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{{Short description|Suburban railway line in south-east England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox rail line
{{Infobox rail line
| box_width =
| box_width =
| name = Staines to Windsor Line
| name = Staines–Windsor line
| color =
| color =
| logo =
| logo =
| logo_width =
| logo_width =
| logo_alt =
| logo_alt =
| image = 450083 at Windsor and Eton Riverside, Windsor Castle in background, August 2014.jpg
| image =
| image_width =
| image_width = 300px
| caption = A [[British Rail Class 450|Class 450]] unit at [[Windsor & Eton Riverside railway station|Windsor & Eton Riverside station]] with [[Windsor Castle]] behind
| image_alt =
| caption =
| type = [[Suburban rail]], [[Heavy rail]]
| type = [[Suburban rail]], [[Heavy rail]]
| system = [[National Rail]]
| system = [[National Rail]]
| status = Operational
| status = Operational
| locale = [[Berkshire]]<br>[[South East England]]
| locale = [[Berkshire]], [[Surrey]]
| start =
| start =
| end =
| end =
Line 38: Line 39:
| elevation =
| elevation =
| website =
| website =
| map = [[File:Staines–Windsor line.png|300px]]<br />([[:commons:File:Staines–Windsor line.png|Click to expand]])
| map =
| map_state = collapsed
| map_state = uncollapsed
}}
}}

The '''Staines–Windsor line''' is a {{cvt|6|mile|46|ch|km|adj=on}} railway line in [[Berkshire]] and [[Surrey]], England. It branches from the [[Waterloo–Reading line]] at [[Staines-upon-Thames]] and runs to its western terminus at [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]] via intermediate stations at {{rws|Wraysbury}}, {{rws|Sunnymeads}} and {{rws|Datchet}}. All of the stations are managed by [[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]], which operates all passenger trains. Most services run between [[Windsor & Eton Riverside railway station|Windsor & Eton Riverside station]] and {{rws|London Waterloo}} via [[Richmond railway station (London)|Richmond]] and {{rws|Clapham Junction}}.

The line was promoted by the Windsor, Staines and South Western Railway (WSSWR). The first section, between {{rws|Staines}} and Datchet, opened on 22 August 1848. It was extended to a temporary station at Windsor on 1 December 1849. The permanent terminus, now known as Windsor & Eton Riverside station, was designed by [[William Tite]] and opened on 1 May 1851. The [[London and South Western Railway]], which had operated all passenger services from the outset, took over the WSSWR in June 1850. The [[Southern Railway (UK)|Southern Railway]] was responsible for electrifying the line with the 750 [[Volt|V]] [[direct current|DC]] third-rail system in 1930.

==Infrastructure and services==
{{Staines to Windsor Line}}
{{Staines to Windsor Line}}
The Staines–Windsor line is a railway line in [[Berkshire]] and [[Surrey]], England. It runs for {{cvt|6|mile|46|ch|km}} from its terminus at [[Windsor & Eton Riverside railway station| Windsor & Eton Riverside station]] to an [[grade separation|at-grade]] junction with the [[Waterloo–Reading line]] at the west end of [[Staines railway station|Staines station]], {{cvt|19|mi|2|ch|km}} down the line from {{rws|London Waterloo}}. There are intermediate stations at {{rws|Datchet}}, {{rws|Sunnymeads}} and {{rws|Wraysbury}},{{sfn|"Sectional Appendix"|2009|pp= 183, 203-204}} and the maximum permitted speed is {{cvt|60|mph}}.{{sfn|"Sectional Appendix"|2009|pp= 183, 203-204}}{{sfn|"Route Specifications"|2016|pp=54-58}} The line is [[railway electrification in Great Britain|electrified]] using the 750 [[Volt|V]] [[direct current|DC]] third-rail system and is double tracked throughout. Signalling is controlled by Basingstoke [[rail operating centre]] and [[track circuit|Track Circuit Block]] is in operation.{{sfn|"Sectional Appendix"|2009|pp= 183, 203-204}}{{sfn|"Route Specifications"|2016|pp=54-58}} Between Windsor & Eton Riverside and Datchet stations, there are two level crossings and the line crosses the [[River Thames]] at [[Black Potts Railway Bridge]].{{sfn|"Sectional Appendix"|2009|pp= 183, 203-204}}{{sfn|Mindell|Mindell|1985|pp=84-85}}
The '''Staines to Windsor Line''' is a [[National Rail]] suburban railway line in England operated by [[South West Trains]]. It branches from the [[Waterloo to Reading Line]] at [[Staines-upon-Thames]] in [[Surrey]] and runs to [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]] in [[Berkshire]].


