindon Steam Railway Museum
Swindon Steam Railway Museum
STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway, also known as Swindon Steam Railway Museum, is located at the site of the old railway works in Swindon, England – Wiltshire's 'railway town'...
. From Wootton Bassett there are two different routes to Bristol, firstly via Box Tunnel
Box Tunnel
Box Tunnel is a railway tunnel in Western England, between Bath and Chippenham, dug through Box Hill, and is one of the most significant structures on the Great Western Main Line...
and secondly via .
It is also possible to run via the Wessex Main Line
Wessex Main Line
The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton. Diverging from this route is the Heart of Wessex Line from Westbury to Weymouth.- Places served :The places served are listed below.*Bristol*Keynsham*Oldfield Park*Bath...
but this involves a reversal at Bradford Junction so is only really suitable for multiple unit trains or via Reading to Bath via Newbury. Trains on the Great Western Main Line are sometimes diverted from Reading along the Reading to Taunton line
Reading to Taunton line
The Reading to Taunton line also known as the Berks and Hants is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line that diverges at Reading, running to Cogload Junction near Taunton, where it joins the Bristol to Exeter line....
as far as , from where they can use the Wessex Main Line
Wessex Main Line
The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton. Diverging from this route is the Heart of Wessex Line from Westbury to Weymouth.- Places served :The places served are listed below.*Bristol*Keynsham*Oldfield Park*Bath...
to reach either Chippenham, or Bath Spa. Beyond Bristol, some trains continue on the Bristol to Taunton Line to or beyond.
The following routes as managed by Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
as part of the Great Western Main Line (Route 13): Didcot to and Worcester
Worcester Foregate Street railway station
Worcester Foregate Street railway station, opened by the Great Western Railway in 1860, is situated in the centre of the city of Worcester, in Worcestershire, England. It is physically the smaller of the two stations serving the city, but is more centrally located...
via the Cherwell Valley Line
Cherwell Valley Line
The Cherwell Valley Line is the railway line between Didcot and Banbury via Oxford. It links the Great Western Main Line and the south to the Chiltern Main Line and the Midlands...
and Cotswold Line
Cotswold Line
The Cotswold Line is an railway line between and in England.-Route:The line comprises all or part of the following Network Rail routes:*GW 200 from Oxford*GW 310 from Wolvercot Junction*GW 300 from Norton Junction*GW 340 from Worcester Shrub Hill...
, Swindon to via the Golden Valley Line
Golden Valley Line
The Golden Valley Line is a railway line from Swindon to Cheltenham in the UK.The line was originally built as the Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway in the 1840s...
, Swindon to and via the South Wales Main Line
South Wales Main Line
The South Wales Main Line , originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain...
, Cross Country Routes south of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and also aAll connecting branch lines.
Services
Main line and local services are provided by First Great WesternFirst Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
(FGW). The stations served by express trains between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads are: , , , , , and . Not all trains call at all of these stations, especially Slough, Didcot and Keynsham.
Fast trains from Paddington to London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
are operated by BAA as the Heathrow Express
Heathrow Express
Heathrow Express is an airport rail link from London Heathrow Airport to London Paddington station in London operated by the Heathrow Express Operating Authority, a wholly owned subsidiary of BAA. It was opened by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1998...
. Local services on this route are jointly operated by FGW and BAA under the Heathrow Connect
Heathrow Connect
Heathrow Connect is a train operating company in London provided jointly by Heathrow Express and First Great Western, connecting Heathrow Airport with station. The service follows the same route as the Heathrow Express service but serves intermediate stations en route, thus connecting several...
name.
CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
operate trains between Reading and Oxford, using the Great Western Main Line as far as Didcot and South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
operate a limited number of trains between Bath and Bristol.
First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
also operate a train between London Paddington – Cardiff Central (South Wales) every 30 minutes, with hourly extensions to Swansea. Additionally, 2–3 trains continue to Pembroke Dock on weekends during the Summer season to connect with ferry services to Ireland.
