- Shenfield to Southend Line
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Shenfield to Southend Line 
Hockley StationOverview Type Commuter rail Locale Greater London
East of EnglandTermini London Liverpool Street
Southend VictoriaStations 8 Operation Owner Network Rail Operator(s) National Express East Anglia Depot(s) Ilford Rolling stock British Rail Class 315
British Rail Class 321
British Rail Class 360 (occasionally)Technical Track gauge Standard gauge Electrification 25kV 50hz AC OHLE Operating speed 90 mph (140 km/h) Route map Legend
miles/chains from London Liverpool Street 
Great Eastern Main Line 
20m 16ch Shenfield 
Shenfield Jn 
To Colchester 
24m 28ch Billericay 29m 02ch Wickford 
29m 13ch Crouch Valley Line 33m 09ch Rayleigh 36m 01ch Hockley 38m 54ch Rochford 
Southend Airport 40m 67ch Prittlewell (Closed on Sundays) 
41m 42ch Southend Victoria The Shenfield to Southend (Victoria) Line is a railway line from Southend-on-Sea to Shenfield in Essex. Almost all trains continue through to London Liverpool Street along the Great Eastern Main Line. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.05 and is classified as a London and South East commuter line.[1]
History
The line has been electrified at different times using three different systems, all of which used overhead lines to carry the electric current. The first system used was 1500 V d.c., commissioned in 1956,[2] following the commissioning of the main line from London to Shenfield in 1949.[3] This was to replace an intensive steam service. In the 1960s the line was converted to 6.25 kV, 50 Hz a.c. as part of the decision by the British Transport Commission to adopt 25 kV, 50 Hz a.c. electrification as the standard system rather than 1500 V d.c. electrification. The line did not immediately use 25 kV, due to problems with clearances under bridges. In 1979, the line was converted for a second time to 25 kV, 50 Hz a.c. following more research into the permissible clearances to structures.[4]
Passenger services are currently operated by National Express East Anglia. They replaced the previous operator, First Great Eastern, on 1 April 2004, when all the operators in East Anglia were merged into one new franchise.
Infrastructure
The line diverges from the Great Eastern Main Line at Shenfield, and is double track throughout. The line is electrified at 25 kV AC, has a loading gauge of W6, and a line speed of between 80-105 mph. [1]
Services are formed using Class 315 or Class 321 electrical multiple units. A Class 360 Electrical Multiple Unit is used occasionally on the services.
A journey from Shenfield to Southend Victoria takes around 35 minutes. The service to Southend calls at all stations en route, and all stations towards Shenfield (except Sundays as Prittlewell station is closed).
References
- ^ a b "Route 7 - Great Eastern". Network Rail. http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/StrategicBusinessPlan/RoutePlans/2009/Route%207%20-%20Great%20Eastern.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
- ^ "Railway Magazine" February 1957
- ^ Fiennes, Gerard (1967). I Tried to Run a Railway. Shepperton, England: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0447-1.
- ^ Glover, John (2003). Eastern Electric. Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-2934-2.
Electrification Liverpool Street to Shenfield from The London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) Encyclopedia
Railway lines in the East of England Primary 
Secondary Local Abbey Line · Birmingham to Peterborough Line · Bittern Line · Braintree Branch Line · Breckland Line · Crouch Valley Line · East Suffolk Line · Ely to Peterborough Line · Felixstowe Branch Line · Fen Line · Gainsborough Line · Hertford East Branch Line · Hitchin–Cambridge Line · Ipswich to Ely Line · Marston Vale Line · Mayflower Line · Peterborough to Lincoln Line · Shenfield to Southend Line · Sunshine Coast Line · Wherry Lines
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