Golden Valley line
The Golden Valley line is the popular name given to the railway line between Swindon, Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa in England.
| Golden Valley line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Class 800 on the Golden Valley line | |||
| Overview | |||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Owner | Network Rail | ||
| Locale | Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, in South West England | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Heavy rail | ||
| System | National Rail | ||
| Operator(s) | Great Western Railway | ||
| Rolling stock | Class 800 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Number of tracks | Double track | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
| Electrification | None | ||
| Operating speed | 100 mph (160 km/h) maximum | ||
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Golden Valley line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The line was originally built as the Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway in the 1840s. It was opened between Swindon and Kemble, along with a branch line to Cirencester, in 1841. It was a further four years before the remainder of the line, including the tunnel at Sapperton, was completed.
The line diverges from the Great Western Main Line at Swindon. After passing through the Sapperton tunnel and down the Golden Valley to Stroud, it joins the Bristol Temple Meads to Birmingham New Street main line at Standish Junction, just north of Stonehouse.
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