View source for Alton line

{{Short description|Railway line in South East England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox rail line
| box_width                       = 
| name                            = Alton line
| color                           = 
| logo                            = 
| logo_width                      = 
| logo_alt                        = 
| image                           = Bentley station - geograph.org.uk - 630479.jpg
| image_width                     = 300px
| image_alt                       = 
| caption                         = A [[South West Trains]] {{brc|450}} at Bentley station in November 2007
| type                            = [[Heavy rail]]
| system                          = [[National Rail]]
| status                          = Operational
| locale                          = [[South East England]]
| start                           = Pirbright Junction
| end                             = {{rws|Alton}}
| stations                        = 5
| routes                          = 
| open                            = 1849–1870
| close                           = 
| owner                           = [[Network Rail]]
| operator                        = [[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]]
| character                       = 
| depot                           = Farnham Traincare Depot
| stock                           = {{brc|450}}, {{brc|444}}
| linelength                      = 
| tracklength                     = 
| gauge                           = {{RailGauge|sg|allk=on}}
| electrification                 = {{750 V DC|conductor=third rail}}
| minradius                       = 
| routenumber                     = 
| speed                           = {{cvt|70|mph|km/h}} maximum
| elevation                       = 
| website                         = 
| map                             = {{switcher|[[File:Alton line.png|300px]]|Show static map|{{maplink-road|from=Alton line.map}}|Show zoomable map|{{Alton Line|inline=y}}|Show line diagram}}
| map_state                       = uncollapsed
}}

The '''Alton line''' is a railway line in [[Hampshire]] and [[Surrey]], England, operated by [[South Western Railway]]; it is a relatively long branch of the [[South West Main Line]].

The branch leaves the main line at Pirbright Junction to the west of [[Brookwood railway station|Brookwood station]], Surrey, then turns to the south-west. The route crosses and recrosses the Surrey/Hampshire border, serving the towns of [[Aldershot]] and [[Farnham]], before reaching its present-day terminus at [[Alton, Hampshire|Alton]] in [[East Hampshire]]. The line originally continued west to [[Winchester]]; the section between Alton and [[New Alresford]] is preserved as the heritage [[Mid Hants Watercress Railway|Watercress line]].

The Alton line was [[Railway electrification in Great Britain|electrified]] (750&nbsp;V DC third rail) during the late inter-war years by Southern Railway. Steam trains connected to the Mid Hants Watercress Railway (by way of rolling stock supply or special excursion) operate on the line.

==Route==
===Infrastructure===
The Alton line is a [[standard-gauge railway|standard-gauge]] railway line in [[South East England]]. It runs for {{convert|17|mile|29|ch|km}} from the [[South West Main Line]] at Pirbright Junction in [[Surrey]] to {{rws|Alton}} in [[Hampshire]].{{sfn|"Network Specification: Wessex"|2016|p=5}}{{sfn|Bridge|2017|pp= 18-19}} The line is [[railway electrification in Great Britain|electrified]] using the 750 [[Volt|V]] [[direct current|DC]] third-rail system{{sfn|"Route Specifications"|2016|pp=71-74}} and is double track between Pirbright Junction and {{rws|Farnham}}.{{sfn|"Network Specification: Wessex"|2016|p=5}}{{sfn|Bridge|2017|pp= 18-19}} Between Farnham and Alton, there is an {{cvt|8|mi|adj=on}} single-track section,{{sfn|Bridge|2017|pp= 18-19}}{{sfn|"Route Specifications"|2016|pp=71-74}} although trains may [[passing loop|pass]] at [[Bentley railway station (Hampshire)|Bentley station]].{{sfn|Bridge|2017|pp= 18-19}}{{sfn|"Sectional Appendix"|2009|loc=SW120}} The entire line is controlled by Woking Area Signalling Centre;{{sfn|"Route Specifications"|2016|pp=71-74}}<ref name=Roberts_Pritchard_2014>{{cite magazine |last1= Roberts |first1= Stephen |last2= Pritchard |first2= Robert |date= January 2014 |title= The Alton Branch |magazine= Today's Railways UK |issue= 145 |pages= 42–45 }}</ref> the signalling system uses [[track circuit]]s, with the exception of the {{rws|Aldershot}} station area, which uses the [[absolute block signalling|absolute block]] method. The maximum permitted speed on the line is {{cvt|70|mph}} and passenger trains from Alton typically reach {{rws|Brookwood}} on the South West Main Line in around 30-35 minutes.{{sfn|"Route Specifications"|2016|pp=71-74}}

At Pirbright Junction, a [[flying junction|flyover]] allows trains heading from Alton towards London to pass over all four tracks of the South West Main Line.<ref name=Roberts_Pritchard_2014/>{{sfn|"Sectional Appendix"|2009|loc=SW105}} There are two additional junctions with National Rail lines: Ash Vale Junction allows trains to access the [[Ascot–Ash Vale line]] and Aldershot North Junction allows trains to access the spur towards the [[North Downs Line]].{{sfn|"Sectional Appendix"|2009|loc=SW105}} At the southern end of the line, the connection to the [[Watercress Line]], a [[heritage railway]], is fully signalled.<ref name=Puddicombe>{{cite magazine |last= Puddicombe |first= Daniel |date= 1 September 2022 |title= Making the Connection |magazine= Steam Railway |issue=535 |pages= 6–13 }}</ref> 

There are two tunnels on the Alton line: the longest is the {{cvt|418|yd|m|adj=on}} Foxhills Tunnel, between Pirbright Junction and {{rws|Ash Vale}}, which runs beneath Pirbright Common;{{sfn|"Sectional Appendix"|2009|loc=SW120}}{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc= Fig. 36}} the shorter {{cvt|76|yd|m|adj=on}} Aldershot Tunnel, between Ash Vale and Aldershot, passes under Redan Hill.{{sfn|"Sectional Appendix"|2009|loc=SW120}}{{sfn|Williams|1973|p=64}} The Alton line crosses the [[Basingstoke Canal]] twice: at  Ash Vale and Aldershot Railway Bridges.{{sfn|Williams|1973|p=64}}{{sfn|Jebens|1996|pp=16-17}} The [[level crossing]] at Farnham, where the line crosses the B3001, is one of the most misused in the Network Rail Wessex Region.<ref name=Roberts_Pritchard_2014/><ref>{{cite news |last= White |first= Marcus |date= 15 July 2024 |title= Near misses and risk-taking filmed at crossings |work= BBC News |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg3jy6vejepo |access-date= 8 December 2024 }}</ref> Between Farnham and Alton, the line parallels the north branch of the [[River Wey]].{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=183}}