Infrastructure
Between London and Didcot there are four tracks, grouped by speed with the "relief" lines on the north side of the "main" lines. Most smaller stations only have platforms in use on the relief lines. Between Didcot and Royal Wootton Bassett there are a series of passing loops lines to allow fast trains to overtake slower ones. This section is also signalled for bi-directional running on each line but this facility is usually only used during engineering working or when there is significant disruption to traffic in one direction.The line is currently not electrified except for a short 12 miles section of electrified
Railway electrification in Great Britain
Railway electrification in Great Britain started towards of the 19th century. A great range of voltages have been used in the intervening period using both overhead lines and third rails, however the most common standard for mainline services is now 25 kV AC using overhead lines and the...
25 kV AC
25 kV AC
The 25 kV Alternating current railway electrification system is commonly used in railways worldwide, especially for high-speed rail.-Overview:This electrification system is ideal for railways that cover long distances and/or carry heavy traffic...
overhead wires between Paddington and Airport Junction (the junction with the line to London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
near Hayes
Hayes and Harlington railway station
thumb|right|Up freight west of Hayes & Harlington in 1962Hayes and Harlington railway station is a railway station in Hayes and Harlington in the London Borough of Hillingdon.-History:...
).
The line speed is 125 miles per hour (201.2 km/h). The relief lines from Paddington to Didcot are currently limited to 90 miles per hour (144.8 km/h) as far as Reading, and then 100 miles per hour (160.9 km/h) to Didcot. Lower restrictions apply at various locations. It is one of only two Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
-owned lines to be equipped with the Automatic Train Protection
Automatic Train Protection
Automatic Train Protection in Great Britain refers to either of two implementations of a train protection system installed in some trains in order to help prevent collisions through a driver's failure to observe a signal or speed restriction...
(ATP) system, the other being the Chiltern Main Line
Chiltern Main Line
The Chiltern Main Line is an inter-urban, regional and commuter railway, part of the British railway system. It links London and Birmingham on a 112-mile route via the towns of High Wycombe, Banbury, and Leamington Spa...
.
Planned developments
The Great Western is currently undergoing a £5 billion modernisation by Network Rail.Reading railway station
Reading railway station
Reading railway station is a major rail transport hub in the English town of Reading. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames...
is undergoing a major redevelopment with new platforms, a new entrance, footbridge and lifts.
Swansea railway station
Swansea railway station
Swansea railway station is a railway station that serves Swansea, Wales. The station is one of four in the City and County of Swansea and is the fourth busiest in Wales after Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street and Newport.-History:...
is undergo renovation which will include an enlarged concourse, a new entrance, a new partition wall between concourse and platforms together with a new cafe and more shops.
A major renewal programme is underway from bases at Reading and Taunton.
Electrification west of Airport Junction
As part of Crossrail the Great Western was already planned to be electrified from Airport Junction to Maidenhead but, following a number of announcements and delays the government announced in March 2011 that the line would be electrified between London and Cardiff together with the section linking Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads.Other proposals
Network Rail plans to install European Rail Traffic Management SystemEuropean Rail Traffic Management System
The European Rail Traffic Management System is an initiative backed by the European Union to enhance cross-border interoperability and signalling procurement by creating a single Europe-wide standard for train control and command systems....
(ERTMS) in-cab signalling on the Great Western line: this is a pre-requisite for the new Super Express trains to run at 140 mph (225 km/h). Some or all of the resignalling work will be done during the electrification work.
Further capacity improvements are also scheduled at Swindon, adding to recent changes and the new Platform 4.
Crossrail services are planned to terminate at Maidenhead. However with electrification of the Great Western now being extended westwards beyond Maidenhead, the Department of Transport is considering extending Crossrail to terminate at Reading from the outset. Some of the current suburban services into London Paddington are planned to be transferred to the new Crossrail service, which will in turn free up some surface-level capacity at London Paddington.
By 2016, there are plans for a direct rail link from Swindon to London Heathrow Airport. There are also calls for the reintroduction of a station at Corsham
Corsham
Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in north west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south western extreme of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 which was formerly the main turnpike road from London to Bristol, between Bath and Chippenham ....
due to recent growth of the town. The original station
Corsham railway station
Corsham railway station served the town of Corsham in Wiltshire, England. The station was on the main Great Western Railway line from London to Bristol and was opened when the Chippenham to Bath section opened in June 1841....
was closed to passengers in 1965.
