Hounslow Loop line
The line between Hounslow and Isleworth
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Greater London
Termini	London Waterloo
Stations	7
Service
Type	Commuter rail,Suburban rail
System	National Rail
Operator(s)	South Western Railway
Rolling stock	Class 458 Class 455 Class 450
History
Opened	1850
Technical
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge
Electrification	750 V DCthird rail
Operating speed	60 miles per hour (97 km/h)
Route map (Click to expand)

v t e Hounslow Loop line
Legend
Waterloo–Reading line toWaterloo Barnes Barnes Junction Waterloo–Reading line viaRichmond Vine Road level crossing Barnes Bridge Barnes Railway Bridge overRiver Thames Chiswick Grove Park Terrace level crossing North London line andDistrict line toGunnersbury│toKew Gardens toNorth London line 1 2 New Kew Junction Kew Bridge (1N&SWJR│L&SWR2) Kew (N&SWJR) Old Kew Junction Brentford Grand Union Canal Brentford branch line toSouthall│toBrentford Dock Syon Lane Wood Lane level crossing Hounslow/ Smallberry Green Isleworth Waterloo–Reading line viaRichmond Hounslow Hounslow Junction │ Whitton Junction Feltham Junction Feltham Waterloo–Reading line toReading

TheHounslow Loop line is a railway line in southwestLondon which was opened by theLondon and South Western Railway in 1850. It leaves theWaterloo–Reading line at Barnes Junction and after some seven and a half miles rejoins it at atriangular junction betweenWhitton andFeltham.Barnes Railway Bridge carries the line over theRiver Thames. Passenger services, all operated bySouth Western Railway, either loop back toWaterloo by the junctions or continue southwest via Feltham. The line iselectrified at 750 V DC (third rail). It provides access to theNorth London Line for freight services both passing throughClapham Junction to the north east and connecting to the rail network to the south west.

Most service to stations on the Hounslow Loop line are provided by trains operating between London Waterloo andWeybridge viaStaines.

As of December 2023, the typical weekday and Saturday service is 2 trains per hour in each direction to and from Waterloo. Trains use the Waterloo to Reading Line between Waterloo and Barnes, take the loop between Barnes Bridge and Hounslow stations, and operate to and from Weybridge via Staines.^[1][2]

On Sunday, service is reduced to hourly and diverted to Woking.

At peak hours, additional trains running do not serve Staines and Weybridge, but rather travel in a loop to and from Waterloo via Hounslow and Richmond.

Services are generally operated byClass 450 units operating in a 4 or 8 car configuration.Class 455 andClass 458 units also work the line. All units on the line are to be replaced byClass 701Aventra units.^[3][4]

The line has seen a steep increase in ridership levels in recent years, corresponding with the doubling of train frequencies from 2 trains per hour in each direction to 4 (except on Sundays). The line's seven stations had combined passenger numbers of 5.565 million in 2007–08 (based on station exits), a 162% increase on the 2004–05 figure of 2.122 million.^[5]

Most stations had platforms lengthened to allow the operation of 10 coach trains from May 2013.^[6] Where this was not possible, selective door opening is used.

Platform 20 at Waterloo (within the formerWaterloo International terminal) came into use in May 2014 to provide additional capacity.^[7][8]

A proposal published in 2017 by theLondon Assembly andTransport for London envisages extending theLondon Overground network to run trains on the section of the Hounslow Loop Line between Brentford and Hounslow.^[9] The scheme, known as theWest London Orbital, would involve the re-opening of theDudding Hill Line to passenger services and running trains fromWest Hampstead Thameslink andHendon via the plannedOld Oak Common Lane station. A new station may be constructed atLionel Road, close to Kew Bridge. The plans are currently at public consultation stage with TfL.^[10]

• Moody, G.T. (1979).Southern Electric 1909-1979. Ian Allan.ISBN 0-7110-0924-4.
• Glover, John (2001).Southern Electric. Ian Allan.ISBN 0-7110-2807-9.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toHounslow Loop Line.

• South West Trains

• Railway lines in London
• Railway branch lines
• Railway loop lines
• Standard gauge railways in London
• Transport in the London Borough of Hounslow
• Transport in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames

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