The London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) was authorised to build the line by the South London Railway Act 1862. It re-used the existing Wandsworth Road to Brixton section which had been constricted as part of the LCDR main line. This existing line was quadrupled and the line was extended to London Bridge. The northern pair (now known as the Chatham lines), with no stations, was used by the LCDR; the southern (now known as the Atlantic lines) was used by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR). Several stations were shared by the two companies. The company pioneered rail electrification in the UK which was authorised in 1903 and the first electric train operated on 1 December 1909. For the following three years, steam trains alternated with the electrics: the latter operate