Netley

Netley

The Netley Railway was opened in March 1866 built by the London & South Western Railway (LSWR). This company had taken over the Southampton & Netley Railway Company in 1865, probably in order to prevent it extending the line to Fareham as part of the new route between Southampton and Portsmouth . The Act of Parliament mentioned the importance of the Royal Victoria Hospital as a source of traffic although most of the patients coming into the hospital were in fact landed by tender from ships moored in Southampton . Discharged patients did travel by train. The population of the then small village of Netley would provide an insignificant amount of traffic.

In 1882, the LSWR deposited plans for a line from Netley to Fareham , although it was not until 1889 that the line was eventually opened. Until this time travelers going from Southampton to Portsmouth had to go via Eastleigh a distance of 27 miles, taking an average of one and a quarter hours.

In 1884, a new platform was constructed in the goods yard at Netley and the LSWR were authorized to provide a line towards the Royal Victoria Hospital , but terminating on the edge of the War Department land surrounding the hospital.