Arun Valley Line
Encyclopedia
The Arun Valley Line, also known as the Mid Sussex Line, is part of the Southern
-operated railway services. For the initial part of the route trains follow the Brighton Main Line
, and at a junction south of Three Bridges
the route turns westwards. It then runs via Crawley
, Horsham
(where there is a junction with the Mole Valley Line) and Arundel
, before meeting the West Coastway Line
at Arundel Junction. Trains on the Arun Valley Line then proceed to Portsmouth
& Southampton.
Many stations on this line retain the short platforms which were originally built, not being extended by the Southern Railway
when the line was modernized in the 1930s. This causes operational difficulties to this day, which require frequent platform and on-train announcements, telling passengers they must travel in the correct part of the train.
was opened on 14 February 1848, with passing places at the intermediate stations at Crawley
and Faygate
. The line was doubled throughout in 1862. The stations now at Ifield and Littlehaven were not opened with the line, both being opened on 1 June 1907: Ifield as Lyons Crossing Halt and Littlehaven as Rusper Road Halt; both serving the outskirts of their nearby towns. An additional stop was opened at Roffey Road Halt, however this station was closed in the 1930s, as the land around was never built up (and still isn't to this day).
line from Horsham
to Pulborough
, Petworth
and Midhurst
was opened on 10 October 1859. The section from Hardham Junction to Midhurst was closed between 1964 and 1966. The Steyning Line
from Horsham to Shoreham by Sea was opened on 1 July 1861 branching off at Itchingfield Junction south of Horsham. It closed in 1966.
via Arundel
was finally opened on 3 August 1863 creating a through route to Portsmouth.
Originally, the main LB&SCR route from London to Portsmouth used the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines to Horsham. However, with the increase in demand at Gatwick Airport, the mainline services were re-routed in 1978 to serve the airport and then travel via Three Bridges.
using the (750 V DC third rail) system by the Southern Railway
in 1938 as part of the proposals to electrify the lines from London to Portsmouth. This originally only covered the section from Horsham to Littlehampton and Barnham, as the main line was the line through Epsom, as opposed to the line to Three Bridges, but plans were extended to electrify the "branch" as well in the same year.
Two bridges on the line, The Black Rabbit Bridge (just north of Arundel
) and the Peppering Bridge (a few hundred yards further on) were replaced during the August Bank Holiday
weekend of 2009. The line was completely closed to traffic during these major engineering works and a replacement bus service served stations between Arundel and Pulborough
. As the two week Arundel Festival was drawing to a close over the weekend, Southern
maintained a service into the station from the West Coastway Line
from Bognor Regis
via Barnham and Ford, and a reversal at Littlehampton.
Down Line services
Both divide at Horsham, the train on the hour has a front portion which is fast to Barnham then onto Portsmouth Harbour. The rear portion is semi fast to Bognor Regis (not calling at Christ's Hospital and Amberley Stations)
The 30min past train front portion again runs fast to Barnham then is semi fast to Southampton Central. The rear section calls all stations to Bognor Regis.
The Up line service.
Again two trains an hour, both services attach at Horsham. The Bognor Regis section always arrives first unless there is disruption and then a section from either Portsmouth Harbour or Southampton Central arrives. Once the train has attached it runs semi fast to London Victoria via the Horsham Branch Line (Horsham to Three Bridges).
Each of the up services arrive with normally a 10 minute interchange for the stopping services to London Bridge and the one closest the hour for the Mole Valley service towards Dorking.
Stations in italics are served by through trains but are not part of the Arun Valley Line.
is served during peak hours only.
Southern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
-operated railway services. For the initial part of the route trains follow the Brighton Main Line
Brighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a British railway line from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. It is about 50 miles long, and is electrified throughout. Trains are operated by Southern, First Capital Connect, and Gatwick Express, now part of Southern.-Original proposals:There were no fewer...
, and at a junction south of Three Bridges
Three Bridges railway station
Three Bridges railway station is located in and named after the village of Three Bridges, which is now a district of Crawley, West Sussex, England...
the route turns westwards. It then runs via Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
, Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
(where there is a junction with the Mole Valley Line) and Arundel
Arundel
Arundel is a market town and civil parish in the South Downs of West Sussex in the south of England. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Worthing east southeast, Littlehampton to the south and Bognor Regis to...
, before meeting the West Coastway Line
West Coastway Line
The West Coastway Line is a railway line in England, along the south coast of West Sussex and Hampshire, between Brighton and Southampton, plus the short branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis....
at Arundel Junction. Trains on the Arun Valley Line then proceed to Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
& Southampton.