The stations on the branch are managed by [[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]], which operates all services.<ref name=timetable>{{cite web |title= Windsor, Staines and Feltham to London Waterloo |date= December 2023 |publisher= South Western Railway |url= https://www.southwesternrailway.com/-/media/files/plan-my-journey/timetables/december-2023/ptt04-december-2023.pdf
== History ==
|access-date= 11 February 2024 }}</ref> All stations have two operational platforms each.{{sfn|"Sectional Appendix"|2009|pp=125-130}}{{efn|Platform 2 at {{rws|Wraysbury}} is the shortest on the line with a length of {{cvt|165.5|m}}.{{sfn|"Sectional Appendix"|2009|pp=124-130}}}} The [[buffer stop]] at Windsor & Eton Riverside is {{cvt|25|mile|48|ch|km}} down the line from London Waterloo, when measured via {{rws|Twickenham}}.{{sfn|"Sectional Appendix"|2009| pp= 183, 203-204}} The off-peak service pattern is two trains per hour in each direction calling at all stations between Windsor & Eton Riverside and Twickenham, then [[Richmond railway station (London)|Richmond]], {{rws|Putney}}, {{rws|Clapham Junction}}, {{rws|Vauxhall}} and London Waterloo. Off-peak trains from Windsor & Eton Riverside typically reach Staines in around 15 minutes{{sfn|"Route Specifications"|2016| pp=54-58}} and London Waterloo in around 55 minutes.<ref name=timetable/>
The line from [[Richmond station (London)|Richmond]] through {{rws|Staines}} to {{rws|Datchet}} was opened on 22 August 1848 by the Windsor, Staines and South Western Railway under the auspices of the [[London and South Western Railway]](L&SWR) and reached Windsor on 1 December 1849. The line was [[Railway electrification in Great Britain|electrified]] in 1930 at 660 V DC (since raised to 750 V) on the [[third rail]] system by the [[Southern Railway (Great Britain)|Southern Railway]].


{|class="wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed"
=== Connections to Staines West Branch ===
|+ class="nowrap"|Stations on the Staines–Windsor line {{nobold|(from west to east)}}
The L&SWR opposed connection with the [[Staines & West Drayton Railway|Staines West Branch]] but three separate connections have existed. The earliest was through the sidings of the Staines Linoleum Company and would have required use of turntables or reversals to pass wagons between the lines. In [[World War II]] a single track spur was laid from just south of {{rws|Yeoveney Halt}} facing [[Railroad directions#United Kingdom|up]] on the Staines to Windsor Line as a diversionary route should cross-London routes be blocked by bombing, this link existed from 23 June 1940 to 16 December 1947 but was little used. The last, laid in 1981 when the Staines West Branch was severed by the [[M25 motorway]], was to an oil terminal built in the former goods yard of [[Staines West railway station|Staines West station]] and lasted until 1991.
|-
!scope="col"|Station
!scope="col"|Distance from Waterloo<br> via Twickenham{{sfn|"Sectional Appendix"|2009|pp=183, 203-204}}
!scope="col"|Opened
!scope="col"|Closed
!scope="col" class="unsortable"|Original name
!scope="col" class="unsortable"|Ref.
|- style="background:#F8F8FF"
|{{rws|Windsor & Eton Riverside}}||{{cvt|25|mi|48|ch}}||{{date table sorting|1 December 1849}}||||Windsor||{{sfn|Quick|2023|p=489}}
|-
|{{rws|Datchet}}||{{cvt|23|mi|63|ch}}||{{date table sorting|22 August 1848}}||||Datchett||{{sfn|Quick|2023|p=158}}
|-
|{{rws|Sunnymeads}}||{{cvt|22|mi|48|ch}}||{{date table sorting|10 July 1927}}||||||{{sfn|Quick|2023|p=439}}
|-
|{{rws|Wraysbury}}||{{cvt|21|mi|40|ch}}||{{date table sorting|22 August 1848}}|||| ||{{sfn|Quick|2023|p=497}}
|-
|{{rws|Staines High Street}}||{{cvt|19|mi|24|ch}}||{{date table sorting|1 July 1884}}||{{date table sorting|30 January 1916}}||||{{sfn|Quick|2023|p=428}}
|}


== Services ==
==History==
===Proposals and authorisation===
The service frequency is two trains per hour in each direction every day except early on Sunday mornings when it is one per hour. From Windsor to [[London Waterloo]] takes about 55 minutes, some 20 minutes longer than the quickest journeys to [[London Paddington station|London Paddington]] from the other station at Windsor, [[Windsor & Eton Central railway station|Windsor & Eton Central]], although according to Network Rail timetables, the journey time to many central London locations is similar from both stations.
The first proposal for a railway to [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]] was made by the Windsor, Slough and Staines Atmospheric Railway (WSSAR) company. Its engineer, [[Charles Blacker Vignoles|Charles Vignoles]], proposed two lines, one linking the town to [[Slough]] and the other to [[Staines-upon-Thames|Staines]], which would have crossed the Thames together at [[Romney Island]].{{sfn|South|1978|pp=40-41}}{{efn|Under the plans drawn up by [[Charles Blacker Vignoles|Charles Vignoles]], the WSSAR line from Windsor to Slough would have been laid as [[broad-gauge railway|broad gauge]] and the line to Staines would have been [[Standard-gauge railway|standard gauge]].{{sfn|South|1978|pp=40-41}} By crossing the [[River Thames]] at [[Romney Island]], the lines would avoid having to run over land owned by [[Crown Estate|the Crown]].{{sfn|South|1978|p=46}}}} A bill was prepared and was given its first reading in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] on 13 February 1846.{{sfn|South|1978|p=44}} After scrutiny by a [[select committee (United Kingdom)|select committee]], parliament declined to consider the scheme any further on 19 May of that year.{{sfn|South|1978|p=49}}