Other more distant aspirations include resignalling and capacity improvements at Reading; the provision of four continuous tracks between Didcot and Swindon (including a grade-separated junction at Milton, where the down (westbound) relief line switches from the north side of the line to the south); and resignalling between Bath and Bristol to enable trains to run closer together.
Access to Heathrow Airport from the west remains an aspiration and there is a proposed future link to Heathrow Airport directly from Reading under the Heathrow Airtrack
Heathrow Airtrack
Heathrow Airtrack is a proposed railway link in west London, England, UK. The line as proposed by BAA, would have run from into central London and across the suburbs of south-west London. BAA announced that it was abandoning the project in April 2011...
scheme which would use a route south of the Great Western main line. Plans for electrification of the line will make it easier to access Heathrow from Reading given that lack of electrification between Reading station and Heathrow Airport Junction near West Drayton station was a limiting factor.
Network Rail intends to replace the ATP system with ETCS – Level 2 from 2017 to 2035 along with the introduction of the new IEP
Intercity Express Programme
The Intercity Express Programme is an initiative of the Department for Transport in the United Kingdom to procure new trains to replace the InterCity 125 fleet on the East Coast Main Line and Great Western Main Line, as well as replacing other trainsets on long distance services from London to...
trains.
Signalling Solutions is to resignal the 12 miles from Paddington to , including the Airport branch, as part of the Crossrail
Crossrail
Crossrail is a project to build a major new railway link under central London. The name refers to the first of two routes which are the responsibility of Crossrail Ltd. It is based on an entirely new east-west tunnel with a central section from to Liverpool Street station...
project.
Slough rail accident
The Slough rail accidentSlough rail accident
The Slough rail accident happened on 16 June 1900 at Slough railway station on the Great Western Main Line when an express train from to ran through two sets of signals at danger, and collided with a local train heading for Windsor...
in June 1900 occurred after an express train from Paddington to Falmouth Docks ran through two sets of signals at danger, and collided with a local train heading for Windsor. Five passengers were killed and 35 were seriously injured.
Ealing rail crash
The Ealing rail crashEaling rail crash
The Ealing rail crash was an accident on the English railway system that occurred on 19 December 1973. The 17:18 express train from London Paddington to Oxford—with approximately 650 passengers on board—was derailed while travelling at around between Ealing Broadway and West Ealing...
occurred on 19 December 1973 when a train from Paddington to Oxford derailed: ten passengers were killed and 94 injured.
Southall rail crash
The Southall rail crashSouthall rail crash
The Southall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 19 September 1997, on the Great Western Main Line at Southall, west London. Seven people were killed and 139 injured...
in 1997 resulted in seven deaths and 139 injuries and severely damaged public confidence in the safety of the rail system. Great Western Trains
Great Western Trains
Great Western Trains was a UK train company created in the mid 1990s as part of the privatisation of British Rail. It was one of the first two passenger companies to be privatised, passing into private ownership along with South West Trains on 4 February 1996....
was fined £1.5 million for allowing high speed trains to run long journeys with Automatic Warning System
Automatic Warning System
The Automatic Warning System is a form of limited cab signalling and train protection system introduced in 1956 in the United Kingdom to help train drivers observe and obey signals. It was based on a 1930 system developed by Alfred Ernest Hudd and marketed as the "Strowger-Hudd" system...
inoperative as was the case in this incident.
Ladbroke Grove rail crash
The Ladbroke Grove rail crashLadbroke Grove rail crash
The Ladbroke Grove Rail Crash was a rail accident which occurred on 5 October 1999 at Ladbroke Grove, London, England. Thirty-one people were killed and more than 520 injured...
in 1999 resulted in thirty-one deaths and more than 520 injured. Thames Trains was fined a record £2,000,000 for violations of health and safety law in connection with this accident. Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
pleaded guilty to charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in relation to the accident. It received a fine of £4 million on 30 March 2007, and was ordered to pay £225,000 in costs.