Many stations on this line retain the short platforms which were originally built, not being extended by the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
when the line was modernized in the 1930s. This causes operational difficulties to this day, which require frequent platform and on-train announcements, telling passengers they must travel in the correct part of the train.
History
The line was opened in three stages by the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) between 1848 and 1863, creating what was then known as Mid-Sussex route to Portsmouth.Three Bridges - Horsham
A single track branch lineBranch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
was opened on 14 February 1848, with passing places at the intermediate stations at Crawley
Crawley railway station
Crawley railway station is a railway station serving the town of Crawley in West Sussex. The station is 47 km south of London Victoria and is owned and operated by Southern...
and Faygate
Faygate railway station
Faygate Station is located on the Arun Valley Line, between Littlehaven and Ifield, miles from London Bridge. It serves the small village of Faygate and the Faygate Business Centre, situated on the A264 in the countryside between Crawley and Horsham....
. The line was doubled throughout in 1862. The stations now at Ifield and Littlehaven were not opened with the line, both being opened on 1 June 1907: Ifield as Lyons Crossing Halt and Littlehaven as Rusper Road Halt; both serving the outskirts of their nearby towns. An additional stop was opened at Roffey Road Halt, however this station was closed in the 1930s, as the land around was never built up (and still isn't to this day).
Horsham - Pulborough
The Midhurst RailwaysMidhurst Railways
The Midhurst Railways were three Branch lines which were built to serve the market town of Midhurst in the English county of West Sussex. The three lines radiated from the town; south to Chichester, west to Petersfield, and east to Pulborough....
line from Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
to Pulborough
Pulborough
Pulborough is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England, with some 5,000 inhabitants. It is located almost centrally within West Sussex and is south west of London. It is at the junction of the north-south A29 and the east-west roads.The village is near the...
, Petworth
Petworth
Petworth is a small town and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 east-west road from Heathfield to Winchester and the A283 Milford to Shoreham-by-Sea road. Some twelve miles to the south west of Petworth along the A285 road...
and Midhurst
Midhurst
Midhurst is a market town and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England, with a population of 4,889 in 2001. The town is situated on the River Rother and is home to the ruin of the Tudor Cowdray House and the stately Victorian Cowdray Park...
was opened on 10 October 1859. The section from Hardham Junction to Midhurst was closed between 1964 and 1966. The Steyning Line
Steyning Line
The Steyning Line was a railway line that connected the West Sussex market town of Horsham with the once bustling south-coast port of Shoreham-by-Sea, with the possibility of an onward connection to Brighton...
from Horsham to Shoreham by Sea was opened on 1 July 1861 branching off at Itchingfield Junction south of Horsham. It closed in 1966.
Pulborough - Arundel
The line between Hardham Junction south of Pulborough, and Arundel Junction on the coast lineWest Coastway Line
The West Coastway Line is a railway line in England, along the south coast of West Sussex and Hampshire, between Brighton and Southampton, plus the short branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis....
via Arundel
Arundel railway station
Arundel railway station serves the market town of Arundel in West Sussex.The station is on the eastern side of the town, about 500m from the High Street, across the River Arun.-History:...
was finally opened on 3 August 1863 creating a through route to Portsmouth.
Originally, the main LB&SCR route from London to Portsmouth used the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines to Horsham. However, with the increase in demand at Gatwick Airport, the mainline services were re-routed in 1978 to serve the airport and then travel via Three Bridges.
Electrification
The line was electrifiedRailway electrification in Great Britain
Railway electrification in Great Britain started towards of the 19th century. A great range of voltages have been used in the intervening period using both overhead lines and third rails, however the most common standard for mainline services is now 25 kV AC using overhead lines and the...
using the (750 V DC third rail) system by the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
in 1938 as part of the proposals to electrify the lines from London to Portsmouth. This originally only covered the section from Horsham to Littlehampton and Barnham, as the main line was the line through Epsom, as opposed to the line to Three Bridges, but plans were extended to electrify the "branch" as well in the same year.
Two bridges on the line, The Black Rabbit Bridge (just north of Arundel
Arundel railway station
Arundel railway station serves the market town of Arundel in West Sussex.The station is on the eastern side of the town, about 500m from the High Street, across the River Arun.-History:...
) and the Peppering Bridge (a few hundred yards further on) were replaced during the August Bank Holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
weekend of 2009. The line was completely closed to traffic during these major engineering works and a replacement bus service served stations between Arundel and Pulborough
Pulborough railway station
Pulborough railway station serves the West Sussex village of Pulborough. It is situated at the western end of the village, just off the A283 road.- History :...