In the late 1840s, there was an intense rivalry between the [[London and South Western Railway]] (LSWR) and the [[Great Western Railway]] (GWR), both of which wanted to be first to open a railway to Windsor.{{sfn|South|1978|p=55}} The board of the WSSAR joined with representatives of the LSWR and the Staines and Richmond Railway, to propose a standard gauge line to Windsor via Staines.{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=171}} The new company, known as the Windsor, Staines and South Western Railway (WSSWR), employed [[Joseph Locke]] to design the new railway. Locke proposed two separate undertakings: a railway line from Richmond to Datchet via Staines and a loop line connecting {{rws|Barnes}} and {{rws|Hounslow}}.{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=172}}{{efn|The [[Hounslow loop line|loop line proposed by Locke]] to link {{rws|Barnes}} and {{rws|Hounslow}} was authorised by parliament on 25 June 1847. He also proposed a line from {{rws|Staines}} to Pirbright Junction via [[Chertsey]].{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=172}}}}
The Sunday service is roughly the same, but limited services pass through Wraysbury and Sunnymeads without stopping on this day.


In early 1847, the GWR and WSSWR submitted separate bills to parliament for railways to Windsor. The GWR bill was rejected on 11 June, but the second scheme was approved two weeks later.{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=172}}{{efn|A condition of the parliamentary approval of the WSSWR was that the western terminus at Black Potts should be laid out so that it could be shared by a future branch from the [[Great Western Main Line]].{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=172}}}} [[Thomas Brassey]] was paid £111,700 to construct the WSSWR from Richmond to Datchet.{{sfn|Williams|1968|pp=173-174}} The LSWR agreed to lease the line for a 4.5% capital return and payment of half of the operating profits.{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=175}}
Services on the line run beyond [[Staines railway station|Staines]] to [[Waterloo railway station|London Waterloo]], running a fast service which calls at these stations:
* [[Ashford (Surrey) railway station|Ashford]]
* {{rws|Feltham}}
* {{rws|Whitton}}
* {{rws|Twickenham}}
* [[Richmond station (London)|Richmond]]
* {{rws|Putney}}
* {{rws|Clapham Junction}}
* [[Vauxhall station|Vauxhall]]
* {{rws|London Waterloo}}


===Opening===
===Train and Platform lengths===
The first section of the Staines–Windsor line opened on 22 August 1848. The western terminus was at Datchet and passengers for Windsor were required to catch a [[stagecoach]] to complete their journeys.{{sfn|Williams|1968|pp=173-174}}{{sfn|South|1978|p=109}}{{efn|In 1848, the price of a one-way ticket for the stagecoach journey between Datchet and Windsor was 4&nbsp;''[[Penny (British pre-decimal coin)|d]]''.{{sfn|South|1978|p=109}}}} The initial weekday service, operated by the LSWR, was 15 daily trains to London Waterloo and 12 trains to Windsor.{{sfn|Williams|1968|pp=173-174}} A provisional agreement between the WSSWR and the Crown to continue the line to Windsor was reached that month, but was not formalised until 14 February 1849, by which time the extension was under construction.{{sfn|South|1978|p=85}}{{efn|Under the agreement formalised between the WSSWR and the Crown on 14 February 1849, the railway company agreed to pay £80,000 to fund the draining and landscaping of [[Windsor Great Park]]. The railway historian, H.P. White, suggests that [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Albert]] was unwilling to approach parliament to fund the work.{{sfn|White|1992|p=132}}}} Formal powers for the Datchet–Windsor section were granted on 26 June of that year.{{sfn|Williams|1968|pp=173-174}}


[[File:Black Potts Bridge (Nancy).JPG|thumb|right|[[Black Potts Railway Bridge]]]]
Trains run in eight- or ten-car lengths, although shorter four- and five-car trains may be used at times.
The WSSWR hoped to be able to open the extension to Windsor during August 1849, but on the 9th of that month, a crack appeared in one of the girders of the Black Potts Railway Bridge, requiring urgent structural repairs.{{sfn|Williams|1968|pp=173-174}}{{sfn|South|1978|p=113}}{{efn|[[Black Potts Railway Bridge]] was designed by [[Joseph Locke]] and built by [[Thomas Brassey]].{{sfn|Mindell|Mindell|1985|pp=84-85}} The cracks detected in one of the girders on 9 August 1849 are thought to have been caused by the sinking of one of the piers.{{sfn|South|1978|p=113}} In 1892, further cracks were detected in the cast iron arched ribs, which were replaced by straight, wrought iron girders.{{sfn|Mindell|Mindell|1985|pp=84-85}}}} As a result of the delay, the GWR, which had obtained authorisation for its own line, opened [[Windsor & Eton Central railway station|the first railway station in Windsor]] on 8 October that year.{{sfn|Williams|1968|pp=173-174}}{{sfn|South|1978|p=114}} The WSSWR finally opened its temporary terminus in Windsor on 1 December 1849.{{sfn|White|1992|p=132}}{{sfn|South|1978|p=114}}


