The Golden Valley line is the popular name given to the railway line between and and in England. 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 , it joins the to main line at Standish Junction, just north of . Origin of name The "Golden Valley" is the name given to part of the valley of the River Frome between Chalford and Stroud, which the railway line follows for part of its route. It is said that the name was coined by Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII, while travelling on a train along the route in June 1909. The name has since become associated with the entire line from Swindon to Gloucester and Cheltenham, as these are the extents of the shortest train services along the line. Places served The towns served by the route are: Swindon Kemble Stroud Stonehouse Gloucester (through trains must reverse, or omit calling here) Cheltenham The other intermediate stations and halts were closed to passengers on 2 November 1964. Kemble station was a junction for two branch lines, serving Cirencester and Tetbury; both branches closed to passengers on 6 April 1964. Train services Passenger services between and Cheltenham are operated by Great Western Railway. Services are approximately hourly. There are limited services between and Cheltenham Spa as well as on Mondays to Saturdays. The maximum speed on the line is 100 mph (160 km/h). Electrification proposal In 1977, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Nationalised Industries recommended considering electrification of more of Britain's rail network and, by 1979, BR presented a range of options to do so by 2000. Options included electrifying numerous former Great Western routes, including the Golden Valley line. Under the 1979–90 Conservative governments that succeeded the 1976–79 Labour government, the proposal was not implemented. , there are no plans to electrify the line. Reinstatement of second track The line had originally been built as double track, but as a cost saving measure it was reduced to single track between Swindon and Kemble in 1968.