 Region logo from 1965 to 1992 | |
| Predecessor | Southern Railway |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1 January 1948 (1948-01-01) |
| Defunct | 31 March 1994 (1994-03-31) |
| Headquarters | , England |
Area served | Southern England |
| Parent | British Rail |
| Divisions |
|
TheSouthern Region was a constituent part ofBritish Railways, the national, state-owned railway company of Great Britain. It was created on 1 January 1948, taking over the network of the formerSouthern Railway and some privately owned lines. It ran train services, managed stations, and maintained infrastructure and rolling stock until April 1992, when its responsibilities were transferred toNetwork SouthEast. The Southern Region was formally abolished on 31 March 1994 in preparation for theprivatisation of British Rail.
The Southern Region was formed on 1 January 1948, from the network of theSouthern Railway (SR), which it replaced.[1][2] The headquarters were atWaterloo station,[3] and the region included six otherLondon termini (Victoria,Charing Cross,Holborn Viaduct,Blackfriars,Cannon Street andLondon Bridge).[4] By 1949, it covered around 2,550 route miles (4,100 km) and was the second smallest region by route mileage after theNorth Eastern.[3][5]
Some previously independent lines, which had not been part of the SR, were also incorporated into the region, including theKent and East Sussex Railway[6][7] and theEast Kent Light Railway.[8] TheSomerset and Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR), which had been jointly owned by the SR and theLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway before nationalisation, was wholly incorporated into the Southern Region.[9][10] In contrast, the narrow-gaugeRomney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway remained independent.[11] For the first two years of its existence, the region owned and operatedSouthampton Docks, but responsibility for the port was transferred to theDocks and Inland Waterways Executive in September 1950.[12]
The boundaries of the region were adjusted several times during the 1950s and early 1960s, resulting in the exchange of several lines with theWestern Region (WR). The first alterations took place on 2 April 1950, when all former SR lines west ofExeter along with the northern part of theSomerset and Dorset Railway (S&DR) were transferred to the WR.[13][14] In exchange, the Southern Region gainedSalisbury–Westbury,Reading West–Basingstoke,Newbury–Winchester (Chesil),Grafton and Burbage–Andover (including the Tidworth branch line),Sparkford–Weymouth (including theBridport Railway, theAbbotsbury Railway and thePortland Branch Railway), as well as the Weymouth–Channel Islands ferry services.[13][15]
The second boundary alteration to affect the operation of the S&DR took place on 1 February 1958, when the line north ofTemplecombe was transferred to the WR.[14] A third change occurred on 1 January 1963, when the boundary was moved further southwards to betweenShillingstone andBlandford Forum.[14] On the same day, theWest of England line west ofSalisbury was transferred from the Southern Region to the WR.[13][16]
TheEmergency (Railway Control) Order 1939, issued by the UK government on 1 September 1939, brought the railways under the control of theRailway Executive Committee (REC), which reported to the Minister of Transport.[17] Throughout the Second World War, the Southern Railway (SR) was paid a fixed rental byHM Treasury, instead of receiving income from fares and freight charges.[18][19] The movement of military personnel, supplies and equipment was prioritised, and on 11 September 1940 an emergency timetable came into force, with lower maximum train speeds and a significantly reduced evening service to allow more freight traffic to operate.[17][20] Infrastructure works were directed to bomb damage repair, causing a backlog of routine maintenance, and the construction of new locomotives and rolling stock was restricted.[18]
Following the end of the war, the SR worked to repair its network. However, the rental that had been paid by the government was insufficient to fund the works required.[19] Thetrusts that had been set up by the government to pay for post-war reconstruction of the railways, were devalued through highinflation,[19] and controls over building supplies delayed repairs further.[18] Nevertheless, the SR was the most successful of theBig Four railway companies in restoring its services,[21] and by October 1946 over 81% of its pre-war timetable had been reinstated.[22] Key to the relative success of the SR was the electrification programmes of theinter-war period, which meant that the average age of its rolling stock was younger than that of the other companies and that it was less vulnerable to post-war coal shortages.[21]
