Henley Branch Line
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The Henley Branch Line is a branch railway line between Twyford, Berkshire and Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. Train services are provided by First Great Western.
The line was branded The Regatta Line in summer 2006 by Oxfordshire County Council and First Great Western. The railway enables excellent access to the Thames Path.
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[edit] Route
From a junction with the Great Western Main Line at Twyford railway station, it turns north and goes under the A4 on its way to its next stop at Wargrave. From Wargrave, it crosses the River Thames into Oxfordshire and proceeds to Shiplake, the third stop on the line. Finally, from Shiplake it continues to the town of Henley-on-Thames, where the line terminates.
This line is 4½ miles (7.2 km) long and is not electrified.
[edit] Train services
There is an hourly daily shuttle service between Twyford, on the Great Western Main Line, and Henley-on-Thames, and some through trains to and from London Paddington at peak times. All trains are operated by First Great Western, using Class 165/166 Turbo diesel trains.
The line was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1857. Goods traffic was withdrawn by the Western Region of British Railways in 1964, which also meant the end of steam locomotive working on the branch. Since the privatisation of British Rail, it has also been operated by Thames Trains and First Great Western Link.
[edit] Bibliography
- Karau, Paul (1982). An illustrated history of the Henley-on-Thames Branch. Wild Swan Publications. ISBN 0-906867-03-7
