Henley Branch Line


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The Henley Branch Line is a branch railway line between Twyford and Henley-on-Thames, between the English counties of Berkshire and Oxfordshire. It was built by the Great Western Railway in 1857. 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, after the famous Henley Regatta. The railway provides good access to the River Thames and the Thames Path.

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 the first stop at Wargrave. From Wargrave, it crosses the River Thames into Oxfordshire and proceeds to Shiplake, the second stop on the line. Finally, from Shiplake it continues to the town of Henley-on-Thames, where the line terminates.

This line is 4+1/2 mi long and is not currently electrified. Electrification of the branch was announced in July 2012.

Train services
Since December 2008 weekday services run at approximately 50 minute intervals between Twyford, on the Great Western Main Line, and Henley, with some through trains to and from London Paddington at peak times. At weekends the service is hourly. Additional services are provided during Henley Regatta at the beginning of July. All trains are operated by First Great Western, using Class 165/166 Turbo diesel trains.

History
The line was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1857. The only intermediate station was Shiplake. Originally laid as a single line to the GWR's broad gauge the branch was converted to standard gauge on 24 March 1876, the last line in GWR ownership at that time to be done. The line was converted to double track in 1897, just in time for the Regatta of that year. In 1900 a station was provided at Wargrave, after repeated requests from the villagers.

The line was singled again in June 1961, although a passing loop was retained at Shiplake until 1968. The last steam-hauled passenger train ran in 1963 and when goods traffic was withdrawn by the Western Region of British Railways in 1964 it meant the end of steam locomotive working on the branch and the removal of the various sidings and buildings serving the traffic. Since then the line has been single throughout, but it retains minimal signalling, controlled from the new Thames Valley Signalling Centre at Didcot (since December 2010), which permits a second train to follow another in the same direction. In 1992 a steam service was operated on two Sundays as an attraction. The buildings at Henley were demolished in 1975; the present building was erected in 1985. Wargrave and Shiplake station buildings were demolished in 1985 and replaced by bus shelters. Since the privatisation of British Rail, the line has been operated by Thames Trains and First Great Western.

Regatta Line branding
As is now common practice for branch lines, the Regatta Line brand has been introduced to focus public awareness of the train services. The name reflects the Henley Regatta, for which the town of Henley-on-Thames is most famous. The logo depicts a number of rowing oars, again to reflect the connection with the Regatta, plus a stylised image of Henley Bridge – only three of the five arches of this 18th-century stone-built bridge are shown. The blue colouring signifies the river, and the purple is one of First Group's corporate colours.