TheTransport Act 1947 came into effect on 1 January 1948, taking the railways of Great Britain into public ownership.[23][24] The act created a new body, theBritish Transport Commission (BTC), reporting directly to theMinister of Transport, to take ownership of the transport infrastructure in Great Britain.[5][23]Eustace Missenden, who had previously been General Manager of the Southern Railway, was appointed to lead the Railway Executive (RE), to which the management of the main-line railways was delegated.[23][24] The Southern Region was one of six geographical subsidiaries ofBritish Railways (BR) and was created to take over the day-to-day operations of the former SR and some previously independent railways in the south of England.[23] The SR was officially dissolved on 10 June 1948, after the legal processes to transfer its assets to BR had been completed.[25]
Under theTransport Act 1953, which came into force on 1 January 1955, the RE was dissolved and the Southern Region instead reported directly to the BTC. Greater autonomy was given to the region, and responsibility for strategic decisions was given to its board.[5][23] The region was split into three divisions, each with a line manager responsible for managing rail operations.[5] The South Eastern, the first division to be formed, was created in 1958, and the Central and South Western divisions followed in 1961.[5][23]
In January 1955, the BTC published the Modernisation Plan, which set out a programme of investment for the railways. The plan, agreed by the government, envisaged the expenditure of £1,200 million (equivalent to £39,800M in 2023) in the period to 1970.[26][27] It authorised the electrification of the railway lines in Kent, allowing for the complete replacement of steam with electric traction.[26][28] Long-distance services on the London–Bournemouth and London–Exeter routes were converted to diesel traction, as were the services on the Tunbridge Wells–Hastings and Hastings–Ashford routes.[27] Steam-haulage was eliminated from the South Eastern division on 26 February 1962[29] and from the remainder of the Southern region on 9 July 1967.[30]
The financial position of the BTC deteriorated over the first half of the 1950s, and the British Railways accounts showed a net deficit for the first time in 1956.[26] Competition from road transport was increasing, and a damaging industrial strike the previous year had resulted in a sharp decrease in the amount of freight being transported by rail.[5] Falling revenues, coinciding with an increase in staff wages, created a financial crisis for the BTC, prompting the government to review its operations and remit. TheTransport Act 1962 abolished the BTC and transferred the ownership of the railways to the newly createdBritish Railways Board, which was chaired byRichard Beeching.[26][31]
British Railways became British Rail on 1 January 1965, and a new brand identity was established across the railway network.[32]
The organisational structure of British Rail was changed again on 4 January 1982, with the creation of five business sectors. Three of the sectors (Inter-City,Provincial, andLondon and South East (L&SE)) were responsible for passenger services.[33][34] The new sectors were responsible for setting business parameters and specifying service levels.[34][35] The regions continued to be responsible for all rail operations, including infrastructure and rolling stock maintenance, and ran train services under contract to the sectors.[34][35] The sectors were able to propose large-scale infrastructure developments, although capital works costing under £1 million (equivalent to £4.46 million in 2023) could be directly authorised by the regions.[36]
On its formation in 1982, around two thirds of the revenue of the L&SE came from the Southern Region, and the posts of Senior Director L&SE and General Manager (Southern Region) were held by the same person. The headquarters of both the sector and the region were run as a combined operation at Waterloo station.[34][37] The L&SE sector did not attempt to establish a strong brand identity, and the electrification of theHastings line, completed in mid-1986, was primarily promoted as a Southern Region project.[38] Thecorporate colour scheme for the rolling stock in the south east (the so-calledJaffa Cake livery) was only applied to a limited number of trains, including theClass 411 (4-CEP) andClass 421 (4-CIG) units operating on Kent Coast and Brighton Main Line services.[38]
