The Marshlink line is a railway line in South East England. It runs from Ashford, in Kent, via Romney Marsh, Rye and the Ore Tunnel to Hastings, where it connects to the East Coastway line towards Eastbourne and Brighton. The line is one of the few in South East England that has not been electrified, despite regular proposals to do so; Southern uses diesel multiple units (DMU)s on the route.
The line was constructed by the South Eastern Railway (SER) in the late 1840s as a priority for military traffic. The SER clashed with the rival London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, leading to disputes over the route, planning and operation. After delays, the line opened in February 1851, followed by branch lines to Rye Harbour in 1854, Dungeness in 1881 and New Romney in 1884. The line struggled to be profitable and it seemed likely that it would close, as recommended by the Beeching Report. All branch lines were closed to passengers by 1967, but the main line was kept open because of poor road connections in the area; the branch to Dungeness remained open for freight. Although the line has been partially single-tracked and was slow to be modernised, it has survived into the 21st century.
Name The name Marshlink was first used in the 1970s by the Southern region of British Rail in an attempt to improve marketing; some trains had the name painted on the side. The line from to was branded the 1066 line at the same time.
History Construction
The line was proposed by the Brighton, Lewes and Hastings Railway (BLHR), founded in June 1844 to construct a link between those three towns in association with the London and Brighton Railway (LBR). The South Eastern Railway (SER) wanted to construct a line between Headcorn, Rye and Hastings, but the parliamentary select committee thought there would be insufficient traffic. After the Brighton, Lewes and Hastings Railway Act 1844 (7 & 8 Vict. c. xci) was passed to construct the Brighton–Hastings line (now the East Coastway line), the LBR thought it would be useful to extend it towards Rye and Ashford, an area otherwise dominated by SER plans. The SER conducted their own survey from Ashford to Rye, in the hope that they would be allowed to construct and own the line instead.
During the 1844–45 parliamentary session, the Board of Trade decided to approve the 's plans. The SER were unhappy about this arrangement and during the summer of 1845 abandoned their Headcorn–Rye–Hastings scheme, focusing on Hastings–Rye–Ashford instead. The two companies reached a compromise, by which the BLHR were authorised to build the line from Hastings to Ashford, with a caveat that the SER could take over operation if they wished. The proposed line passed through countryside with only Rye as a significant settlement, so the SER easily persuaded the BLHR to hand over construction rights.
Parliament deemed that the line was of strategic military importance and ordered that it was to be completed before the extension of the Hastings line from Tunbridge Wells to Hastings. As part of the contract, the SER had to pay £10,000 towards refurbishing Rye Harbour and took responsibility for drainage of the Royal Military Canal, which ran close to the line along Romney Marsh.
On 27 July 1846, the LBR and amalgamated with several other lines to form the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR). They became rivals with the SER and complained about a lack of progress. The SER were unhappy about the proposed line from Rye to Hastings via Ore, which they viewed as too expensive compared to the alternative route via Whatlington. The LB&SCR objected to this route as it was longer and consequently the SER dropped their proposals that November.
In July 1847, George Robert Stephenson designed a bridge across the Royal Military Canal near Warehorne, while Peter W. Barlow designed a swing bridge over the Rother at Rye. However, the specific route continued to be debated by the SER throughout early 1848. Work from the Ashford–Rye section started in earnest that summer, but subsequent heavy rain slowed construction. Workers propped the line up with hand spikes to prevent rails sinking and test trains heeled over in the wind. The line was planned as single-track, though this was changed to double-track in June 1850.
The line was planned to be opened on 28 October 1850 by Thomas Farncombe, Lord Mayor of London, who inserted the last brick in both the Ore and Mount Pleasant tunnels. Work on the line was not complete owing to a lack of locally available ballast, so the full ceremony was postponed. The opening date was moved to 1 January 1851, but this was cancelled following signalling problems. The line eventually opened on 13 February 1851, though this was hampered by the rivalries between the companies. The SER blocked LB&SCR trains entering Hastings, not recognising them as the legal successors to the .
After a court case, the two companies agreed to share the station's facilities for both lines. Even after opening, there were complaints in early 1852 that the line was not completely finished and it was still marked "nearly complete" in March 1853. The dispute between the SER and the LB&SCR was not fully resolved until 5 December 1870, when the former was allowed to run trains to .
The railway opened with four intermediate stations between Ashford and Hastings at Ham Street, Appledore, Rye and Winchelsea. There were almost no other places of significance along the line. Some stations were not near the settlement they served; for example, Appledore station is around from the village itself. Four trains per day ran each way on the line, reducing to two on Sundays. Few changes were made to the railway during the 19th century, aside from minor signalling work and some additional buildings. It was not declared profitable by the SER until 1895.