===Stations and services===
[[File:Alton line services - December 2024.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|Off-peak service pattern (Monday–Saturday): Each line represents two trains per hour, although Bentley station is served by only one train per hour in each direction.<ref name=London–Alton>{{cite web |title= 10: Basingstoke, Alton and Aldershot to London Waterloo |date= 15 December 2024 |publisher= South Western Railway  |url= https://www.southwesternrailway.com/-/media/files/plan-my-journey/timetables/december-2024/ptt10-december-2024.pdf |access-date= 16 December 2024 }}</ref><ref name=Ascot–Gford>{{cite web |title= 12: Guildford to Farnham and Ascot via Aldershot |date= 15 December 2024 |publisher= South Western Railway |url= https://www.southwesternrailway.com/-/media/files/plan-my-journey/timetables/december-2024/ptt12-december-2024.pdf |access-date= 16 December 2024 }}</ref>]]
All five stations on the line—Ash Vale, Aldershot, Farnham, Bentley and Alton—are managed by [[South Western Railway]] (SWR), which operates all passenger services.<ref>{{unbulleted list citebundle | {{cite web |title= Trains to Ash Vale station |publisher= South Western Railway |url= https://www.southwesternrailway.com/travelling-with-us/at-the-station/ash-vale |access-date= 8 December 2024 }} | {{cite web |title= Trains to Aldershot station |publisher= South Western Railway |url= https://www.southwesternrailway.com/travelling-with-us/at-the-station/aldershot|access-date= 8 December 2024 }} | {{cite web |title= Trains to Farnham station |publisher= South Western Railway |url= https://www.southwesternrailway.com/travelling-with-us/at-the-station/farnham|access-date= 8 December 2024 }} | {{cite web |title= Trains to Bentley (Hampshire) station |publisher= South Western Railway |url= https://www.southwesternrailway.com/travelling-with-us/at-the-station/bentley-hampshire |access-date= 8 December 2024 }} | {{cite web |title= Trains to Alton station |publisher= South Western Railway |url= https://www.southwesternrailway.com/travelling-with-us/at-the-station/alton |access-date= 4 October 2024 }} }}</ref> Aldershot and Alton have three platforms, although Platform 3 at the latter is used exclusively by the Watercress Line.{{sfn|Bridge|2017|pp= 18-19}}{{efn|The [[Watercress Line]] side of [[Alton railway station|Alton station]] also has a non-platform loop to allow locomotives to [[Headshunt#Run_round|run around]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Croshaw |first= Sean |date= July 2014 |title= The Mid Hants Railway |magazine= Today's Railways UK |issue= 151 |pages= 48–52 }}</ref>}} The other stations have two platforms each.{{sfn|Bridge|2017|pp= 18-19}}{{efn| Most trains use Platform 1 at [[Bentley railway station (Hampshire)|Bentley]]; Platform 2 is used when trains need to pass, generally only at peak times.<ref name=Roberts_2019>{{cite magazine |last= Roberts |first= Stephen |date= 2 January 2019 |title= Military Service and Movie Memories |magazine= RAIL |issue= 869 |pages= 58–64 }}</ref>}}

Three distinct passenger services run on the Alton line, all of which are operated by SWR:
* {{rws|London Waterloo}} to Alton via {{rws|Woking}} services travel along the full length of the line;<ref name=London–Alton/>{{efn|On Sundays, trains between {{rws|London Waterloo}} and {{rws|Alton}} split from and join to trains serving {{rws|Basingstoke}} at {{rws|Woking}}.<ref name=London–Alton/>}}
* [[Ascot railway station (Berkshire)|Ascot]] to Aldershot via {{rws|Frimley}} services travel on the line between Ash Vale Junction and Aldershot;<ref name=Ascot–Gford/>{{efn|name=Ascot_Sunday|On Sundays, the [[Ascot railway station (Berkshire)|Ascot]]–{{rws|Aldershot}} and {{rws|Farnham}}–{{rws|Guildford}} services are combined. Trains reverse at Aldershot and do not serve Farnham.<ref name=Ascot–Gford/>}}
* {{rws|Guildford}} to Farnham via {{rws|Ash}} services travel on the line between Aldershot North Junction and Farnham.<ref name=Ascot–Gford/>{{efn|name=Ascot_Sunday}}
Passenger services are typically operated by {{brc|450}} electric multiple units,<ref>{{cite web |title= Class 450 "Desiro" |publisher= South Western Railway |url= https://www.southwesternrailway.com/travelling-with-us/our-trains/class-450-desiro |access-date= 6 December 2024 }}</ref> although {{brc|701}} units are expected to operate services north of Farnham via Ash Vale.<ref>{{cite web |title= Arterio |publisher= South Western Railway |url= https://www.southwesternrailway.com/travelling-with-us/our-trains/arterio |access-date= 6 December 2024 }}</ref>
{{clear}}
{|class="wikitable sortable collapsible"
|+ class="nowrap"|Stations on the Alton line {{nobold|(ordered from north to south)}}
|-
!scope="col"|Station
!scope="col"|Distance from {{rws|London Waterloo}}{{sfn|"Sectional Appendix"|2009|loc=SW120}}
!scope="col"|Number of<br>platforms
!scope="col"|Opening date 
!scope="col" class="unsortable"|Original name
!scope="col" class="unsortable"|Ref.
|- style="background:#F8F8FF"
|{{rws|Ash Vale}}||{{cvt|32|mi|38|ch}}<br>measured via {{rws|Brookwood}}||2||{{date table sorting|2 May 1890}}||North Camp & Ash Vale||{{sfn|Quick|2023|p=56}}
|-
|{{rws|Aldershot}}||{{cvt|35|mi|00|ch}}<br>measured via Brookwood||3||{{date table sorting|2 May 1870}}||||{{sfn|Quick|2023|p=47}}
|-
|{{rws|Farnham}}||{{cvt|40|mi|33|ch}}<br>measured via {{rws|Tongham}}||2||{{date table sorting|9 October 1849}}||||{{sfn|Quick|2023|p=190}}
|-
|[[Bentley railway station (Hampshire)|Bentley]]||{{cvt|44|mi|24|ch}}<br>measured via Tongham||2||{{date table sorting|July 1854}}||||{{sfn|Quick|2023|p=78}}
|-
|{{rws|Alton}}||{{cvt|49|mi|13|ch}}<br>measured via Tongham||3<br>(2 for Alton line)||{{date table sorting|28 July 1852}}<br>relocated 2&nbsp;October 1865||||{{sfn|Quick|2023|p=50}}
|}

===Farnham Traincare Depot===
[[File:Wrecclesham train repository, aerial 2015 - geograph.org.uk - 4525979.jpg|thumb|right|Farnham Traincare Depot from the air in June 2015]]
'''Farnham Traincare Depot''' ({{coord|51.2051|-0.8102|region:GB-SRY_type:landmark|display=inline}}) is located on Weydon Lane in [[Wrecclesham]]; it is close to the border between Surrey and Hampshire, in between {{rws|Farnham}} and [[Bentley (Hampshire) railway station|Bentley]] stations. SWR uses the depot, as part of their franchise agreement; it houses mainly [[British Rail Class 450|Class 450]] [[electric multiple units]], but also [[British Rail Class 444|Class 444]] and [[British Rail Class 458|Class 458]] units. More recently, the depot has been used as sidings for the [[British Rail Class 701|Class 701]] fleet pending their introduction to passenger service.

The depot was opened by the Southern Railway, at the time of the electrification of the Portsmouth and Alton lines in 1937.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc= Fig. 80}}{{sfn|Course|1974|p=58}} The company had wanted to build the facility at Alton, but the local authority had refused permission and it was constructed at Farnham instead.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc= Fig. 80}} The depot was refurbished for the introduction of modern units when [[slam-door train]]s were replaced circa 2005. At the same time, disused quarry and ballast dump sidings behind the carriage shed were removed and a number of outdoor sidings were laid for overnight storage and servicing of units.