A further reorganisation took place in mid-1985, which included the separation of the joint management of the L&SE sector and the Southern Region. Additionally,Gatwick Express services were transferred to Inter-City.[39][40] In November of the same year,Chris Green was appointed as the sector director. He created a new corporate identity for the L&SE sector, launching theNetwork SouthEast (NSE) brand on 10 June 1986.[41] The Southern Region continued to run rail services until April 1992, when the direct management of all passenger operations, infrastructure and rolling stock maintenance was transferred to NSE.[42] Both the Southern Region and NSE were formally abolished on 31 March 1994, when the sector was divided into shadow franchises in preparation for privatisation.[43]
Passenger lines closed by the Southern Region between 1948 and 1963:
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Passenger lines closed by the Southern Region between 1963 and 1992:
Passenger stations closed by the Southern Region on lines that were open in 1992:
By 1938, around 620 route miles (1,000 km) and around 1,770 track miles (2,850 km) of the Southern Railway (SR) had been electrified using the third-rail system.[128][129] In June the following year, the SR approved the electrification of theOxted line fromSouth Croydon toHorsted Keynes viaEast Grinstead, but the outbreak of the Second World War prevented the start of works.[130] Nevertheless, the company continued to develop its electrification plans and, in March 1942, the board of directors indicated that it would complete the electrification of the south-eastern and central sections of its network after the war had ended.[130][131] A report produced by the SR in February 1946, recommended that the extension of the 600 V third-rail system and provided an estimated cost of around £7.1 million (equivalent to £372M in 2023) to complete the electrification of the south-eastern and central sections. If the lines toSalisbury andBournemouth were to be included, the total estimated cost would be £10.7M (£561M in 2023). That October, the board approved the electrification of all lines east ofPortsmouth andReading by 1955 at an estimated cost of £15M (£786M in 2023).[131][132]
Following the nationalisation of the railways in 1948, there was no public money available to invest in large-scale infrastructure improvements, and the SR's plans were cancelled.[132][133] Instead, the more limited programme undertaken by the Southern Region in the late 1940s and early 1950s was focused on signalling upgrades and the renewal of the power supply system, which was approaching life-expiry.[5][134] In 1949, work started on installing four-aspect colour-light signals on theBrighton Main Line north ofCoulsdon North, a project completed in May 1955.[134][135] In November the following year, the Railway Executive approved the reconfiguration of the electrical supply network, which included connecting the system to theNational Grid, the construction of 45 new substations and the closure of the Durnford Road power station, which had been built by the LSWR.[134][136] The work, which allowed the lengthening of suburban trains from eight to ten cars, was planned so that the traction voltage could be raised from 600 V to 750 V at a later date.[136][137] Ten-coach trains began running on theBexleyheath line on 14 June 1954 and on theDartford Loop Line viaSidcup a year later.[138]
Extensions of the third-rail network in the region were examined as part of a report on motive power policy, published by the Railway Executive in October 1951 and subsequently endorsed by the British Transport Commission (BTC). The report recommended the electrification of the remaining steam-operated main lines from London to Bournemouth,Hastings andDover.[139] The Modernisation Plan of 1955 recommended the electrification of all lines serving the Kent coast,[140] which was approved by the BTC in February 1956.[28][a] The project was designed to eliminate all steam-hauled passenger and freight services over the lines that it covered.[142] Work began in 1957 and was split into two phases, both of which included the installation of colour-light signalling. The first phase, around 78 route miles (126 km), electrified the lines fromGillingham toRamsgate andDover Marine viaFaversham. It included the alterations to the track layout between Shortlands and Bickley Junctions, the extension of quadruple track east from Bickley Junction toSwanley and the realignment of the connecting spur lines at Chiselhurst Junction, where theSouth East andChatham Main Lines cross.[143][144][145] The new electric timetable was launched on 15 June 1959, with the typical journey time between London and Ramsgate reduced by 42 minutes.[146] The second phase, around 157 route miles (253 km), electrified the lines fromSevenoaks to Ramsgate and Dover viaTonbridge andAshford.[147][148] The new timetable was introduced on 18 June 1963,[149] although the rebuilding of Ashford station was not completed until 1966.[148]
