Brighton railway station

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Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates

Template:Infobox station Brighton railway station is the principal station serving the city of Brighton in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, operated by Govia Thameslink Railway. It is the southern terminus of the Brighton Main Line, the western terminus of the East Coastway Line and the eastern terminus of the West Coastway Line. It is Template:Miles-chains from Template:Stn via Template:Rws.

The station was built by the London & Brighton Railway in 1840–41, initially only connecting Brighton to Shoreham-by-Sea, westwards along the coast, in May 1840. In September 1841, it was connected inland to Haywards Heath and London Bridge via the new Clayton Tunnel; then in 1846 to the county town of Lewes to the east via the London Road Viaduct. The railway became the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway in 1846 following mergers with other railways with lines between Portsmouth and Hastings.

With 14.5 million passenger entries and exits in 2023-24, Brighton is the busiest station in East Sussex, the second busiest in South East England, and the seventh-busiest station in the country outside London.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History and development

The London & Brighton Railway (L&BR) built a passenger station, goods station, locomotive depot and railway works on a difficult site on the northern edge of Brighton. This site was Template:Convert from, and Template:Convert above the sea shore, and had involved considerable excavation work to create a reasonable gradient from Patcham Tunnel.Template:Sfn

Passenger station

File:View of the Brighton Station 1841.jpg
Brighton station in 1841

The passenger station was a three-storey building in an Italianate style, designed by David Mocatta in 1839–40 which incorporated the head office of the railway company.Template:Sfn (This building still stands but has been largely obscured by later additions.) The station is said to have many similarities to the Nine Elms railway station of the London and Southampton Railway (1838) designed by Sir William Tite.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Baker & Son were paid £9766 15s for the station building between May and August 1841.Template:Sfn The platform accommodation was built by John Urpeth Rastrick and consisted of four pitched roofs each Template:Convert long.Template:Sfn It opened for trains to Shoreham on 12 May 1840, and to London on 21 September 1841.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

File:Brighton Station interior, with 'Schools' 30925 on Rail Tour geograph-2665127-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
30925 "Cheltenham" departing Brighton Station in 1962

The station site was extended for the opening of the Brighton Lewes and Hastings Railway on 8 June 1846Template:Sfn (which had been purchased by the L&BR in 1845). In July 1846, the L&BR merged with other railways to form the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway.Template:Sfn

Further extensions to the station occurred during the mid-19th century but only a limited number of additional platforms could be added because of the awkward sloping site. By the late 1870s the facilities were inadequate for the growing volume of traffic and so the existing platforms were lengthened to be able to accommodate two trains, and the three separate roofs were replaced by an overall roof during 1882/1883.

The station has an impressive large double-spanned curved glass and iron roof covering all of the platforms, which was substantially renovated in 1999 and 2000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At the front of the station is a bus station. The station has six bus stops which are served by Brighton & Hove bus routes 1, 1A, N1, 5B, 6, 7, N7, 12, 12A, 12X, 13X, 14, 14C, 18, 24, 26, 27, 27B, 27C, 46, 48, 49, 55, 59 and 79.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The station taxi rank is outside the rear of the station. A tunnel runs under the station which once provided an open-air cab run at a shallower gradient than Trafalgar Street outside, which had been the main approach to the station before the construction of Queen's Road (which was financially supported by the railway and intended to improve access). The cab run was covered (forming a tunnel) when the station above was extended over it on cast iron columns. The cab run remains in situ but has been sealed at the station end, with the sloped entrance infilled with concrete and used as a storage area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Brighton station refurbished roof.jpg
The station roof as refurbished

Help, a dog used to collect charitable donations, was displayed at the station following its death in 1891.<ref name="bondeson">Template:Cite book</ref>

Goods station and yard

File:Brighton station old cab road.jpg
The old Cab Road used by horse-drawn taxi carriages
File:Brighton station rifle range.jpg
The rifle range located within the old goods tunnels, under the station