==History==
===The 1840s and 1850s===
In 1845, the [[London and South Western Railway]] (LSWR) proposed two lines to serve Farnham and Alton. The two market towns were at the centre of a large [[barley]]-growing area and the promoters hoped to transport 145,000 barrels of [[ale]] annually. They also saw an opportunity to carry building materials, including stone quarried from east Hampshire.{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=183}} Plans were deposited with Parliament for a branches from Pirbright and from Guildford, which were to converge at [[Ash Green Halt]] before heading south-west towards Farnham.{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=183}} 

[[File:Site of former Ash Junction - geograph.org.uk - 5632450.jpg|thumb|right|The former Ash Junction from the east: The [[Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway|RG&RR]] line (now the [[North Downs Line]]) to {{rws|Ash}} curves to the right, but the former [[London and South Western Railway|LSWR]] line to {{rws|Farnham}} via {{rws|Ash Green Halt}} continued straight ahead.]]
The [[London and South Western Railway (Farnham and Alton Branch) Act 1846]] authorised the construction of the line from Guildford to Alton.{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=183}}{{sfn|Maggs|2010|p=74}} The [[Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway]] (RG&RR) was granted running powers between Guildford and Ash Junction, from where it would branch north-westwards towards [[Reading Southern railway station|Reading]]. The LSWR line was to continue to Alton via {{rws|Ash Green Halt}} (initially called Ash), Farnham and Bentley.{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=184}} The act explicitly authorised the construction of level crossings where the route intersected local roads.{{sfn|Ewbank Smith|1971|p=24}}

[[File:Aldershot lines 1849.png|thumb|right|upright=1.3|Railway lines in west [[Surrey]] and north-east [[Hampshire]] in 1849]]
The contract for construction was awarded to [[Thomas Brassey]], who was to be paid £145,500 (equivalent to £{{inflation|UK|0.145539|1846|r=2}} million in {{Inflation/year|UK}}).{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=183}} The LSWR opened the double-track line from Guildford to Ash Junction on 20 August 1849, when the [[South Eastern Railway (England)|South Eastern Railway]] (SER) began running Guildford–Reading services on behalf of the RG&RR.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=48}} The single-track line to Farnham, with an intermediate halt at Ash Green, opened on 8 October that year.{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=184}}{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc= Fig. 72}}{{efn|A single-track engine shed was constructed to the west of [[Farnham railway station|Farnham station]] when the line opened in October 1849. Its purpose is unclear, but it is likely to have housed a locomotive used to maintain the line. It is thought to have closed in around 1890.<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Smith |first= Paul |date= February 2024 |title= Southern Engine Sheds in Surrey and Berkshire |magazine= Southern Way |issue= 64 |pages= 44–58 |publisher= Crécy Publishing Ltd |location= Manchester |isbn= 978-1-80-035300-8 }}</ref>}} The railway historian R.A. Williams, notes that the LSWR and SER "worked uneasily together" as the two companies competed for passengers travelling from west Surrey to London.{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=185}} In 1858, the SER offered a free bus service from Farnham town centre to its station at {{rws|Ash}} in the hope of attracting custom from its rival.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=48}}{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=185}}

Work on the extension from Farnham to Alton did not begin until October 1850. The line was originally to have been double track, but the LSWR directors had become sceptical of the traffic potential and sought to reduce costs by laying only a single line. Brassey was able to complete the work at a cost of £3,500 per mile (£{{inflation|UK|3.5|1850|r=0}},000 in {{inflation/year|UK}}), meaning that the line cost only £30,000 (£{{inflation|UK|0.03|1846|r=2}} million in {{inflation/year|UK}}) more to build than would have been lost by abandoning it.{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=184}} The extension south-westwards from Farnham opened on 28 July 1852.{{sfn|Maggs|2010|p=74}}{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=184}} The station at Alton was laid out as a terminus,{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1984|loc= Fig. 110}} and the intermediate station at Bentley, around {{cvt|1|mi}} from the village it serves, opened two years later.{{sfn|Quick|2023|p=78}}<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Roberts |first= Stephen |date= 28 June 2023 |title= Bradshaw's Britain: Alton to Exeter |magazine= RAIL |issue= 986 |page= 56-61}}</ref>

A public freight siding was opened at {{rws|Tongham}} with the line, but initially no passenger facilities were provided in the village. A station was opened in the same location as the sidings in October 1856, to serve [[Aldershot Garrison|the new army camps at Aldershot]] that had been under construction since February 1854.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|pp=154-156}}{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=52}} A single-track branch was laid from Tongham to South Camp, but was removed in mid-1859 when building work was complete.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|pp=154-156}}

===The 1860s and 1870s===
{{further|Mid-Hants Railway|Ascot–Ash Vale line}}
[[File:Alton Station - 51160225065.jpg|thumb|right|[[Alton railway station|Alton station]] was relocated to its current site on 2 October 1865, when the [[Mid-Hants Railway]] opened to {{rws|Winchester}}.{{sfn|Quick|2023|p=50}}{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1984|loc= Fig. 110}}]]
The independent [[Mid-Hants Railway]] proposed the extension of the line west from Alton, with the intention of providing a direct link between the army camps at Aldershot and the ports of the south coast. The line was authorised on 18 June 1861.{{sfn|Williams|1973|p=81}}{{efn|Until 1 January 1865, the [[Mid-Hants Railway]] was known as the "Alton, Alresford, Winchester Railway". The change of name was authorised by the [[Mid Hants Act 1864]], which also allowed the company to raise additional capital to build its line.{{sfn|Williams|1973|pp=82-83}}}} The LSWR was sceptical of the new route, fearing that traffic would be taken away from its main line via {{rws|Basingstoke}}. Nevertheless, the company agreed to operate passenger services on 17 February 1865, and the new route to {{rws|Winchester}} opened on 2 October that year. Initially most trains ran as extensions of existing Guildford–Alton services.{{sfn|Williams|1973|pp=82-83}}

By the end of the [[Crimean War]] in early 1856, the number of military personnel garrisoned at Aldershot was over 14,000, growing to over 29,000 that August.{{sfn|Vickers|2017|p=24}} A horse bus service to Farnham began that year, but the town was not directly connected to the passenger railway network and the closest stations were at Tongham, {{rws|North Camp}} and [[Farnborough (Main) railway station|Farnborough]].<ref name=Gilks_1956>{{cite magazine |last= Gilks |first= J. Spencer |date= March 1956 |title= Railway Development at Aldershot |magazine= Railway Magazine |pages= 188–193 |url= https://sremg.org.uk/RlyMag/RailwayDevelopmentAtAldershot.pdf |access-date= 12 December 2024 }}</ref>