In the early 1960s, passenger services between London andBournemouth viaSouthampton Central were still hauled by steam locomotives. With the withdrawal of steam power approaching, electrification of theSouth West Main Line between Sturt Lane (nearFrimley) and Bournemouth was authorised in September 1964.[150] The project included the replacement of jointed track with continuous welded rail.[150] Regular electric trains from London began operating in public service toBasingstoke on 2 January 1967[151] and to Bournemouth on 10 July 1967.[152][153] The final steam-hauled public service between Waterloo and Southampton ran on 8 July 1967.[152] Electrification between Bournemouth and Weymouth, costing £53 million project (£196 million in 2023), was authorised in January 1986[154][155] To reduce costs, a 5 mi (8.0 km) stretch of line was singled between Moreton and Dorchester South,[156] and the capacity of the 11 kV supply from the National Grid limited train lengths to a maximum of five coaches.[157][158] The third rail was energised on 11 January 1988,[158] and public electric services began on 16 May that year.[156]
Although the vast majority of railway lines on theIsle of Wight were closed by the late 1960s,[49][70] theIsland line betweenRyde Pier Head andShanklin was allowed to remain open, as this section carried the majority of the summer holiday traffic.[159] The steam locomotives and carriages that operated services on the island dated from before the formation of the Southern Railway and were life expired.[160] Since the clearance in Ryde Tunnel was around 10 inches (25 cm) lower than that of the mainland railways, standard-sized rolling stock could not be used.[161] Instead, the line was electrified using the third-rail system at 630 V DC for a total cost of £500,000 (equivalent to £12 million in 2023), to allow formerLondon Underground tube stock to operate.[159][160] The new electric timetable began operation on 20 March 1967.[160][162]
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The electrification of theHastings line and theEast Grinstead branch of theOxted line in the 1980s, was driven by a commitment to removeasbestos from rolling stock by the end of 1988.[163][164] British Rail assessed that it was more cost effective to electrify both lines and to operate them with electrical multiple units from its existing fleet, rather than to pay for the decontamination of the diesel units, which were approaching life expiry.[163][165] The Hastings line electrification, which including the singling of the line through three tunnels to allow standard rolling stock to operate, was authorised in 1983, and the electric timetable began operating on 12 May 1986.[166][167] Electrification of the Oxted line betweenSouth Croydon andSanderstead was completed in May 1983,[163] and the extension to East Grinstead began operating on 5 October 1987.[168][169] The works on the Oxted line included resignalling south ofWoldingham and transferring control to a newpanel box at Oxted.[170]
TheEastleigh–Fareham line and theWest Coastway line betweenSt Denys andHavant, were electrified in 1990 at a cost of £22 million (equivalent to £63M in 2023).[171][172] The scheme was officially opened on 13 May 1990.[173]
At the time of its creation the Southern Region still had large numbers ofsteam locomotives The Southern Region also owned three locomotive works atAshford,Brighton, andEastleigh, two carriage works (Eastleigh andLancing) and a wagon works at Ashford. Most of these closed before privatisation.
Unlike the other regions of British Railways, the Southern Region did not rush to withdraw its steam locomotives, instead using them right up to the completion of large-scale electrification. Consequently, the Southern Region was the last region in Britain to regularly use steam on high-speed expresses and to have steam operated branch lines. Steam traction over the region finally ended in July 1967.