A goods station and yard was also constructed on the eastern side of the passenger station but on a site Template:Convert due to the sloping site, which was initially accessed from the Shoreham line by a second tunnel under the passenger station. The tunnel entrance was filled in after new tracks were laid into the goods yard, but a portion of it was converted into offices during World War II, and these were in use until the early 21st century. A portion of the tunnel is still used by a local rifle club, with an entrance staircase accessible from platforms 6 and 7. The site of the goods yard has since been redeveloped, and much of it forms the New England Quarter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Locomotive and carriage works

To the north of the station, on the east side of the main line, the railway constructed its locomotive and carriage works, which operated from 1841 until 1911, when the carriage works was moved to Lancing and 1957 when the locomotive works closed. Thereafter Isetta cars were briefly built in a part of the works.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Locomotive depot

File:Brighton Locomotive Depot seen from above geograph-2649681-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
Brighton Locomotive Depot seen from above on 11 July 1954

The London & Brighton Railway opened a small locomotive shed and servicing facility to the north west of the station for locomotives on the Shoreham line, in May 1840, and another, adjacent to the locomotive works for main line locomotives, the following year.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> During 1860–1861 John Chester Craven, the locomotive superintendent of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) began the removal of a large chalk hill to the north of the station, which had been dumped during the excavation of the main line. The space created was used to accommodate a new much enlarged motive power depot in 1861, replacing the two existing facilities.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn During the early 1930s, following the electrification of the lines the steam motive power depot was rebuilt and reduced in size.Template:Sfn It was closed 15 June 1961 but remained in use for stabling steam locomotives until 1964 and was demolished in 1966.

File:Brighton railway depot.jpg
The maintenance depot

The site is currently the Network Rail's ECR and infrastructure maintenance depot, and Southern's Lovers Walk Depot, used for servicing most of Southern's single voltage Class 377 and formerly Class 313 fleets.

Listed status

Brighton station was listed at Grade II*<ref name="Listing">Template:National Heritage List for England</ref> on 30 April 1973.<ref name="Listing"/> As of February 2001, it was one of 70 Grade II*-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of Brighton and Hove.<ref name="IoEStats-ESx">Template:Cite web</ref>

Platform layout

The station has eight platforms, numbered 1 to 8 from left to right when looking from the main entrance. All platforms are long enough to accommodate 12-car trains, except platform 1 which can only hold up to 10 carriages.

  • Platforms 1 and 2 can only be used by services on the West Coastway line.Template:Efn They are served by Southern services towards Template:Rws, Template:Rws, West Worthing, Littlehampton, Template:Rws, Template:Rws and Template:Rws.
  • Platform 3 is the only platform that can be used by services on all three lines, although trains on the West Coastway Line are limited to 4 carriages in length; services on the Brighton main and East Coastway lines are not restricted. The signalling also allows this platform to be occupied by two units on two separate lines at the same time, with a West Coastway train at the near end of the platform and a Brighton main or East Coastway train (up to 4 carriages long) at the far end. During the day, the platform is usually used by Southern and Gatwick Express services to Template:Stn.
  • Platforms 4-8 can be used by services on the Brighton Main Line and the East Coastway line. Usually, platform 4 shares with platform 3 the Southern and Gatwick Express services to London Victoria; platform 5 is served by Thameslink trains to Template:Rws, platform 6 by those to Template:Rws, while platforms 7 and 8 are used by Southern services on the East Coastway Line. However, this usage can be changed at times of disruption.

Services

Current services

Services at Brighton are operated by Southern, Gatwick Express and Thameslink using Template:Brc, Template:Brc and Template:Brc EMUs respectively.

Services at the station are as follows.

Southern

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=BTNTT>Template:NRtimes</ref>

During peak hours and on Saturdays, the station is also served by an additional hourly to Template:Stnlnk.

Gatwick Express

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=BTNTT/>

During peak hours, a number of Gatwick Express services call at Template:Stnlnk, Template:Stnlnk and Template:Stnlnk between Brighton and Haywards Heath.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On Sundays, the service to Cambridge is reduced to hourly.

