History of The Route
The railway lines used by this service were the result of several schemes:
- 1847: West Croydon to Sutton and Epsom railway opened by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR)
- 1856: Epsom and Leatherhead Railway authorised.
- 1857: Wimbledon and Dorking Railway authorised under the auspices of the London and South Western Railway, reached no further than Epsom. This is why services are run by South West Trains.
- autumn 1857: rival schemes to connect Shoreham Harbour with Horsham and Dorking. The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) was eventually successful on 1 August 1859.
- 1 February 1859: Epsom and Leatherhead Railway opened
- 4 March 1859: Wimbledon and Dorking Railway opened
- 1 July 1861: Shoreham - Horsham opened
- 17 July 1862: Horsham, Dorking and Leatherhead Railway (LBSCR sponsored) authorised. Opened in two sections:
- 11 March 1867: Leatherhead to Dorking
- 1 May 1867: Dorking to Horsham
- 1865 Epsom Downs Line opened.
- 1868 The mainline route from London to Sutton via Hackbridge opened.
- 1901 Route from London Victoria to Sutton via Norbury Electrified AC
- 1938 Route London - Horsham fully Electrified DC and new signalling installed.
- 1978 The Portsmouth Harbour/Bognor Regis express services are diverted away from the line to serve Gatwick Airport and the route is downgraded including the removal of the passing loops at Cheam station. A peak hour service continues on this route, stopping at Sutton and Dorking.
- 1984 Dorking and Sutton both lose their peak hour 12 coach fast train services to London and the south coast.
- 1997 Thameslink 2000 is announced with promises of a dedicated King's Lynn to Guildford service via London Bridge & West Croydon and an upgraded Wimbledon Loop service to St Albans with 12 coach trains.
Read more about this topic: Sutton & Mole Valley Lines
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