The first proposals for a railway through Aldershot were put forward in 1857 and 1863. However, both schemes, which would have linked the growing town to the South West Main Line at Farnborough, failed in Parliament.{{sfn|Williams|1973|p=64}}{{sfn|Williams|1973|p=65-66}} In 1864, an independent company submitted the Farnham, Aldershot and Woking Junction Bill, but the promoters were persuaded to withdraw their plans by the LSWR which submitted a similar scheme to Parliament the following year. The only major differences between the two proposals were that the link to North Camp station in the 1864 plans was eliminated and that the link to Ash station was replaced by a shorter, more tightly curved spur.<ref name=Gilks_1956/>{{sfn|Williams|1973|p=65-66}}  The total cost of the line was estimated to be £160,000 (equivalent to £{{inflation|UK|0.16|1865|r=1}} million in {{Inflation/year|UK}}) and the LSWR bill requested borrowing powers for up to £53,330 (£{{inflation|UK|0.05333|1865|r=2}} million in {{Inflation/year|UK}}).<ref>{{cite magazine |title= London and South Western |date= 18 February 1865 |magazine= Herapath's Railway Journal |page= 174 }}</ref> 

[[File:Aldershot lines 1870.png|thumb|right|upright=1.3|Railway lines in west [[Surrey]] and north-east [[Hampshire]] in 1870]]
The line from Pirbright Junction to Farnham Junction was authorised in the South Western (Aldershot) Railway Act 1865 on 19 June 1865.{{sfn|Maggs|2010|p=77}} It was built with two tracks from the South West Main Line to Aldershot, from where it continued south as a single line towards Farnham.{{sfn|Williams|1973|p=65-66}} The original intention was for the line to pass through Redan Hill in a cutting, but a tunnel was added to the scheme in 1866 at the request of the War Department.{{sfn|Williams|1973|p=64}}{{sfn|Williams|1973|p=65-66}} The army also insisted that the bridge over the Basingstoke Canal at Ash should include a {{cvt|6|ft|m|adj=mid|wide}} untracked section to allow military personnel to cross the waterway on foot.{{sfn|Williams|1973|p=65-66}} 

Poor weather over the winter of 1869-70 delayed the opening of the Pirbright Junction–Farnham Junction line,{{sfn|Williams|1973|p=65-66}} but the first passenger services finally ran on 2 May 1870.{{sfn|Maggs|2010|p=77}}{{sfn|Jackson|1999|pp=61-62}} The new line not only included new stations at Ash Vale and Aldershot, but also provided a more direct link to London from Farnham than the existing route via Guildford.{{sfn|Ewbank Smith|1971|p=74}} The initial service was eight northbound and six southbound trains each day and trains from Aldershot typically reached London Waterloo in around 70 minutes.<ref name=Gilks_1956/> The single line from Aldershot to Farnham Junction was doubled on 10 March 1875.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|pp=61-62}} The first services over the Ash–Aldershot spur were run by the SER on 1 May 1879, and the LSWR launched a Guildford–Aldershot via Ash passenger service on 1 October 1882.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|pp=61-62}}

[[File:Aldershot lines 1879.png|thumb|right|upright=1.3|Railway lines in west [[Surrey]] and north-east [[Hampshire]] in 1879]]
The single frack from Ash Vale Junction to Frimley Junction opened on 2 June 1879, completing the [[Ascot–Ash Vale line]]. The new route provided a direct rail link from Aldershot to {{rws|Camberley}}, the closest station to the [[Staff College, Camberley|Staff College]] for the British Armed Forces, although initially the majority of services on the southern part of the new line ran as shuttles between Frimley and Farnham.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=64}} 

===Late 19th and early 20th centuries===
{{further|Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway|Meon Valley Railway|Bordon Light Railway}}
Several infrastructure projects were undertaken in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The single-track section between Ash Green Halt and Farnham was doubled in June 1884,{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=53}} and laying of a second track between Farnham and Alton was completed in June 1901.{{sfn|Faulkner|Williams|1988|p=70}} At the northern end of the route, the South West Main Line was widened from two tracks to four. As part of the first phase of these works, a flyover was opened at Pirbright Junction on 30 June 1901, allowing trains from Alton and Aldershot to pass over the main line on a bridge.<ref>{{cite news |title= Widening the railway |date= 24 August 1900 |work= Surrey Times and County Express |issue= 2687 |page= 6 }}</ref>{{sfn|Faulkner|Williams|1988|p=58}} A new signal box was installed at the junction in 1904, which remained operational until 1931.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc= Fig. 35}} At the end of the 19th century, there were 20 trains per day between Farnham and London. The average journey time was 1 hour 31 minutes, but the fastest express took only 1 hour 5 minutes.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Timms |first= D.T. |date= December 1898 |title= The 'Great Southern Railway' |magazine= The Railway Magazine |volume= 3  |issue= 18 |pages= 579–590}}</ref>

[[File:Aldershot lines 1905.png|thumb|right|upright=1.3|Railway lines in west [[Surrey]] and north-east [[Hampshire]] in 1905]]
Three further lines were opened at the west end of the Alton line in the early 1900s. Trains began running on the [[Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway]] on 1 June 1901,{{sfn|Maggs|2010|p=91}}{{sfn|Robertson|Oppitz|1988|p=23}} and on the [[Meon Valley Railway]] (MVR) on 1 June 1903.{{sfn|Maggs|2010|p=99}}{{sfn|Robertson|Oppitz|1988|p=59}} The capacity of Alton station was increased in 1903, with the creation of a third platform to accommodate MVR trains.{{sfn|Faulkner|Williams|1988|p=70}} The {{cvt|4.5|mi|adj=on}} [[Bordon Light Railway]] (BLR), which branched from the Alton line at Bentley station, opened on 11 December 1905. It was primarily built for military traffic to [[Bordon Camp|Bordon]] and [[Longmoor Camp]]s and was part-funded by the War Department.{{sfn|Maggs|2010|p=111}}{{sfn|Robertson|Oppitz|1988|p=53}} The line provided a connection at its southern end to the [[Longmoor Military Railway]], which was opened in 1903. During the First World War military traffic on the BLR was heavy and on Sunday evenings in 1916, there were four direct trains to Bordon from London Waterloo via Aldershot.{{sfn|Maggs|2010|p=111}}

[[File:Ministry of Information First World War Miscellaneous Collection Q34058.jpg|thumb|right|Army horses being loaded into trucks at Aldershot during the First World War]] 
The railway continued to develop at Aldershot in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The "Government Siding" was constructed in 1890 using materials previously used by the army in Sudan. It allowed equipment to be brought by rail to the military camps, where it could be unloaded away from the public goods yard at Aldershot station. The siding was extended during the [[Second Boer War]], to enable it to accommodate the increased volume of military traffic.<ref>{{cite news |title= In days gone by |date= 22 May 1964 |work= The Aldershot News |issue= 3779 |page= 10 }}</ref> A platform was also provided to allow personnel to board or alight from military trains and additional sidings were added in 1912-13.{{sfn|Faulkner|Williams|1988|p=70}} During the First World War, the majority of military traffic was routed via Frimley, and the public rail service between Frimley and Ash Vale was suspended from August 1914 to November 1916.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=161}}{{sfn|Faulkner|Williams|1988|p=114}}{{efn|During the First World War, the majority of military traffic between {{rws|Aldershot}} and the south coast was routed via {{rws|Frimley}} instead of via the shorter, more steeply graded [[Mid-Hants Railway|Mid-Hants route]] via {{rws|Alton}} and [[Alresford railway station (Hampshire)|Alresford]]. These trains reversed at Frimley to access the [[South West Main Line]] via the Sturt Lane curves, before running via {{rws|Basingstoke}}.{{sfn|Faulkner|Williams|1988|p=114}}}}

