Portsmouth and Ryde Joint Railway

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The Portsmouth and Ryde Joint Railway was a group of three railway lines in southern England owned and run by two companies, the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) and the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR). The main line went from Cosham to Portsmouth Harbour, there was a branch from Fratton to East Southsea, and a line along Ryde Pier Head to Ryde St John’s Road on the Isle of Wight. The Ryde line on the Isle of Wight was separate from the mainland lines. The first section opened in 1847 and the last in 1885. The Southsea branch closed in 1914, but the other routes were electrified and are still open.

History in brief
- The LSWR had Portsmouth service starting with a Gosport line to its main line at Bishopstoke in 1841. The Brighton and Chichester Railway (B&CR) reached Portsmouth after being absorbed by the LBSCR. The Chichester to Havant section opened in 1847, and Havant to Portsmouth followed that year.
- In 1848, new connections near Cosham allowed goods trains to reach Portsmouth, and passenger services between Cosham and Portsmouth began. The line was later extended to Portsmouth Harbour in 1876, and the station was renamed Portsmouth Town.
- In 1877, the two companies were allowed to build a new Ryde pier, a line along the pier, and a connection to the Isle of Wight Railway. The Ryde line opened in 1880 from St John’s Road to Ryde Esplanade and to Ryde Pier Head. Although jointly owned, services were provided by the Isle of Wight Railway (and later the Ryde and Newport Railway) until the Southern Railway took over.
- The Southsea Railway, from Fratton to East Southsea, opened in 1885 and was worked by both companies. A large locomotive depot was built at Fratton with a roundhouse and a 50-foot turntable; locomotives from both companies used it.

Grouping and electrification
- In 1923, the LSWR and LBSCR became part of the Southern Railway. After nationalisation in 1948, the lines came under British Railways.
- Electrification began on the mainland in the 1930s. An electric service reached Portsmouth & Southsea in 1937, and Portsmouth Harbour shortly after. The Isle of Wight section (Ryde to Shanklin) was electrified in 1967.
- In 1990, the remaining sections between Portcreek Junction and Cosham were electrified, enabling electric service on the mainland to run to Southampton and Eastleigh.

What remained and overall size
- At its peak, the Portsmouth and Ryde Joint Railway covered about 7.3 miles (11.8 km) on the mainland, including the Southsea branch and two short Portsmouth spur lines, and about 1.9 km on the Isle of Wight. The Southsea branch was the only part that closed early, in 1914.