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The Hastings Line is a secondary railway line in Kent and East Sussex, England, linking with the main town of , and from there into London via and . Although primarily carrying passengers, the railway serves a gypsum mine which is a source of freight traffic. Southeastern operates passenger trains on the line. The railway was constructed by the South Eastern Railway in the early 1850s across the difficult terrain of the High Weald. Supervision of the building of the line was lax, enabling contractors to skimp on the lining of the tunnels. These deficiencies showed up after the railway had opened. Rectifications led to a restricted loading gauge along the line, requiring the use of dedicated rolling stock. Served by steam locomotives from opening until the late 1950s, passenger services were then taken over by a fleet of diesel-electric multiple units built to the line's loading gauge. Diesel locomotives handled freight, also built to fit the loading gauge. The diesel-electric multiple units served on the line until 1986, when the line was electrified and the most severely affected tunnels were reduced from double track to single. ==Background== The South Eastern Railway (SER) completed its main line from London to Dover, Kent in 1844, branching off the rival London, Brighton and South Coast Railway's (LBSC) line at . Construction of a single line branch from (modern spelling "Tonbridge") to Tunbridge Wells, a fashionable town where a chalybeate spring had been discovered in 1606, began in July 1844. At the time, Parliament had not given assent for the railway.〔 The Act of Parliament enabling the construction of the line had its first reading in the House of Commons on 28April 1845.〔 (Hansard website )〕 The bill completed its passage through the House of Commons and the House of Lords on 28July,〔 (Hansard website )〕〔 (Hansard website )〕〔(Hansard website )〕〔(Hansard website )〕〔 (Hansard website )〕 following which Royal Assent was granted on 31July by Queen Victoria. The engineer in charge of the construction was Peter W. Barlow and the contractors were Messrs. Hoof & Son.〔 In April 1845 the SER decided that the branch would be double track. A tunnel was required after leaving Tunbridge. This was named "Somerhill Tunnel" after the nearby mansion. A mile and 54 chains (2.70 km) after leaving Somerhill Tunnel, a viaduct was required. Southborough Viaduct stands high and has 26 arches. A temporary station was built at Tunbridge Wells as the Wells Tunnel was still under construction. It was from Tunbridge. The temporary station subsequently became a goods station.〔 The first train, comprising four locomotives and 26 carriages, arrived at Tunbridge Wells on 19September. Trains from Tunbridge had to reverse before starting the climb to Somerhill Tunnel, as there was no facing junction at Tunbridge. This situation was to remain until 1857, when a direct link was built at a cost of £5,700. The old link remained in use until 1913. The SER was granted permission to build a line from Ashford in Kent to St Leonards, East Sussex in 1845. The LBSC reached St Leonards from the following year. This gave the LBSC a shorter route to than the SERs route, then still under construction. The SER sought permission to extend their branch from Tunbridge Wells across the High Weald to reach Hastings. Authorisation for the construction of a line to Hastings was obtained on 18June 1846,〔 Parliament deemed the line between Ashford and St Leonards to be of military strategic importance. Therefore, they stipulated that this line was to be completed before any extension was built from Tunbridge Wells. The extension into Tunbridge Wells opened on 25November 1846 without any public ceremony. In 1847, the SER unsuccessfully challenged the condition that the line between Ashford and St Leonards be completed first. That line was opened in 1851, passing through Hastings and making an end-on junction with the LBSC line from Lewes. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hastings Line」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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