===Southern Railway (1923–1947)===
{{further|Electrification of the London and South Western Railway}}
Under the [[Railways Act 1921]], the LSWR became part of the [[Southern Railway (UK)|Southern Railway]] (SR) in 1923.{{sfn|Faulkner|Williams|1988|pp=135-136}} The SR began a process of rationalisation on the section of the Alton line between Ash and Farnham Junctions, which had been opened in 1849. Staff were withdrawn from Tongham and Ash Green Halt on 1 December 1926 and the goods facilities at the latter closed the same day.{{sfn|Course|1974|p=57}} The section was converted to single track between 1930 and 1932, by which time there were only five passenger trains and up to two goods trains in each direction.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=53}}<ref name=Robertson_2017>{{cite magazine |last= Robertson |first= Kevin |date= July 2017 |title= Guildford to Winchester: The Facts and the Forgotten |magazine= Southern Way |issue= 38 |pages=83–90 |publisher= Crécy Publishing Ltd |location= Manchester |isbn= 978-1-90-932863-1 }}</ref>{{efn|In February 1932, a system of working using [[token (railway signalling) #Electric token|electric tokens]] was instituted on the single line between Ash and Farnham Junctions.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=53}}}} The section closed completely to passengers on 4 July 1937,<ref name=Robertson_2017/> and during the Second World War, wagons were stored on the line between Tongham and Farnham Junction.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=53}} Goods trains continued to serve Aldershot Gas Works until the late 1950s, but the line west of Tongham was lifted in late 1954.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=53}} The final goods train from Tongham ran on 1 January 1961<ref name=SA_1961>{{cite news |title= Romance brought up the last ten-five |date= 4 January 1961 |work= Surrey Advertiser |issue= 12041 |page= 6 }}</ref> and the remaining track from Ash Junction was lifted.

Electrification of the Alton line between Pirbright Junction and Farnham had been proposed in 1922,{{sfn|Faulkner|Williams|1988|pp=110-111}} but it was not until 1935 that work began. The entirely of the line north of Alton was electrified using the third-rail system, under the "Portsmouth No. 1" programme.{{sfn|Wragg|2003|p=80}} Although electrification between Pirbright Junction and Farnham could be justified on commercial grounds, the continuation to Alton was permitted by [[HM Treasury|the Treasury]] with the aim of reducing operating costs.{{sfn|Glover|1982|p=89}} A five-road carriage shed was built at Farnham as part of the same programme to accommodate the new electric trains.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc= Fig. 80}}{{sfn|Course|1974|p=58}}

Trial running between Waterloo and Farnham began in January 1937 to allow for staff training. The electric multiple units operating these services used the same timings as steam locomotives until 4 July 1937 when the fully electric timetable between Alton and London began.{{sfn|Wragg|2003|p=82}} A method of [[dividing train|portion working]] was instituted in which trains to-and-from Alton combined with and split from those serving Portsmouth at Woking.{{sfn|Wragg|2003|p=40}} Portion working ceased during the Second World War, but was reintroduced in 1945.{{sfn|Wragg|2003|p=175}} Between 1937 and 1967, trains typically ran at half hourly intervals between London and Alton, with a typical journey time of 1 hour 20 minutes and the fastest express services taking 72 minutes.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=88}}<ref>{{cite web |title= British Railways Southern Region Timetable  |date=September 1950  |url=http://www.timetableworld.com/book_viewer.php?id=6&section_id=1765  |access-date=17 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426050655/http://www.timetableworld.com/book_viewer.php?id=6&section_id=1765 |archive-date=26 April 2012 }}</ref> With the electrification of the Alton line, the vast majority of through services on the Mid-Hants line to Winchester ceased, although a daily {{rws|Sandwich}}–[[Bournemouth railway station|Bournemouth Central]] service continued to operate via the route until the start of the Second World War.{{sfn|Baker|1987|p=112}}{{efn|After electrification, most trains used Platform 1 at {{rws|Alton}}, but there were some departures from Platform 3 at peak periods. No conductor rail was laid at Platform 2, which was used by branch line trains to Basingstoke and the Meon Valley.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1984|loc= Fig. 115}}}}

In July 1937, the SR launched a push-pull service from Ascot to Guildford, involving a reversal at Aldershot, operated using steam locomotives.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=62}}{{sfn|Cooper|Antell|1988|p=79}} Electric trains were introduced to this route on 1 January 1939.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=89}}

===Nationalisation (1948–1996)===
Under the [[Transport Act 1947]], the Alton line became part of the [[Southern Region of British Railways]] in 1948. A period of rationalisation began, starting with the dismantling of the disused track between Tongham and Farnham Junction.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=53}}{{efn|In the early 1990s, the [[A31 road|A31]] dual carriageway was built over the former alignment of the line between {{rws|Tongham}} and Farnham Junction.<ref>{{cite news |title= Major road scheme gets council's seal of approval |date= 11 September 1990 |work= Farnham Mail |issue= 6289 |page= 7 }}</ref>}} The line between Ash Junction and Tongham was finally closed on 2 January 1961, having been used exclusively for freight services since 1937.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=53}}<ref name=Robertson_2017/> The signal box at Farnham Junction, which had been retained to increase the line capacity between Aldershot and Farnham, was closed in May 1964{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc= Fig. 62}} and was demolished two years later.{{sfn|Course|1974|p=58}}

[[File:Alton_with_last_Meon_Valley_train_geograph-2658945-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|thumb|right|An [[LSWR M7 class|M7]] tank engine at {{rws|Alton}} preparing to haul the final passenger service on the [[Meon Valley Railway]] on 5 February 1955.]]
Passenger services were withdrawn on the Meon Valley Railway on 5 February 1955,{{sfn|Course|1974|p=206}} although freight workings continued between Alton and [[Farringdon, Hampshire|Farringdon]] until August 1968. The [[Beeching report]], published in March 1963, proposed that passenger services should be withdrawn between Alton and Winchester,{{sfn|Beeching|1963a|p=107}}{{sfn|Beeching|1963b|loc= Map 9}} and this section of line closed, almost a decade later, on 7 February 1973.{{sfn|Baker|1987|p=142}} Traffic from the Alton line to the Longmoor Military Railway (LMR) had declined after 1948 and the Bordon Light Railway closed on 4 April 1966, with the LMR closing on 31 October 1969.{{sfn|Maggs|2010|p=116}}

[[File:Aldershot_Signal_Box_in_Nov_1979_(1).jpg|thumb|right|Aldershot Signal Box in November 1979]]
Rationalisation of the signalling system on the Alton line took place in the 1970s and early 1980s. "Farnham East" signal box closed 23 December 1973, with control of its area transferred to the existing "Farnham West" box.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Fig. 54}} Similarly, "Aldershot B" signal box closed on 3 April 1977, with control of the line south of the station being transferred to the "Aldershot A" box.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Fig. 54}} Bentley signal box closed on 19 December 1976{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Fig. 93}} and the box at Alton shut on 28 September 1980.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Fig. 113}} Improvement works to stations in the same period included the construction of a new station building at Ash Vale in 1972,{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Fig. 43}} and the renovation of the frontage of Aldershot station in 1988.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Fig. 57}} Also in 1988, new facilities for traincrew were provided at Farnham station.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Fig. 78}}