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4-SUB units had been introduced by the Southern Railway (SR) in 1941, having been ordered shortly before the start of the Second World War. Between 1942 and 1945, the SR lengthened some of its existing3-SUB units, which were then given the 4SUB designation.[174][175] The Southern Region of British Railways produced further 4-SUBs between 1948 and 1951.[176] The first ten units were delivered in late 1948, and were primarily to replace units destroyed during the war. They were followed by a further 23 units fitted with a newer motor design.[177] The final batch of 123 units was produced between May 1949 and December 1951.[178] Withdrawal of the 4-SUBs built for the Southern Region began in October 1972[179] and continued until the final unit was removed from passenger service in September 1983.[180]
Class 402 2-HAL units had been introduced by the SR in 1938–39 to work semi-fast services in north-west Kent.[181] Seven additional units were built by the Southern Region in 1948, to replace2-NOL andClass 401 2BIL units that had been damaged beyond repair during the war.[182][183] One further 2-HAL set was built in 1955.[182][184]
SR Class 4DD electric multiple units were built in 1949 to operate the most overcrowded suburban services betweenDartford,Charing Cross andCannon Street. Thesedouble decker trains could take advantage of the greater clearances on the suburban lines in north-west Kent and were 4.5 in (11 cm) taller than other rolling stock.[185][186] Only two 4-car units were produced, with each unit able to accommodate 936 seated passengers, compared to around 600 in a single-deck unit of a similar length.[185] Operation of the units required longer stationdwell times, because of the small number of doors in each carriage. Additionally, passengers criticised the poor ventilation in the upper compartments, which did have not opening windows due to the tightloading gauge.[186][187] The 4DDs continued in service until 1 October 1971, but no further units were produced.[184][119]
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Class 415 4-EPB units were introduced to passenger service in January 1952, initially on theNew Guildford line.[188][176] All incorporatedbogies reclaimed from withdrawn pre-war units and the first 53 also had a trailer vehicle repurposed from scrapped 4-SUBs.[188] The 2-carClass 416 2-EPBs, based on theMark 1 coach, were built in 1953.[188][189] They were primarily intended to allow lengthening of 8-car suburban services to 10 carriages, but were also used individually to replace 2-NOL units.[189] In total, 213 4-EPBs and 79 2-EPBs were produced.[188]
The 4-carClass 455 units were built for suburban services on the Central and South Western Divisions. They used theMark 3 bodyshell and had a top speed of 75 mph (121 km/h). The 455/8s were introduced in 1983 on the lines from London Waterloo and replaced 4-SUBs and 4-EPBs.[190][191] The 455/7s, incorporating a trailer vehicle from aClass 508 unit, entered into service the following year. The 455/9s were introduced in 1985, and in May of that year, 36 455/8s were transferred from the South Western to the Central Division. In total, 137 Class 455s were constructed.[190]
The 5-carClass 442 units were built for the electrification of the South West Main Line between Bournemouth and Weymouth. They also used the Mark 3 bodyshell and had a top speed of 100 mph (161 km/h). They entered service in May 1988, operating express long-distance services between London Waterloo and Weymouth.[192][193]
TheIsland Line, betweenRyde Pier Head andShanklin, was electrified in the mid-1960s to allow steam haulage to be eliminated. The new electric timetable began in March 1967, operated by 4-carClass 485 and 3-carClass 486 units, which had been created by convertingLondon Underground Standard Stock.[160] By the early 1980s, the trains were suffering from salt corrosion, and were replaced in July 1989 by convertedLondon Underground 1938 Stock, designatedClass 483.[194]
Three classes ofdiesel multiple units, collectively known as theHastings Diesels, were introduced in the late 1950s to eliminate steam-hauled services between London andHastings.[195][196] The six-car units were built with a width of 9 ft (2.74 m), to fit within the narrowloading gauge of the tunnels on theTonbridge–Hastings line, and had a top speed of 75 mph (121 km/h).[195][197] TheClass 201 6S units, of which only seven were built, were introduced to passenger service in May 1957.[198][199] They were constructed on 56 ft 11 in (17.35 m) underframes that had originally been intended to be used for locomotive-hauled carriages.[198][200] The nineClass 202 6L units were constructed on standard-length 63 ft 5 in (19.33 m) underframes. They were followed by the sevenClass 203 6B units, which were identical to the 6L units, except that one standard-class carriage was replaced by a buffet coach.[199][201] All Hastings Diesel units had entered passenger service by August 1958.[202][203] The Hastings line was electrified and the new electric timetable began in May 1986, enabling the withdrawal of the units from the line.[204] Coaches from two Class 201 units and three Class 202 units were retained and transferred to Selhurst Depot, but the majority of the Hastings Diesels were scrapped.[205]
