Great Western main line

The Great Western main line is a main line railway in England, that runs westwards from London Paddington to .

It opened in 1841 and was the original route of the old Great Western Railway. In 1948 it became the Western Region of British Railways. It is now part of the national rail system managed by Network Rail.

Electrification
The line was electrified from Paddington to Heathrow Airport in the late 1990s. Work to electrify the rest of the route started in 2011. The aim was to complete the work all the way to Bristol by 2016. Parts of the programme have been deferred because costs have tripled. The four sections deferred are: Didcot to Oxford, Bristol Parkway to Bristol Temple Meads, Royal Wootton Bassett Junction to Bristol Temple Meads and the Thames Valley branches to Henley-on-Thames and Windsor.

Train services
Most trains are operated by Great Western Railway.

References

Category:Railway lines of England