[[File:Alton station - geograph.org.uk - 571217.jpg|thumb|right|A {{brc|415}} "4EPB" unit at {{rws|Alton}} in 1980]]
Although the closure of the line between Farnham and Alton was never proposed, the decision was taken to remove one of the two tracks in that section. Single-line working was instituted in July 1985 and the passing loop at Bentley station was commissioned on 24 November that year.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Figs 79, 80}}{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=105}} At the same time, the signalling system was upgraded to use track circuits and control of the section was transferred to a new panel at Farnham Signal Box.{{sfn|Jackson|2017|p=28}} Redundant materials from the project were used to extend the [[Isle of Wight Steam Railway]] from Ashley to {{rws|Smallbrook Junction}} in 1991.<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Johnston |first= Howard |date= 15 May 1991 |title= Around the regions |magazine= RAIL |issue=148 |pages= 20–21 }}</ref> On 25 May 1985, the Watercress Line, which had started to run heritage trains between {{rws|Ropley}} and [[Alresford railway station (Hampshire)|Alresford]] in April 1977, began operating from Platform 3 at Alton station.{{sfn|Maggs|2012|p=120}}

In 1982, the railways in Surrey and Hampshire came under the control of the London and South East sector of BR, which was rebranded to [[Network SouthEast]] (NSE) in June 1986.{{sfn|Brown|Jackson|1990|pp=7–8}}{{sfn|Brown|Jackson|1990|p=12}} From 1989, the Alton line was part of the South West subsector of NSE and trains were run under the "Solent and Wessex" route brand.{{sfn|Brown|Jackson|1990|pp=11, 15}} In preparation for [[privatisation of British Rail|privatisation]], the South West Trains shadow franchise began running trains on the South West subsector on 1 April 1994.<ref>{{cite news |last= Moore |first= Toby |date= 18 March 1994 |title= South West Trains on track to private sector |work= The Daily Telegraph |issue= 43191 |page= 29 }}</ref>

===Privatisation (1996–2025)===
[[File:A Class 458 unit at Aldershot station in April 2012.jpg|thumb|right|A {{brc|458}} unit at {{rws|Aldershot}}: These trains were introduced to the Alton line by [[South West Trains]] in February 2000.{{sfn|Marsden|2008|pp=149, 151}}]]
[[South West Trains]], a subsidiary of the [[Stagecoach Group]], was awarded the franchise to operate passenger services between London Waterloo, west Surrey and Hampshire in December 1995.<ref>{{cite newspaper The Times |last= Prynn |first= Jonathan |date= 6 December 1995 |title= Stagecoach will take over South West Trains |issue= 65442 |page= 2 }}</ref> The company, the first privatised [[train operating company|train operator]] in the UK, began running trains the following February.<ref>{{cite newspaper The Times |last= Prynn |first= Jonathan |date= 2 February 1996 |title= A method is emerging from the 'madness' of the rail gamble |issue= 65492 |page= 25 }}</ref> The franchise was renewed in 2002<ref>{{cite magazine |title= SRA cuts SWT's new franchise plan from 20 years to just three |date= 13 November 2002 |magazine= RAIL |issue= 448 |page= 4 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Commuter train firm suffers blow |date= 6 November 2002 |work= BBC News |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2412867.stm |access-date= 17 December 2024 }}</ref> and again in 2006.<ref>{{cite news |title= Stagecoach wins railway franchise |date= 22 September 2006 |work= BBC News |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5369688.stm |access-date= 17 December 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title= 21-year Time Team |date= 24 August 2017 |magazine= Modern Railways |url= https://www.modernrailways.com/article/21-year-time-team |access-date= 17 December 2024 }}</ref> In 2017, the franchise was won by [[South Western Railway (2017–2025)|South Western Railway]], jointly owned by [[FirstGroup]] and [[MTR Corporation]];<ref>{{cite news |title= South West Trains: Hong Kong firm MTR to help run rail franchise |date= 27 March 2017 |work= BBC News |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-39403162 |access-date= 17 December 2024 }}</ref> services were transferred to the new operator on 23 August that year.<ref>{{cite magazine |title= South Western Railway |date= 21 December 2017 |magazine= Modern Railways |url= https://www.modernrailways.com/article/south-western-railway |access-date= 17 December 2024  }}</ref>

Infrastructure improvements on the route in the 2010s included the resignalling of the entire line in 2013, with control transferred to the Woking Area Signalling Centre. The project included the closure of the signal boxes at Ash Vale Junction, Aldershot and Farnham, and all three were later demolished.<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Ledward |first= John |date= February 2023 |title= Southern Signal Boxes |magazine= Southern Way |issue= 59 |pages=75–89 |publisher= Crécy Publishing Ltd |location= Manchester |isbn= 978-1-80-035265-0 }}</ref> At the same time, the loop at Bentley was extended to allow 12-coach trains to pass.<ref name=Roberts_Pritchard_2014/> In August 2019, a scheme to supply traction current to the line from a [[solar array]] was commissioned. Over 100 [[solar panel|panels]], capable of generating up to 30&nbsp;kW were installed at a site adjacent to Aldershot station.<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Clifton |first= Paul |date= 11 September 2019 |title= Working on Sunshine… |magazine= RAIL |issue= 887|pages= 58–59}}</ref>

The first major change to passenger services on the Alton line since electrification was the splitting of the Ascot–Guildford service in May 2019: Two independent services, Ascot–Aldershot and Farnham–Guildford, now operate on weekdays and Saturdays, although the combined service continues to run on Sundays.<ref name=Ascot–Gford/><ref>{{cite magazine |last= Doe |first= Barry |date= 19 June 2019 |title= A Change of Heart… NRT hopes rekindled |magazine= RAIL |issue= 881 |pages= 72–79}}</ref> The change was made to allow a direct, half-hourly rail service between Farnham and Guildford.<ref>{{cite news |title= Rail users welcome SWR timetable consultation |date= 9 November 2017 |work= Farnham Herald |url= https://www.farnhamherald.com/news/rail-users-welcome-swr-consultation-on-timetable-186044 |access-date= 13 December 2024 }}</ref> 

The Alton Line Users Association closed down in May 2022, having represented the interests of rail travellers on the line since 1974.<ref>{{cite news |last= Coates |first= Paul |date= 19 April 2022 |title= Alton to London railway line users' group needs new leadership |work= Farnham Herald |url= https://www.farnhamherald.com/news/alton-to-london-railway-line-users-group-needs-new-leadership-544391 |access-date= 8 December 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Gee |first= Daniel |date= 24 May 2022 |title= Alton Line Users Association votes to disband – on the same night as rail strike confirmed |work= Alton Herald |url= https://www.altonherald.com/news/alton-line-users-association-votes-to-disband-on-the-same-night-as-rail-strike-confirmed-548292 |access-date= 8 December 2024 }}</ref> The following month, a new Community Rail Partnership was launched covering stations between Alton, Ash Vale and {{rws|Wanborough}}.<ref>{{cite magazine |title= More volunteer groups on SWR |date= 15 June 2022 |magazine= RAIL |issue= 959 |page= 14 }}</ref>