[[File:Winsor & Eton Riverside station.jpg|thumb|right|[[Windsor & Eton Riverside railway station|Windsor & Eton Riverside station]]]]
The platforms at Sunnymeads and Datchet are too short for the long trains. At these stations selective door opening is used to prevent passengers alighting from the rearmost coaches.
The LSWR, which had leased the line from the outset, took over the WSSWR on 30 June 1850.{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=175}}{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=44}} The permanent terminus at Windsor opened on 1 May 1851.{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=175}}{{sfn|South|1978|p=118}} Designed by [[William Tite]] in the Tudor-Gothic style, it included a private waiting room provided for [[Queen Victoria]] and her attendants.<ref>{{NHLE |num= 1117737 |desc= Windsor Riverside Station and royal waiting room |grade= II |fewer-links= yes}}</ref>{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Fig. 118}} The three {{cvt|700|ft}} platforms were spanned by a single roof and the enlarged signal box had 44 levers.{{sfn|Faulkner|Williams|1988|p=44}} Initially trains stopped outside of the trainshed to allow the locomotives to be detached, before the carriages were hauled by rope into the station. This practice ceased in June 1868, following an accident in which a set of carriages crashed into the buffer stop.{{sfn|Williams|1973|p=47}}


===Later history===
==Proposed enhancements ==
[[File:Datchet station geograph-3404507-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|thumb|right|[[Datchet railway station|Datchet station]]]]
The two original intermediate stations on the line were rebuilt after their initial openings. In April 1861, Wraysbury station was resited around {{cvt|26|chain|m}} southeast of its original site. A new brick-built station building was opened at Datchet on 10 October 1888, replacing the original [[lumber|timber]] structure.{{sfn|Williams|1973|p=46}}


[[File:Sunnymeads railway station (3) - geograph.org.uk - 1136288.jpg|thumb|right|[[Sunnymeads railway station|Sunnymeads station]]]]
A 2008 proposal was for the [[AirTrack (rail link)|AirTrack]] scheme to provide a new link to Heathrow, including a station near the site of the former [[Staines High Street railway station]].<ref>Heathrow Airtrack. ''Consultation Brochure 2.'' October 2008, p7.</ref> Although Airtrack was dropped by BAA, it has not died altogether as in 2011 Wandsworth Council proposed 'AirTrack Lite' and in September 2013, the Airports Commission wrote to the Department for Transport saying:
The Staines West Curve was opened with [[Staines High Street railway station|Staines High Street station]] on 1 July 1884.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=44}}<ref>{{cite news |last= Burnett |first= Tom |date= 9 September 2023 |title= The long lost railway station off Surrey high street that has completely vanished |work= Surrey Live |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/long-lost-railway-station-surrey-27683325 |access-date= 21 February 2024 }}</ref> It enabled direct trains to run between Windsor and {{rws|Egham}}, without the need for reversal. From 1 May 1889, the service was extended southwestwards to {{rws|Woking}} via {{rws|Chertsey}}. By 1911, there were only four timetabled passenger trains using the curve on weekdays.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=44}} Staines High Street station closed on 30 January 1916.{{sfn|Quick|2023|p=428}} The Staines West Curve was used again between 1921 and 1930 for a Windsor-Waterloo via Chertsey service, but the High Street station did not reopen.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=44}} Sunnymeads station, configured with a single [[island platform]], opened on 10 July 1927.{{sfn|Quick|2023|p=439}}{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc= Fig. 106}}


Electric trains began running on the Staines–Windsor line on 6 July 1930.{{sfn|Brown|2009|p=54}} Initially the off-peak service was half-hourly to Waterloo with trains running non-stop east of Richmond. Additional services ran via Hounslow at peak times.{{sfn|Brown|2009|p=54}} From summer 1936, [[SR Class 2-NOL|2-NOL]] [[electric multiple unit]]s worked the line,{{sfn|Brown|2009|p=54}}{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Fig. 115}} but were replaced by [[SR Class 4Sub|4-SUB]] units in December 1957. The latter had a brief tenure on the line, being replaced by [[British Rail Class 415|Class 415]] units the following May. [[British Rail Class 414|Class 414]] units were also used on the line from the late 1950s.{{sfn|Hornby|1995|p=175}} [[British Rail Class 707|Class 707]] trains were introduced in August 2017<ref>{{cite news |title= Class 707s enter service on Windsor routes |date= 18 August 2017 |work= Rail UK |url= https://railuk.com/rail-news/class-707s-enter-service-on-windsor-routes/ |access-date= 22 February 2024 }}</ref> and the first [[British Rail Class 701|Class 701]] units ran in passenger service on the line in January 2024.<ref>{{cite news |title= First of £1bn Arterio trains completes inaugural journey |date=9 January 2024 |work= BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-67926688 |access-date= 21 February 2024 }}</ref>
{{Quotation|'We think there is a case to look again at rail access to Heathrow from the south. This may involve revisiting the AirTrack proposal or developing fresh ideas.|Sir Howard Davies|[https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/263208/surface-access-letter.pdf Surface Access Letter]|[[Airports Commission]]}}