To make money and boost traffic on the line, the SER agreed to hold unlicensed boxing matches on Romney Marsh. On 29 January 1856, a special train ran from to Appledore for a prize fight between Tom Sayers and Harry Poulson. Sayers won the fight, which was reportedly rigged by the SER for £1,000. The company was accused of "aiding and abetting a breach of the peace."
Branches from Rye In 1846, a short branch was proposed from Rye station towards Rye Harbour. It was long and only used for freight, ending by the river Rother at a pier. The line opened in March 1854. It was almost derelict by 1955 and closed on 29 January 1960.
The Rye and Camber Tramway was a separate gauge line the other side of the river; it was proposed in 1895 with an initial budget of £2,800. A section from Rye to Golf Links Halt opened on 13 July 1895, followed by a extension to Camber Sands, opening on 13 July 1908. The line was closed in 1939, following competition from bus services, and was temporarily part-converted to road during the war. It was returned to railway after hostilities ended, but the line was impractical to repair to full use and hence closed permanently.
In 1901, the East Sussex Light Railway proposed a connection from on the Kent and East Sussex Railway to Rye. The SECR objected and it was abandoned.
Branch to Dungeness and New Romney
The SER had tenuous plans to build a cross-channel passenger ferry terminal at Dungeness, which would provide a dedicated route from London to Paris. In 1859, the Town Clerk of New Romney suggested a line should be built from Folkestone to Rye, via Dymchurch and Lydd, but the SER was not interested. However, in 1866 they became favourable about a branch line from Appledore, as it could support their international train proposals. The South Eastern Railway Act 1866 (29 & 30 Vict. c. ccxxvii) giving authority to build the line was obtained on 30 July that year, which included a branch to Denge Beach. On 5 August 1873, the SER were authorised by the (36 & 37 Vict. c. ccxxxiv) to extend the line to Dungeness with a pier and landing stage. Progress stalled on the line in the 1870s and the SER were in danger of a rival railway taking over construction.
The development of the artillery range at Lydd increased the potential for traffic, so the newly formed proposed their own bill to work on the Appledore–Lydd branch line, which was passed as the (44 & 45 Vict. c. v). The Lydd Railway Company was promoted by Robert William Perks.See Chapter 4 of the "Denis Crane" 1909 Biography of Perks, p. 74. Construction began on 8 April 1881, with Thomas Andrew Walker as the contractor for the work, and the line opened to Dungeness on 7 December that year. Most trains ran through to Ashford, though a few services terminated at Appledore. An act for the northward branch to New Romney was granted on 24 July 1882, with the line opening on 19 June 1884. The line was not a financial success and the Lydd Railway was absorbed into the SER in 1895.
By the early 20th century, trains were running direct from Charing Cross to New Romney, via Ashford and Appledore, on summer Sundays. The branch line became important during World War I, when camps were established on the shingle wasteland between Lydd and Dungeness. During this time, the line catered for both infantry and horse traffic. A passing loop past Appledore was removed in 1920. At the New Romney end, one of the sidings adjoining the station was extended to serve the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway.
The line was realigned to be closer to the coast in the 1930s, to attract holiday traffic along the coast between Dungeness and New Romney. The rerouted line opened on 4 July 1937 and included new stations at Lydd-on-Sea and Greatstone-on-Sea. At the same time, the branch to Dungeness was closed to passengers. By 1952, nine trains a day were serving New Romney from Appledore, with two further through trains from Ashford. After electrification of the South East Main Line in 1962, direct services from Charing Cross were discontinued and the remaining services were run on diesel-electric stock.
Later improvements Hastings was poorly served by the railway, as many of the residential areas to the east of the town centre were some distance from the station. In 1872, the SER considered building a new station, but progress stalled until July 1886, when a local landowner offered £1,000 (£ in ) to build a station near Ore Tunnel. Ore railway station opened on 1 January 1888.
The original swing bridge over the River Rother east of Rye was proposed to be replaced by a fixed bridge in 1881. The SER were amenable to this as the Monk Bretton Bridge (that now carries the A259 east of Rye) was in planning stages, though the replacement bridge did not open until 1903. In 1899, the SER and the London, Chatham and Dover Railway created the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR) as a joint operation.
In 1907, a steam railcar service was introduced on the line in an attempt to increase local traffic. Three additional halts were constructed between Winchelsea and Hastings: Three Oaks, Guestling (later renamed Doleham) and Snailham, all of which opened on 1 July. Snailham Halt was inaccessible by public road and could only be reached by a rough track. The station was never modernised and retained its original wooden platforms. Steam railcar services were withdrawn in February 1920 and replaced with tank engines. Snailham Halt closed on 2 February 1959.
Following World War I, plans were put forward to construct a chord linking the line eastwards at Ashford towards . This would allow trains to run between Hastings and Dover without having to reverse. The plans stalled at the design stage and the link was never constructed.