On 25 May 2025, passenger operations on the Alton line were transferred back to public control, when the SWR franchise expired.<ref>{{cite news |last1= Dilley |first1= Sean |last2= Stazicker |first2= Molly |last3= Durbin |first3= Adam |date= 25 May 2025 |title= South Western first rail firm renationalised by Labour |work= BBC News |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ceqg73znzzeo |access-date= 25 May 2025 }}</ref>

==Locomotives and rolling stock==
In the late 19th century, [[4-4-2 (locomotive)|4-4-2]] [[tank locomotive|tank engines]] designed by the LSWR Mechanical Engineer, [[William Adams (locomotive_engineer)|William Adams]], worked trains between Ascot and Farnham.{{sfn|Hay|1986|loc=Fig. 75}} Tank engines designed by his successor, [[Dugald Drummond]], worked semi-fast services between London and Alton.{{sfn|Ellis|1962|p=169}} From 1902, [[SER Q class|Q class]] [[0-4-4T]] locomotives are known to have operated the Ash-Aldershot shuttle services, and were replaced by [[SECR P class|P Class]] 0-6-0 tank engines in the mid-1920s.{{sfn|Kidner|1974|p=58}}

LSWR [[LSWR C8 class|C8 class]] locomotives were introduced to the line in 1903 and [[LSWR T7 class|E10 class]] engines began running services the following year. In the 1920s, [[LSWR T9 class|T9s]] and [[LSWR H15 class|H15s]] were used to haul mixed-traffic trains. [[SR U class|U class]] tender engines were introduced in 1928, replaced by [[LSWR D15 class|D15 class]] locomotives in 1935.{{sfn|Hardingham|1995|p=44}} An articulated rubber-tyred diesel [[railcar]] was tested on the line in May 1932, but it limited passenger capacity and inability to operate track circuits meant that it was not used in regular service thereafter.{{sfn|Maggs|2010|p=74}} In the years leading up to electrification of the line east of Alton in 1937, Waterloo to Winchester trains were hauled by H15, U and T14 locomotives.{{sfn|Hardingham|1995|p=45}} During the Second World War, goods services were operated by [[SR Q1 class|Q1 class]] [[0-6-0]] locomotives.{{sfn|Hay|1986|loc= Fig. 77}}

After the Second World War, most services that had not been converted to electric traction were hauled by [[LSWR M7 class|M7 class]] tank engines.{{sfn|Course|1974|p=63}} A T9 locomotive is known to have hauled parcel trains{{sfn|Hay|1986|loc= Fig. 79}} and freight services in the 1960s were operated by U class,{{sfn|Hay|1986|loc= Fig. 80}}{{sfn|Dart|2014|p=44}} [[SECR N class|N class]]{{sfn|Dart|2014|p=43}} and [[BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0|Standard Class 4]] tender engines.{{sfn|Dart|2014|p=36}}

[[File:4-CIG unit 7377 at Aldershot in Nov 1979.jpg|thumb|right|A {{brc|421}} "4CIG" unit at {{rws|Aldershot}} in November 1979]]
Following electrification of the Alton line in 1937, passenger services were run by {{brc|404}} "4COR"{{sfn|Robertson|2008|p=100}}{{sfn|Wragg|2003|p=82}} and {{brc|401}} "2BIL" units.{{sfn|Wragg|2003|pp=84, 87}} {{brc|402}} "2HAL", {{brc|415}} "4EPB" and {{brc|416}} "2EPB" units worked on the line in the 1960s, as did [[SR Class 4Sub|"4SUB"]] units, which were retired in May 1972.{{sfn|Welch|2003|pp=21-23}} Following an extensive overhaul in 1977, {{brc|487}} units were tested between Farnham and Alton before re-entering passenger service on the [[Waterloo & City line]].{{sfn|Glover|1982|p=94}} {{brc|421}} "4CIG" and {{brc|423}} "4VEP" units were used on the line in the 1980s and were withdrawn by South West Trains in May 2005.{{sfn|de Souza|2019|p=61}}<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Waller |first= Peter |date= August 2024 |title= Class 4VEP EMUs |magazine= Southern Way |issue= 65 |pages= 26–45 |publisher= Crécy Publishing Ltd |location= Manchester |isbn= 978-1-80-035305-3 }}</ref>

[[File:General Railway Pictures_2014_287.jpg|thumb|right|{{brc|456}} units at Aldershot in November 2014: Although the units pictured are in a debranded [[Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway)|Southern]] livery, they were operated by [[South West Trains]] at this point.]]
In February 2000, {{brc|458}} units were deployed to the Alton line, initially running services to-and-from Waterloo via Woking.{{sfn|Marsden|2008|pp=149, 151}} {{brc|456}} units were introduced to the Alton line on 23 March 2014, when they began operating between Ascot and Guildford via Aldershot. Based at Wimbledon depot, the 2-carriage units regularly ran in pairs on this route. The Class 456s were withdrawn from passenger service by SWR on 15 January 2022.<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Waller |first= Peter |date= November 2023 |title= Class 456 Farewell |magazine= Southern Way |issue= 62 |pages= 21–31 |publisher= Crécy Publishing Ltd |location= Manchester |isbn= 978-1-80-035274-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last= Clifton |first= Paul |date= 26 January 2022 |title= SWR withdraws '456s' following service cuts |magazine= RAIL |issue= 949 |pages= 10–11 }}</ref>

Alton line trains are predominantly operated by {{brc|450}} units, but {{brc|444}} units are also scheduled to operate selected services.{{sfn|de Souza|2019|p=57}} {{brc|701}} units are expected to operate services north of Farnham.

==Freight==
When the first part of the Alton line opened in 1849, a public freight yard was provided at Farnham station.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=52}} It was used by local breweries that had previously transported their ale from [[Winchfield railway station|Winchfield station]] on the South West Main Line.{{sfn|Williams|1968|p=183}} A public freight siding at Tongham was also provided from the outset, but the station there did not open until October 1856.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=52}}

Construction of the Aldershot Gas Works was authorised by the [[Aldershot Gas and Water Act 1896]]. A {{cvt|1|mi|adj=on}} branch from Tongham station was built to supply the facility with [[coal]].{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=191}} Although the line to the gas works closed in the mid-1950s,{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=53}} goods trains carrying agricultural produce continued to run twice weekly from Tongham. The last freight train, carrying [[sugar beet]], departed Tongham for Guildford on 31 December 1960.<ref name=SA_1961/>{{efn|The goods facility at Ash Green Halt was closed on 1 December 1926.<ref name=Robertson_2017/>}}

In 1903, a siding was installed at Weydon Lane for Thomas Patterson, a [[gravel]] merchant.<ref name=Robertson_2017/> The adjacent quarry was served by a {{track gauge|2 ft}} narrow-gauge railway.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=203}} Much of the site was used for the construction of Farnham carriage shed in 1937, although the gravel siding continued in use until 1968.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc= Fig. 80}} Spent [[ballast]] was sent for disposal at the site between 1934 and 1987.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc= Fig. 81}}