Between 1897 and 1940, coal was delivered from the Staines-Windsor line to the [[Metropolitan Water Board]] pumping station in London Road, Staines, via a {{cvt|3/4|mi|km}} private siding.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=190}} The goods yards on the line closed in the early 1960s;{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Fig. 115}}{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Fig. 105}} the shutting of the yard at Wraysbury in 1962, was followed by the closure of the signal box in March 1965.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Fig. 105}} A major resignalling project took place in the mid-1970s, which resulted in the line being controlled from Feltham area signalling centre. The scheme was commissioned on 8 September 1974{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=230}} and the signal box at Windsor and Eton Riverside closed the same day.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Fig. 117}} Datchet signal box was retained for three months to operate the level crossing, but closed on 17 December 1974 when control was transferred to Feltham.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Fig. 108}} A second major resignalling project took place in the early 2020s. when control of the line was transferred to Basingstoke rail operating centre.<ref>{{cite magazine |title= South Western signals upgraded |date= 19 April 2022 |magazine= Modern Railways |url= https://www.modernrailways.com/article/south-western-signals-upgraded |access-date= 21 February 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Longhorn |first= Danny |date= 19 February 2024 |title= Network Rail completes final phase of £375M investment to install state-of-the-art signalling system |work= Rail Business Daily |url= https://news.railbusinessdaily.com/network-rail-completes-final-phase-of-375m-investment-to-install-state-of-the-art-signalling-system/ |access-date= 21 February 2024 }}</ref>
The [[Windsor Link Railway]] also proposes a solution for southern rail access to [[Heathrow Airport|Heathrow]] as well as linking to [[Slough station|Slough]] via a tunnel in [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]].


===Connections to the Staines and West Drayton line===
== References ==
The LSWR opposed a junction with the [[Staines & West Drayton Railway]] but three separate connections have existed. The earliest was through the sidings of the Staines Linoleum Company{{sfn|Jackson|1978|p=199}} and would have required use of turntables or reversals to pass wagons between the lines. During the Second World War, a single-track spur was laid from just south of {{rws|Yeoveney Halt}} to just west of the site of Staines High Street station, to provide an alternative should cross-London routes be blocked by bomb damage;{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Fig. 103}} this link existed from 23 June 1940 to 16 December 1947 but was little used.{{sfn|Jackson|1978|p=201}} The last, laid in 1981 when the Staines West branch was severed by the [[M25 motorway]], was to an oil terminal built in the former goods yard of [[Staines West railway station|Staines West station]]{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Fig. 103}} and lasted until 1991.
{{commons category}}

==Proposed enhancements ==
The [[AirTrack (rail link)|AirTrack]] scheme, proposed in 2008 to provide a new link to [[Heathrow Airport]], included a station near the site of the former Staines High Street station.<ref>{{cite magazine |title= Airtrack : Stopped in its tracks? |date= 3 June 2009 |magazine= RAIL |url= https://www.railmagazine.com/infrastructure/new-railways/airtrack-stopped-in-its-tracks |access-date= 21 February 2024 }}</ref> The [[Windsor Link Railway]] also proposed a route for southern rail access to Heathrow, as well as linking the line to {{rws|Slough}} via a tunnel in Windsor.<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Smale |first= Katherine |date= 7 December 2018 |title= Windsor to Heathrow rail scheme 'rejected outright' |magazine= New Civil Engineer |url= https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/exclusive-windsor-to-heathrow-rail-scheme-rejected-outright-07-12-2018/ |access-date= 21 February 2024 }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last= Brown |first= David |year= 2009 |title= Development of the London Suburban Network and Its Trains |series= Southern Electric |volume= 1 |publisher= Capital Transport Publishing |location= Crowthorne |isbn= 978-1-85-414330-3}}
* {{cite book |last1= Faulkner |first1= J.N. |last2= Williams |first2= R.A. |year= 1988 |title= The London & South Western Railway in the 20th century |publisher= David & Charles |location= Newton Abbot |isbn= 978-0-71-538927-0 }}
* {{cite book |last= Hornby |first= Frank |year= 1995 |title= London Suburban |publisher= Silver Link Publishing |location= Peterborough |isbn= 978-1-85-794039-8 }}
* {{cite book |last= Jackson |first= Alan A. |year= 1978 |title= London's Local Railways |publisher= David & Charles |location= Newton Abbot |isbn= 978-0-71-537479-5 }}
* {{cite book |last= Jackson |first= Alan A. |year= 1999 |title= The railway in Surrey |publisher= Atlantic Transport Publishers |location= Penryn |isbn= 978-0-90-689990-8 }}
* {{cite book |last1= Mindell |first1= Ruth |last2= Mindell |first2= Jonathan |year= 1985 |title= Bridges over the Thames |publisher= Blandford Press |location= Poole |isbn= 978-0-71-371542-2 }}
* {{cite book |last1= Mitchell |first1= Vic |last2= Smith |first2= Keith |year= 1988 |title= Waterloo to Windsor via Richmond |publisher= Middleton Press |location= Midhurst |isbn= 978-0-90-652054-3 }}
* {{cite book |last= Quick |first= Michael |year= 2023 |orig-year= 2001 |title= Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain |edition= 5.05 |publisher= Railway and Canal Historical Society |location= London |url= https://rchs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Railway-Passenger-Stations.pdf |access-date= 29 January 2024 }}
* {{cite book |last= South |first= Raymond |year= 1978 |title= Crown, College and Railways |publisher= Barracuda Books |location= Buckingham |isbn= 978-0-86-023071-7 }}
* {{cite book |last= White |first= H.P. |year= 1992 |title=Southern England |volume= II |series= A regional history of the railways of Great Britain |edition= 5th |isbn= 978-0-94-653777-8 }}
* {{cite book |last=Williams |first=R. A. |year=1968 |title=The London & South Western Railway |volume= 1: The formative years |publisher= David & Charles |location= Newton Abbot |isbn= 0-7153-4188-X }}
* {{cite book |last=Williams |first=R. A. |year=1973 |title=The London & South Western Railway |volume= 2: Growth and Consolidation |publisher= David & Charles |location= Newton Abbot |isbn=0-7153-5940-1 }}
* {{cite web |title= Kent / Sussex / Wessex Routes Sectional Appendix |publisher= Network Rail |year= 2009 |url= https://sacuksprodnrdigital0001.blob.core.windows.net/sectional-appendix/Sectional%20Appendix%20full%20PDFs%20December%2023/Kent%20Sussex%20and%20Wessex%20Sectional%20Appendix%20December%202023%20.pdf |access-date= 23 January 2024 |ref= {{harvid|"Sectional Appendix"|2009}}}}
* {{cite web |title= Delivering a better railway for a better Britain {{!}} Route Specifications: Wessex |year= 2016 |publisher= Network Rail |url= https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Route-Specification-2016-Wessex-1.pdf |access-date= 23 January 2024 |ref= {{harvid|"Route Specifications"|2016}}}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{commons category inline}}


