Main Line to The South - Part 1: Basingstoke to St. Cross (Winchester)Main Line to The South Part 1: Basingstoke to St. Cross (Winchester) 34. 95 The Southern Railway Route between BASINGSTOKE, WINCHESTER, EASTLEIGH and SOUTHAMPTON. Part 1 Basingstoke to St. Cross By John Nicholas and George Reeve The London and Southampton Railway opened its line in 1840 and was the first major railway in the south of England. Engineer Joseph Locke, and contractor Thomas Brassey, completed the last part of the line from Basingstoke to