Catford loop line

The Catford loop line is a railway line in southeast London. It carries a suburban stopping passenger service from central London to Sevenoaks, and is also a relief route for the Chatham Main Line carrying passenger trains from London Victoria to the Kent coast. There is also much freight activity as this is the main route to Willesden and the north via Latchmere Junction. Freight traffic includes aggregates trains to and from locations along the Thames estuary, and Kent, aviation fuel running between Colnbrook (for Heathrow) and the Isle of Grain, and a small number of international workings from the Channel Tunnel via the yard at Dollands Moor. Until around 2013, a significant quantity of intermodal traffic from Thamesport used the line - however, the opening of London Gateway meant that the larger container ships stopped serving Thamesport and this traffic then ceased.

Catford loop line
Southeastern Class 465 at Peckham Rye in 2014
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Greater London
Termini	Nunhead Ravensbourne
Stations	8
Service
Type	Suburban rail, Heavy rail
System	National Rail
Services	1
Operator(s)	Southeastern Thameslink
Depot(s)	Grove Park
Rolling stock	Class 700 Class 375 "Electrostar" Class 465 "Networker" Class 466 "Networker"
History
Opened	1 July 1892
Technical
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	750 V DC third rail
Operating speed	Maximum 60 mph (97 km/h)
Route map (Click to expand)

Catford loop line
South London line to Battersea Park │ Chatham Main Line to Victoria Shepherds Lane Junction Brixton Junction Brixton East Brixton Chatham Main Line via Herne Hill Canterbury Road Junction Loughborough Junction Farringdon–Herne Hill line Cambria Junction Denmark Hill Crofton Road Junction Portsmouth line Peckham Rye South London line Nunhead Lewisham line Crystal Palace & South London Jct Rly to Crystal Palace (High Level) Brighton Main Line London Bridge branch Crofton Park Mid-Kent line to Lewisham Catford│Catford Bridge Mid-Kent line to Hayes Bellingham Bellingham carriage sidings Beckenham Hill Ravensbourne Chatham Main Line via Herne Hill Shortlands Chatham Main Line to Ramsgate

A 1908 Railway Clearing House map of the western end of the Catford loop line, showing how it connects with the South London line to rejoin the Chatham Main Line, thus creating the loop. Also note Loughboro Jct to access the City extension (now Thameslink).

The line begins at Brixton Junction, where it diverges from the Chatham Main Line, and ends when it rejoins the Chatham Main Line (now extended to pairs of fast and slow lines) at Shortlands Junction, west of Shortlands station.

Stations

• Brixton (platforms closed 1916)
• Denmark Hill
• Peckham Rye
• Nunhead
• Crofton Park
• Catford
• Bellingham
• Beckenham Hill
• Ravensbourne

History

Incorporated as the Shortlands and Nunhead Railway in 1889 it was opened by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway on 1 July 1892. The line left the former Crystal Palace High Level branch and the Nunhead to Lewisham link (the former Greenwich Park branch) at a junction east of Nunhead.

The five stations on the original route were:

• Crofton Park
• Catford
• Bellingham
• Beckenham Hill
• Ravensbourne

The length of the Catford Loop is nearly eight miles (12.5 km).

The line was electrified with the other SECR urban routes on 12 July 1925 by the Southern Railway on its 660 DC third-rail system.

As of 12 January 2015, Southeastern operates an hourly service from London Victoria to Dover Priory over the line; Denmark Hill is the only station on the line called at by this service. All other services originate from London Blackfriars and Thameslink Core and call at all stations.

Services

The service in June 2022 is:

Off-peak / weekends:

• 2tph London Blackfriars via Elephant and Castle
• 2tph Kentish Town via Elephant and Castle (currently suspended)
• 1tph London Victoria (calling only at Denmark Hill)
• 2tph Sevenoaks via Swanley
• 2tph Orpington (currently suspended)
• 1tph Gillingham via Chatham (calling only at Denmark Hill)

Peak

• 2tph Welwyn Garden City via Elephant and Castle
• 2tph Luton via London Blackfriars
• 2tph London Victoria (calling only at Denmark Hill)
• 2tph Sevenoaks via Swanley
• 2tph Orpington
• 2tph Gillingham via Chatham (calling only at Denmark Hill + some at Crofton Park and Bellingham)