{{Railway lines in South East England}}
{{Railway lines in South East England}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Staines-Windsor line}}
[[Category:Rail transport in Berkshire]]
[[Category:Rail transport in Berkshire]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1849]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1849]]

Latest revision as of 08:41, 27 September 2024

Staines–Windsor line
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerNetwork Rail
LocaleBerkshire, Surrey
Service
TypeSuburban rail, Heavy rail
SystemNational Rail
History
Opened1848/9
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification750 V DC Third rail
Route map

(Click to expand)

The Staines–Windsor line is a 6-mile-46-ch (10.6 km) railway line in Berkshire and Surrey, England. It branches from the Waterloo–Reading line at Staines-upon-Thames and runs to its western terminus at Windsor via intermediate stations at Wraysbury, Sunnymeads and Datchet. All of the stations are managed by South Western Railway, which operates all passenger trains. Most services run between Windsor & Eton Riverside station and London Waterloo via Richmond and Clapham Junction.

The line was promoted by the Windsor, Staines and South Western Railway (WSSWR). The first section, between Staines and Datchet, opened on 22 August 1848. It was extended to a temporary station at Windsor on 1 December 1849. The permanent terminus, now known as Windsor & Eton Riverside station, was designed by William Tite and opened on 1 May 1851. The London and South Western Railway, which had operated all passenger services from the outset, took over the WSSWR in June 1850. The Southern Railway was responsible for electrifying the line with the 750 V DC third-rail system in 1930.

Infrastructure and services

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Staines–Windsor line
Windsor & Eton Riverside
Mays Level
Crossing (MCB-CCTV)
B470
Datchet Level
Crossing (MCB-CCTV)
Datchet
Sunnymeads
Wraysbury
World War II link (1940–1947)
Reversing point for oil trains
Oil terminal link (1981–1991)
Oil terminal (1964–1991)
Staines West
Staines High Street
Staines

The Staines–Windsor line is a railway line in Berkshire and Surrey, England. It runs for 6 miles 46 ch (10.6 km) from its terminus at Windsor & Eton Riverside station to an at-grade junction with the Waterloo–Reading line at the west end of Staines station, 19 mi 2 ch (30.6 km) down the line from London Waterloo. There are intermediate stations at Datchet, Sunnymeads and Wraysbury,[1] and the maximum permitted speed is 60 mph (97 km/h).[1][2] The line is electrified using the 750 V DC third-rail system and is double tracked throughout. Signalling is controlled by Basingstoke rail operating centre and Track Circuit Block is in operation.[1][2] Between Windsor & Eton Riverside and Datchet stations, there are two level crossings and the line crosses the River Thames at Black Potts Railway Bridge.[1][3]

The stations on the branch are managed by South Western Railway, which operates all services.[4] All stations have two operational platforms each.[5][a] The buffer stop at Windsor & Eton Riverside is 25 miles 48 ch (41.2 km) down the line from London Waterloo, when measured via Twickenham.[1] The off-peak service pattern is two trains per hour in each direction calling at all stations between Windsor & Eton Riverside and Twickenham, then Richmond, Putney, Clapham Junction, Vauxhall and London Waterloo. Off-peak trains from Windsor & Eton Riverside typically reach Staines in around 15 minutes[2] and London Waterloo in around 55 minutes.[4]

History

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Proposals and authorisation

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The first proposal for a railway to Windsor was made by the Windsor, Slough and Staines Atmospheric Railway (WSSAR) company. Its engineer, Charles Vignoles, proposed two lines, one linking the town to Slough and the other to Staines, which would have crossed the Thames together at Romney Island.[12][b] A bill was prepared and was given its first reading in the House of Commons on 13 February 1846.[14] After scrutiny by a select committee, parliament declined to consider the scheme any further on 19 May of that year.[15]

