A grade-separated junction was made to avoid conflicts with main line trains, and after that time the Kingston loop is considered to extend from Twickenham to New Malden only.

The Shepperton branch line, opened in 1864, was connected into the Kingston Loop at Strawberry Hill and a triangular junction was later formed there.

The line was electrified in 1916 and a very frequent and attractive train service was put on, encouraging a considerable increase in passenger volume.

[2] The L&SR continued its main line to Southampton, and it changed its title to the London and South Western Railway in 1839.

The line opened on 1 July 1863 with stations at Teddington for Bushey Park, Hampton Wick, and the terminus of (New) Kingston.

As part of the works for the Kingston line, the LSWR constructed new curves at Kew and Barnes to enable the N&SWJR trains to run directly, without reversal.

Those curves were opened for traffic in readiness, on 1 February 1862, and by running powers already granted, the N&SWJR trains ran through to and to Kingston.

The LSWR found an ally in the London, Chatham and Dover Railway, and the LC&DR had a station at Ludgate Hill.

[11][10] This route was brought into use on 1 March 1866, and the LSWR passenger service to Ludgate Hill began on Easter Tuesday 3 April 1866.

[13] Kingston was at the southern end of a great arc round from Twickenham, and there had been several schemes for more direct connections, to the south-west and to the north-east, and particularly the City of London.

The solution was a Kingston Further Extension Line, authorised by an Act of 19 June 1865 with supplementary share capital of £120,000.

It had agreed with the London, Chatham and Dover Railway on access to Ludgate Hill station, in the city, for its suburban trains.

As the Malden and Wimbledon connection had not yet been built, the junction led towards Twickenham, and the Shepperton to London passenger train service naturally ran via Richmond.

[16] The Shepperton line became heavily involved with Kempton Park Racecourse, which generated huge volumes of passenger and equine traffic on and around race days, although there was little activity outside those times.

As train frequencies increased, the junction became a source of congestion, and a flyover for the up Kingston line was opened on 22 October 1883.

[18] In the first decade of the twentieth century, the LSWR was increasingly aware of the competitive disadvantage of its steam operated suburban passenger services, and the decision was taken to electrify certain routes.

The system was commissioned on Sunday 30 January 1916, and a new timetable was brought in, with acceleration of journey times but above all a very frequent train service.

In fact the LCDR had shifted its City service to use Holborn Viaduct station from 1871, and eventually the LSWR trains were the only ones using Ludgate Hill.

[21] When Kingston station first opened in 1863 there were 15 up and 13 down trains on the Twickenham and Waterloo route and nine each way to and from Fenchurch Street, most of them involving a change at Camden Road.

At this time there was a daily milk train and six goods workings between Malden and Teddington, serving the intermediate yards.

[22] When the high level part of Kingston station was constructed, there was a limited attempt to integrate it with the original terminus, which continued in use.

All the old street-level buildings were replaced by an imposing red brick entrance and shop block prominently sited at the corner of Richmond Road and Wood Street.

A more limited service is given on Sundays, including some terminations at Kingston, running from Waterloo via Hounslow to Twickenham and reversing there.