TheClass 205 2H units were two-car diesel multiple units were built to operate local services over unelectrified lines in Hampshire, including fromSouthampton Terminus toAlton and fromPortsmouth Harbour toSalisbury,Andover andSouthampton Central. The first eighteen units were introduced in 1957, enabling steam haulage to be eliminated from the routes by November of that year.[206][207] Four more 2H units were constructed the following year.[208] In 1959, the two-car 2H units were lengthened to three cars and were given a new 3H classification.[208][209]. Four additional three-car variants were built at the end of 1959.[208][210] After the closures of theSteyning Line and theFawley branch line, units began to operate services on theOxted line and by 1974, 14 units had been transferred.[211]
The three-carClass 207 3D units were built to operate services on the Oxted line. In total, 19 units were produced, all of which entered passenger service in 1962.[212][213] Although similar to the Class 205s, they had a width of 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) to allow them to operate betweenTunbridge Wells andTunbridge Wells West. They were originally built with blue asbestos insulation, which was removed from seven of the units in the mid-1980s, to allow them to continue operating after the electrification of the line to East Grinstead.[212] In the early 1990s, three units were reduced to two carriages and modified to allow them to work services on theMarshlink line. They were re-extended to three carriages in 1995 with the addition of former Class 411 4-CEP carriages.[214]
The three-carClass 206 3R units were created in the mid-1960s to operate services on theNorth Downs Line andRedhill–Tonbridge line. Their introduction, in January 1965, enable the withdrawal of steam-hauled services betweenReading andTonbridge. They were formed from two narrow-body former 6H units coupled to the standard-width driving trailer vehicle from a 2-EPB.[215][216] Three of the five compartments in the former EPB trailers were modified to carry letters and parcels, with a total capacity of 7 long tons (7.1 t) for mail.[217] The discrepancy in the sizes of the carriages gave rise to the nickname Tadpoles, which was used in some official documents.[215][216] Diesel Multiple Units from the Western Region were introduced to the North Downs Line in 1979 and the final Class 206 unit ran in passenger service on the line in May 1981.[216][218]
In 1960, the Channel Tunnel Study Group, a consortium of companies in which both BR andSNCF had financial interests, issued new proposals for a tunnel between England and France.[219][220] Rival plans for a bridge between Dover and Calais were proposed the following year. The two schemes were evaluated by a joint working group established by the British and French governments, which determined that the tunnel scheme was both technically feasible and "preferable economically".[219][221] The agreement between the two governments to build the tunnel was announced on 6 February 1964.[222] A further agreement was reached in 1973, based on the principle that the cost to the British government would be £120 million (equivalent to £1,800M in 2023).[219]
The British Railways Board (BRB) began to explore options for connecting the tunnel to the UK railway network. It proposed a high-speed route between London and Folkestone that would allow a total journey time of around2+3⁄4 hours between London and Paris. Part of the route would run over existing lines, which were to be upgraded to a line speed of 300 km/h (186 mph). Bypass lines would be constructed for Ashford and Tonbridge stations, and a new double-track railway would be built fromEdenbridge toSouth Croydon, assuming that theOxted line could not be upgraded for international trains.[223][224] In May 1974, the BRB presented its plans for the high-speed link, with a cost estimate of £373 million (£4,900M in 2023). That November, the British government refused the BRB's proposal,[223][225] and the plans for the tunnel were cancelled in January 1975.[226][227]
The idea of constructing a fixed link between England and France was revived in the early 1980s. In March 1985, the British and French governments invited proposals from private consortia and, in January the following year, a twin-bore rail tunnel was chosen as the preferred option.[228] The tunnel was to be built to the plans drawn up in the early 1970s,[229] and the BRB was required to provide rolling stock and new infrastructure to connect it to the existing UK rail network.[228] The board established a new sector, the European Passenger Services sector, to plan and operate the international passenger services.[228]
The BRB's infrastructure works, some of which were focused on improving existing lines and stations on the Southern Region, were divided into two phases.[230] Phase I included the construction ofWaterloo International station, the resignalling of theSouth Eastern Main Line betweenChislehurst and Folkestone,[230] and the electrification of theRedhill–Tonbridge line to provide an alternative route for freight trains to reach theWest London line.[230][231] Phase II included the reconstruction of Ashford station, to create a new passenger rail terminal.[230] The Channel Tunnel opened in May 1994,[228] shortly after the formal abolition of the Southern Region that March.[43]