Template:Rail start Template:Rail line Template:Rail line Template:Rail line Template:S-rail-national Template:Disused Rail Insert Template:Rail line Template:S-end

Former operators and services

File:319376Brighton.jpg
Thameslink Class 319 at Brighton
File:Brighton station - geograph.org.uk - 1083166.jpg
Brighton station with a 4 Cig under the Southern Region of British Rail in 1986

The following companies have served Brighton in the past:

Until 1967 a service operated between Brighton and Birkenhead Woodside via Redhill, Reading, Oxford, Birmingham Snow Hill, Wolverhampton Low Level, Shrewsbury and Chester. The stock was provided on alternate days by British Railways successors to the Southern Railway and the Great Western Railway being the Southern Region and Western Region.

Until December 2007, South West Trains operated regular services to Reading and Paignton via Worthing and Chichester.<ref>End of 450s to Brighton as SWT services end Today's Railways UK issue 74 February 2008 page 61</ref>

Until December 2008 CrossCountry and its predecessors operated services to Template:Rws and beyond.<ref>Last Cross-Country train to Brighton Today's Railways UK issue 86 February 2009 page 15</ref>

Until May 2018, Brighton was served by an hourly service to Ashford International via Eastbourne. Now, all Ashford trains terminate at Eastbourne.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Until May 2022, Great Western Railway operated limited 3 car services to Bristol Temple Meads and beyond.<ref>Great Western Railway to terminate Brighton services Rail issue 952 9 March 2022 page 22</ref><ref>Great Western Railway set to axe Brighton service The Argus 21 April 2022</ref>

Disruptions to services from the station

Football matches at the Falmer Stadium are served by train services from Brighton to Falmer. A queuing system is in operation from 2 hours before kick off for trains departing from platforms 7 and 8. The stadium's 31,800 capacity means these queues are large close to kick off. After the game, fans leave the station via the emergency gates, and a queuing system is in operation for West Coastway Line services departing from platforms 1 and 2.

The Lewes Bonfire night, usually on 5 November, attracts large numbers of people, many travelling through Brighton station. As a result, Southern operate a queuing system from the afternoon onwards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The London to Brighton Bike Ride in June each year attracts large numbers of cyclists. As a result, Southern bans bicycles from many trains on the day, and on the following day it operates a queuing system at Brighton station.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The train operators had in the past allowed bicycles on trains for the many cyclists returning to London.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Facilities

Passenger facilities include a ticket office, a travel information office, and several retail outlets. There are bus stops, a taxi rank, a car park and bicycle storage. Facilities for cyclists were extended in 2014 when a "cycle hub" was built at the rear entrance to the station. The three-storey building combines storage space for 500 bicycles with shops to buy or hire a bicycle, a repair facility, toilets, showers, changing facilities and a café. It is open 24 hours a day and storage is free of charge; most funding came from the Department for Transport (£500,000), Network Rail (£200,000), local rail operator Southern and the city council (£100,000 each).<ref name="BHI-CycleHub">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2012 £4.5 million was secured from the Department for Transport's Station Commercial Project Facility for renovation of the concourse. Changes included an increased number of ticket barriers, improved layout, more seating and retail outlets and the removal of the previous WH Smiths structure.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2021, a tactile map was installed, in collaboration with the Royal National Institute of Blind People, to help blind and partially sighted passengers navigate the station.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Train Crew Depots

Both Southern and Thameslink have driver, on board supervisor and conductor depots at Brighton station.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Accidents

Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington, died at the station on 13 August 1884.<ref name="Wellesley">Template:Cite web</ref>

On 4 August 1909, a train hauled by Terrier No.83 Earlswood collided with the buffers at Brighton, due to the driver's error. Nineteen people were injured.<ref name=Terrier>Template:Cite book</ref>

On 30 September 1922, control of a steam engine was lost at the engine shed. When the engine got to the turntable there were no buffer-stops to stop the engine. This caused the momentum of the engine to derail and crash through a brick wall into the street, injuring one passer-by.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Concourse

The concourse includes food shops, cafés, a newsagent and other food and retail outlets. The front of the station often sees stalls and street food vans. Following a request by Labour MP for Hove Peter Kyle in 2014, Southern added a street piano to the concourse, with a vintage Southern Railway logo inscribed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

References

Notes

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Citations

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Sources

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Further reading

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Template:Brighton and Hove Template:Major railway stations in Britain Template:East Sussex railway stations Template:TSGN and SE Stations

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