The public goods yards began to close in the mid-20th century, with the withdrawal of facilities at Farnham on 4 May 1950,{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc= Fig. 77}} Bentley on 1 June 1964,{{sfn|Maggs|2010|p=74}} Alton on 6 January 1969{{sfn|Maggs|2010|p=74}}{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc= Fig. 113}} and at Aldershot on 6 October 1975.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc= Fig. 56}}

[[File:66124 passes Farnham 8th August 2016.jpg|thumb|right|An oil train (left) passes Farnham Traction Depot in August 2016]]
Crude oil was discovered at the [[Weston Patrick#Humbly Grove Oil Field and Gas Storage|Humbly Grove Oil Field]], the second-largest onshore oil field in the UK, in 1980.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc= Fig. 107}}<ref>{{cite news |last= Davis |first= Jonathan |date= 4 May 1980 |title= Oil fever on the A32 at Basingstoke |work= Sunday Telegraph |issue= 996 |page= 22 }}</ref> Starting on 4 June 1986 oil was transported in a [[pipeline]] to [[Holybourne#Holybourne Oil Terminal|Holybourne Oil Terminal]], between Bentley and Alton, where it was loaded into [[tank car|tankers]] and was taken by rail to [[Fawley Refinery]].{{sfn|Maggs|2010|p=74}}{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc= Fig. 107}} The oil train typically ran two or three times per week<ref name=Clifton_2016>{{cite magazine |last= Clifton |first= Paul |date= 14 September 2016 |title= Branch line in limbo as last Fawley oil train runs |magazine= RAIL |issue= 809 |pages= 16–17 }}</ref>{{sfn|de Souza|2019|p=56}} and reversed at Alton station to allow the diesel locomotive to [[run-round loop|run around]].{{sfn|Gough|2001|p=77}} By the mid-2010s, the unloading equipment at the Fawley terminal was approaching the end of its working life and the decision was taken to discontinue the rail operation.{{sfn|de Souza|2019|p=56}} The last oil train from the Holybourne terminal, hauled by a {{brc|66}} locomotive, ran on 1 September 2016<ref name=Clifton_2016/> and thereafter oil was transported from Humbly Grove by [[tank truck|road tanker]].{{sfn|de Souza|2019|p=56}}

==Accidents and incidents==
* 26 December 1901: A [[fireman (steam engine)|fireman]] was struck on the head and killed when his train to Waterloo passed under a low bridge shortly after leaving Farnham station. He had been working in the [[coal bin|coal bunker]] of his locomotive.<ref>{{cite news |title= Fatality on the railway |date= 30 December 1901 |work= Surrey Advertiser |volume= LV |issue= 5131 |page= 4 }}</ref>
* 12 July 1905: A track worker died after being struck by a train at Farnham Junction.<ref>{{cite news |title= Fatality on the railway |date= 17 July 1905 |work= Surrey Advertiser |volume= LXIII |issue= 5685 |page= 3}}</ref>
* 11 July 1925: A track worker died after being struck by a train at Farnham Junction.<ref>{{cite news |title= Railway ganger's sad death |date= 15 July 1925 |work= Surrey Advertiser |volume= CIII |issue= 8728 |page= 4 }}</ref>
* 22 August 1940: A train of 50 wagons, loaded with ammunition for the [[Royal Army Ordnance Corps]], was bombed by an enemy aircraft at Tongham. One of the wagons caught fire, but was uncoupled by two railway workers, who moved the undamaged trucks away.<ref>{{cite news |title= Bomb on ammunition train |date= 7 September 1940 |work= Surrey Advertiser and County Times |volume= CXLIII |issue= 10302 |page= 5 }}</ref>{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=169}} The two men, George Leach and George Keen, were awarded the [[George Medal]],<ref>{{London Gazette |issue= 34994 |date= 15 November 1940 |page= 6610 |supp= y |nolink= yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Awarded George Medal |date= 23 November 1940 |work= Surrey Advertiser and County Times |volume= CXLIII |issue= 10313 |page= 4 }}</ref> and a development of 35 houses, built in the village in the early 2020s, was named "Victory Fields" in their honour.<ref>{{cite news |last= Reading |first= David |date= 16 December 2021 |title= Housing scheme tribute to heroes of 1940 Tongham bombing |work= Guildford Dragon |url= https://guildford-dragon.com/housing-scheme-tribute-to-heroes-of-1940-tongham-bombing/ |access-date= 6 January 2024}}</ref>
* 10 May 1981: A man died after being struck by a train in Foxhills Tunnel. He had been attempting to hide from the police.<ref>{{cite news |title= Mystery of headless body solved |date= 14 July 1981 |work= Aldershot News and Mail |issue= 4494 |page= 1 }}</ref>
* 13 August 2006: A [[landslip]] at Foxhills Tunnel prevented trains from running between Brookwood and Ash Vale for five days.<ref>{{cite web |title= Landslide update: Alton line services |date=17 August 2006 |publisher= South West Trains |url= http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/SWTrains/News/_AltonLineDisruption.htm |access-date= 13 May 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090408054940/http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/SWTrains/News/_AltonLineDisruption.htm |archive-date= 8 April 2009 |url-status= usurped }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Whoosh and rain water flooded in |date= 3 July 2013 |orig-date= 18 August 2006 |work= Surrey Live |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/whoosh-rain-water-flooded-in-4838649 |access-date= 12 December 2024 }}</ref>
* 13 April 2016: A landslip at [[Wrecclesham]] closed the line between Farnham and Alton. A temporary speed limit over the affected section had been imposed on 1 April. The embankment was stabilised and the line reopened on 4 May 2016.<ref>{{cite news |title= Farnham and Alton railway line to reopen after landslip |date= 29 April 2016 |publisher= BBC News |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36171772 |access-date= 11 December 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Farnham and Alton railway line shut amid safety fears |date= 14 April 2016 |publisher= BBC News |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36042193 |access-date= 11 December 2024 }} </ref> Later that year, the drainage of the affected site was improved and a [[retaining wall]] was constructed to reduce the risk of further landslips.<ref>{{cite web |title= Network Rail to rebuild embankment at site of Surrey railway landslip |date= 30 August 2016 |publisher= Network Rail |url= https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/network-rail-to-rebuild-embankment-at-site-of-surrey-railway-landslip |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200619123024/https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/network-rail-to-rebuild-embankment-at-site-of-surrey-railway-landslip |archive-date=19 June 2020 |url-status= live }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
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* {{cite web |title= Delivering a better railway for a better Britain {{!}} Route Specifications: Wessex |year= 2016 |publisher= Network Rail |url= https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Route-Specification-2016-Wessex-1.pdf |access-date= 23 January 2024 |ref= {{harvid|"Route Specifications"|2016}}}}
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{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Alton Line|the Alton line}}
{{Attached KML|display=inline,title}}
* [https://watercressline.co.uk Watercress Line]{{cbignore}}
* [https://weyvalleycrp.co.uk/our-line/alton/ Wey Valley Community Rail Partnership]{{cbignore}}
{{Transport in Surrey}}
{{Railway lines in South East England}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rail transport in Hampshire]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1852]]
[[Category:Railway lines in South East England]]
[[Category:Standard gauge railways in England]]
[[Category:1852 establishments in England]]