System National Rail Operator(s) South West Trains Owner Network Rail Locale South East England | Status Operational Number of tracks 1-2 Rolling stock British Rail Class 456 Stations 8 | |
Type Heavy rail, Commuter Rail Track gauge 4 ft 8 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Terminis Ascot railway station, Guildford (Surrey) railway station | ||
The Ascot–Guildford line is a railway service operated by South West Trains in South East England.
Contents
The name refers to a service between Ascot and Guildford which shares lines with other services except between Ascot and Ash Vale.
Services on this line have to travel over London Waterloo to Alton line to Aldershot and then reverse to travel along North Downs Line at Ash South Junction to reach Guildford.
The line serves the following stations:
The service makes use of the following distinct lines:
Infrastructure
Ascot station is located on the line from London Waterloo to Reading, just to the south of the famous racecourse. From here, the service travels a short distance west along the Waterloo to Reading Line to Ascot Junction. Here it turns south and travels to Ash Vale junction, joining a section of the Alton Line as far as Aldershot. The service then retraces its route back along the Alton Line towards Ash Vale before joining the North Downs Line via a chord at Aldershot South Junction for the remainder of the journey to Guildford.
The line is single track from just south of Frimley station (and north of the South Western Main Line between Brookwood and Farnborough Main) and Ash Vale Junction.
Electrification
The line is electrified (750 V DC third rail)
Full Route
Class 456 EMU trains work the line, with Class 450 Desiros on Sundays, at least 3 450s were in operation on the route on Saturday 14th February 2015. Occasionally, Class 458 trains run on this route, these trains work limited services from Waterloo to Aldershot.
Parts of the route
Class 450 Desiros and sometimes Class 444 Desiros are also seen on the route between Ash Vale & Aldershot while forming Waterloo to Alton via Woking services. Class 165 and Class 166 are also seen on the route between Ash & Guildford while forming Reading to Shalford/Redhill/Gatwick Airport services.