In the late 1840s, there was an intense rivalry between the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) and the Great Western Railway (GWR), both of which wanted to be first to open a railway to Windsor.[16] The board of the WSSAR joined with representatives of the LSWR and the Staines and Richmond Railway, to propose a standard gauge line to Windsor via Staines.[17] The new company, known as the Windsor, Staines and South Western Railway (WSSWR), employed Joseph Locke to design the new railway. Locke proposed two separate undertakings: a railway line from Richmond to Datchet via Staines and a loop line connecting Barnes and Hounslow.[18][c]

In early 1847, the GWR and WSSWR submitted separate bills to parliament for railways to Windsor. The GWR bill was rejected on 11 June, but the second scheme was approved two weeks later.[18][d] Thomas Brassey was paid £111,700 to construct the WSSWR from Richmond to Datchet.[19] The LSWR agreed to lease the line for a 4.5% capital return and payment of half of the operating profits.[20]

Opening

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The first section of the Staines–Windsor line opened on 22 August 1848. The western terminus was at Datchet and passengers for Windsor were required to catch a stagecoach to complete their journeys.[19][21][e] The initial weekday service, operated by the LSWR, was 15 daily trains to London Waterloo and 12 trains to Windsor.[19] A provisional agreement between the WSSWR and the Crown to continue the line to Windsor was reached that month, but was not formalised until 14 February 1849, by which time the extension was under construction.[22][f] Formal powers for the Datchet–Windsor section were granted on 26 June of that year.[19]

Black Potts Railway Bridge

The WSSWR hoped to be able to open the extension to Windsor during August 1849, but on the 9th of that month, a crack appeared in one of the girders of the Black Potts Railway Bridge, requiring urgent structural repairs.[19][24][g] As a result of the delay, the GWR, which had obtained authorisation for its own line, opened the first railway station in Windsor on 8 October that year.[19][25] The WSSWR finally opened its temporary terminus in Windsor on 1 December 1849.[23][25]

Windsor & Eton Riverside station

The LSWR, which had leased the line from the outset, took over the WSSWR on 30 June 1850.[20][26] The permanent terminus at Windsor opened on 1 May 1851.[20][27] Designed by William Tite in the Tudor-Gothic style, it included a private waiting room provided for Queen Victoria and her attendants.[28][29] The three 700 ft (210 m) platforms were spanned by a single roof and the enlarged signal box had 44 levers.[30] Initially trains stopped outside of the trainshed to allow the locomotives to be detached, before the carriages were hauled by rope into the station. This practice ceased in June 1868, following an accident in which a set of carriages crashed into the buffer stop.[31]

Later history

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Datchet station

The two original intermediate stations on the line were rebuilt after their initial openings. In April 1861, Wraysbury station was resited around 26 chains (520 m) southeast of its original site. A new brick-built station building was opened at Datchet on 10 October 1888, replacing the original timber structure.[32]

Sunnymeads station

The Staines West Curve was opened with Staines High Street station on 1 July 1884.[26][33] It enabled direct trains to run between Windsor and Egham, without the need for reversal. From 1 May 1889, the service was extended southwestwards to Woking via Chertsey. By 1911, there were only four timetabled passenger trains using the curve on weekdays.[26] Staines High Street station closed on 30 January 1916.[11] The Staines West Curve was used again between 1921 and 1930 for a Windsor-Waterloo via Chertsey service, but the High Street station did not reopen.[26] Sunnymeads station, configured with a single island platform, opened on 10 July 1927.[9][34]

Electric trains began running on the Staines–Windsor line on 6 July 1930.[35] Initially the off-peak service was half-hourly to Waterloo with trains running non-stop east of Richmond. Additional services ran via Hounslow at peak times.[35] From summer 1936, 2-NOL electric multiple units worked the line,[35][36] but were replaced by 4-SUB units in December 1957. The latter had a brief tenure on the line, being replaced by Class 415 units the following May. Class 414 units were also used on the line from the late 1950s.[37] Class 707 trains were introduced in August 2017[38] and the first Class 701 units ran in passenger service on the line in January 2024.[39]

Between 1897 and 1940, coal was delivered from the Staines-Windsor line to the Metropolitan Water Board pumping station in London Road, Staines, via a 34 mi (1.2 km) private siding.[40] The goods yards on the line closed in the early 1960s;[36][41] the shutting of the yard at Wraysbury in 1962, was followed by the closure of the signal box in March 1965.[41] A major resignalling project took place in the mid-1970s, which resulted in the line being controlled from Feltham area signalling centre. The scheme was commissioned on 8 September 1974[42] and the signal box at Windsor and Eton Riverside closed the same day.[43] Datchet signal box was retained for three months to operate the level crossing, but closed on 17 December 1974 when control was transferred to Feltham.[44] A second major resignalling project took place in the early 2020s. when control of the line was transferred to Basingstoke rail operating centre.[45][46]

Connections to the Staines and West Drayton line

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The LSWR opposed a junction with the Staines & West Drayton Railway but three separate connections have existed. The earliest was through the sidings of the Staines Linoleum Company[47] and would have required use of turntables or reversals to pass wagons between the lines. During the Second World War, a single-track spur was laid from just south of Yeoveney Halt to just west of the site of Staines High Street station, to provide an alternative should cross-London routes be blocked by bomb damage;[48] this link existed from 23 June 1940 to 16 December 1947 but was little used.[49] The last, laid in 1981 when the Staines West branch was severed by the M25 motorway, was to an oil terminal built in the former goods yard of Staines West station[48] and lasted until 1991.

