Chiltern Main Line

Chiltern Main Line
Chiltern Railways London to Birmingham express near Hatton, hauled by a Class 68 diesel locomotive.
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Greater London South East England East Midlands West Midlands
Termini	London Marylebone Birmingham Snow Hill
Stations	32
Service
Type	Commuter rail, Heavy rail
System	National Rail
Operator(s)	Chiltern Railways West Midlands Trains (in part) CrossCountry (in part) GWR (in part)
Rolling stock	Class 68 & Mk 3 Coaches DVT Mk 3 Class 153 "Sprinter" Class 165 "Network Turbo" Class 168 "Clubman" Class 170 "Turbostar" Class 172 "Turbostar" Class 220 "Voyager" Class 221 "Super Voyager"
History
Opened	1910 (complete line)
Technical
Line length	112 mi 4 chains (180 km)
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed	100 mph (160 km/h) maximum
Route map (Click to expand)

Chiltern Main Line
Legend
Snow Hill–Worcester line Birmingham Snow Hill Snow Hill Tunnel Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford line Birmingham Moor Street Bordesley Camp Hill line to Birmingham New Street Small Heath Tyseley North Warwickshire Line Acocks Green Olton Solihull Widney Manor Dorridge Lapworth to Henley-in-Arden Leamington–Stratford line Hatton Warwick Parkway Warwick Coventry–Leamington line Leamington Spa former Leamington branch lines Southam Road and Harbury Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway Fenny Compton (SMJ & GWR)   Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway Cropredy to Great Central Main Line Banbury Banbury to Verney Junction branch line Kings Sutton Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway (GWR) Aynho Junction Cherwell Valley line Aynho Park Ardley Bicester North Varsity Line & Oxford–Bicester line Bicester Village Varsity Line (Freight only to East) Blackthorn Brill and Ludgershall Brill Tramway Dorton Halt Great Central Main Line Ashendon Junction Haddenham & Thame Parkway Haddenham Ilmer Halt Wycombe Railway to Oxford Aylesbury–Princes Risborough line Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway Princes Risborough tracks diverge Saunderton West Wycombe High Wycombe Wycombe Railway Beaconsfield Seer Green and Jordans Gerrards Cross Gerrards Cross Tunnel M25 motorway (Chalfont Viaduct) Denham Golf Club Denham Uxbridge High Street South Harefield Halt West Ruislip Ruislip Gardens South Ruislip Acton–Northolt line to Paddington Northolt Park Sudbury Hill Harrow ( Sudbury Hill) Sudbury & Harrow Road West Coast Main Line Wembley Stadium Wembley Exhibition London–Aylesbury line Neasden Junction Dudding Hill Line (Freight only) North London line West Coast Main Line London Marylebone
This diagram: view talk edit

The Chiltern Main Line is a railway line which links London (Marylebone) and Birmingham (Moor Street and Snow Hill) on a 112-mile (180 km) route via High Wycombe, Bicester, Banbury, Leamington Spa and Solihull in England.

It is currently one of two main line railway routes between London and Birmingham; the other is the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Birmingham New Street, which is the principal InterCity route between the two cities. A third main line, High Speed 2, is currently under construction.

The name Chiltern Line was invented as a marketing name for the line by Network SouthEast in 1985,^[1] in reference to the Chiltern Hills which the route passes through near its southern end. The route was originally part of the Great Western Railway's main line from London Paddington to Birmingham Snow Hill, Wolverhampton Low Level and Birkenhead Woodside. Most main line services between London and Birmingham on this route were discontinued in 1967 after the West Coast Main Line was electrified, and Snow Hill station was closed.^[2] Services were resumed between London and the reopened Snow Hill in 1993; however they were routed into Marylebone, formerly the London terminus of the now-closed Great Central Main Line, instead of the historic terminus at Paddington.^[3]

Since the privatisation of British Rail in the 1990s, the main operator has been Chiltern Railways, who have continued to develop the route and services. In the early 2010s, the line underwent a major upgrade which saw much of the line cleared for 100 mph (160 km/h) running, resulting in significant reductions in journey times from 2013. The line is not electrified, although electrification is an aspiration.^[4]

The line forms part of the suburban rail networks in both cities. The majority of towns towards the London end of the route are prosperous suburbs or commuter-belt towns, such as Ruislip, Gerrards Cross and Beaconsfield. These have a journey time of 30 minutes or less to London Marylebone. In the West Midlands it is one of the Snow Hill Lines. Commuter trains operated by West Midlands Trains run between Birmingham Snow Hill, Solihull and Leamington Spa, also to Stratford-upon-Avon.