Proposed enhancements

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The AirTrack scheme, proposed in 2008 to provide a new link to Heathrow Airport, included a station near the site of the former Staines High Street station.[50] The Windsor Link Railway also proposed a route for southern rail access to Heathrow, as well as linking the line to Slough via a tunnel in Windsor.[51]

Notes

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  1. ^ Platform 2 at Wraysbury is the shortest on the line with a length of 165.5 m (543 ft).[6]
  2. ^ Under the plans drawn up by Charles Vignoles, the WSSAR line from Windsor to Slough would have been laid as broad gauge and the line to Staines would have been standard gauge.[12] By crossing the River Thames at Romney Island, the lines would avoid having to run over land owned by the Crown.[13]
  3. ^ The loop line proposed by Locke to link Barnes and Hounslow was authorised by parliament on 25 June 1847. He also proposed a line from Staines to Pirbright Junction via Chertsey.[18]
  4. ^ A condition of the parliamentary approval of the WSSWR was that the western terminus at Black Potts should be laid out so that it could be shared by a future branch from the Great Western Main Line.[18]
  5. ^ In 1848, the price of a one-way ticket for the stagecoach journey between Datchet and Windsor was 4 d.[21]
  6. ^ Under the agreement formalised between the WSSWR and the Crown on 14 February 1849, the railway company agreed to pay £80,000 to fund the draining and landscaping of Windsor Great Park. The railway historian, H.P. White, suggests that Prince Albert was unwilling to approach parliament to fund the work.[23]
  7. ^ Black Potts Railway Bridge was designed by Joseph Locke and built by Thomas Brassey.[3] The cracks detected in one of the girders on 9 August 1849 are thought to have been caused by the sinking of one of the piers.[24] In 1892, further cracks were detected in the cast iron arched ribs, which were replaced by straight, wrought iron girders.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Sectional Appendix" 2009, pp. 183, 203–204.
  2. ^ a b c "Route Specifications" 2016, pp. 54–58.
  3. ^ a b c Mindell & Mindell 1985, pp. 84–85.
  4. ^ a b "Windsor, Staines and Feltham to London Waterloo" (PDF). South Western Railway. December 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Sectional Appendix" 2009, pp. 125–130.
  6. ^ "Sectional Appendix" 2009, pp. 124–130.
  7. ^ Quick 2023, p. 489.
  8. ^ Quick 2023, p. 158.
  9. ^ a b Quick 2023, p. 439.
  10. ^ Quick 2023, p. 497.
  11. ^ a b Quick 2023, p. 428.
  12. ^ a b South 1978, pp. 40–41.
  13. ^ South 1978, p. 46.
  14. ^ South 1978, p. 44.
  15. ^ South 1978, p. 49.
  16. ^ South 1978, p. 55.
  17. ^ Williams 1968, p. 171.
  18. ^ a b c d Williams 1968, p. 172.
  19. ^ a b c d e f Williams 1968, pp. 173–174.
  20. ^ a b c Williams 1968, p. 175.
  21. ^ a b South 1978, p. 109.
  22. ^ South 1978, p. 85.
  23. ^ a b White 1992, p. 132.
  24. ^ a b South 1978, p. 113.
  25. ^ a b South 1978, p. 114.
  26. ^ a b c d Jackson 1999, p. 44.
  27. ^ South 1978, p. 118.
  28. ^ Historic England. "Windsor Riverside Station and royal waiting room (Grade II) (1117737)". National Heritage List for England.
  29. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1988, Fig. 118.
  30. ^ Faulkner & Williams 1988, p. 44.
  31. ^ Williams 1973, p. 47.
  32. ^ Williams 1973, p. 46.
  33. ^ Burnett, Tom (9 September 2023). "The long lost railway station off Surrey high street that has completely vanished". Surrey Live. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  34. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1988, Fig. 106.
  35. ^ a b c Brown 2009, p. 54.
  36. ^ a b Mitchell & Smith 1988, Fig. 115.
  37. ^ Hornby 1995, p. 175.
  38. ^ "Class 707s enter service on Windsor routes". Rail UK. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  39. ^ "First of £1bn Arterio trains completes inaugural journey". BBC News. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  40. ^ Jackson 1999, p. 190.
  41. ^ a b Mitchell & Smith 1988, Fig. 105.
  42. ^ Jackson 1999, p. 230.
  43. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1988, Fig. 117.
  44. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1988, Fig. 108.
  45. ^ "South Western signals upgraded". Modern Railways. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  46. ^ Longhorn, Danny (19 February 2024). "Network Rail completes final phase of £375M investment to install state-of-the-art signalling system". Rail Business Daily. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  47. ^ Jackson 1978, p. 199.
  48. ^ a b Mitchell & Smith 1988, Fig. 103.
  49. ^ Jackson 1978, p. 201.
  50. ^ "Airtrack : Stopped in its tracks?". RAIL. 3 June 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  51. ^ Smale, Katherine (7 December 2018). "Windsor to Heathrow rail scheme 'rejected outright'". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 21 February 2024.

Bibliography

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