. As the two week Arundel Festival was drawing to a close over the weekend, Southern
Southern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
maintained a service into the station from the West Coastway Line
West Coastway Line
The West Coastway Line is a railway line in England, along the south coast of West Sussex and Hampshire, between Brighton and Southampton, plus the short branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis....
from Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis railway station
Bognor Regis railway station is in the town of Bognor Regis, in the English county of West Sussex, England. It is approximately 65 miles south of London Victoria. The station and the trains serving it are operated by Southern railway company...
via Barnham and Ford, and a reversal at Littlehampton.
Services
There are currently two trains per hour on the route off-peak:Down Line services
Both divide at Horsham, the train on the hour has a front portion which is fast to Barnham then onto Portsmouth Harbour. The rear portion is semi fast to Bognor Regis (not calling at Christ's Hospital and Amberley Stations)
The 30min past train front portion again runs fast to Barnham then is semi fast to Southampton Central. The rear section calls all stations to Bognor Regis.
The Up line service.
Again two trains an hour, both services attach at Horsham. The Bognor Regis section always arrives first unless there is disruption and then a section from either Portsmouth Harbour or Southampton Central arrives. Once the train has attached it runs semi fast to London Victoria via the Horsham Branch Line (Horsham to Three Bridges).
Each of the up services arrive with normally a 10 minute interchange for the stopping services to London Bridge and the one closest the hour for the Mole Valley service towards Dorking.
Typical off-peak journey times from London Victoria (via Redhill and Gatwick Airport)
Based on December 2006 timetable.Stations in italics are served by through trains but are not part of the Arun Valley Line.
| Destination | Frequency | Stopping service | Semi-fast service | Change for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clapham Junction | 2 train/h | 6 minutes | 6 minutes | Wimbledon, Woking, Guildford, Reading |
| East Croydon | 2 train/h | 16 minutes | 16 minutes | Tramlink, London Bridge, Caterham, Tattenham Corner |
| Redhill | 2 train/h | 29 minutes | 29 minutes | Reigate, Guildford, Edenbridge, Tonbridge |
| Gatwick Airport | 2 train/h | 39 minutes | 37 minutes | |
| Three Bridges | 2 train/h | 44 minutes | 42 minutes | Haywards Heath, Brighton, Eastbourne, Worthing |
| Crawley Crawley railway station Crawley railway station is a railway station serving the town of Crawley in West Sussex. The station is 47 km south of London Victoria and is owned and operated by Southern... |
2 train/h | 47 minutes | 45 minutes | |
| Horsham Horsham railway station Horsham railway station serves the town of Horsham in West Sussex, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line 61 km south of London Victoria and the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines, and train services are provided by Southern... |
2 train/h | 56 minutes | 54 minutes | Dorking, Leatherhead, Epsom, Sutton |
| Christs Hospital Christs Hospital railway station Christ's Hospital railway station is near Horsham, West Sussex. It was opened in 1902 by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and was intended primarily to serve Christ's Hospital, a large independent school which had moved to the area in that year. It now also serves the rural area to the... |
1 train/h | 1 hour | ||
| Billingshurst Billingshurst railway station Billingshurst railway station serves the market town of Billingshurst, in West Sussex, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line. The station is operated by Southern. The signalbox is believed to be the oldest operational box in the country.... |
2 train/h | 1 hour 6 minutes | 1 hour 2 minutes | |
| Pulborough Pulborough railway station Pulborough railway station serves the West Sussex village of Pulborough. It is situated at the western end of the village, just off the A283 road.- History :... |
2 train/h | 1 hour 13 minutes | 1 hour 8 minutes | |
| Amberley Amberley railway station Amberley railway station is a railway station in West Sussex, England. It serves the village of Amberley, about half a mile away, and was opened by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway... |
1 train/h | 1 hour 20 minutes | ||
| Arundel Arundel railway station Arundel railway station serves the market town of Arundel in West Sussex.The station is on the eastern side of the town, about 500m from the High Street, across the River Arun.-History:... |
2 train/h | 1 hour 25 minutes | 1 hour 17 minutes | |
| Ford | 1 train/h | 1 hour 30 minutes | Littlehampton, Worthing, Brighton | |
| Barnham | 2 train/h | 1 hour 34 minutes | 1 hour 28 minutes | Bognor Regis, and also Littlehampton, Worthing, Brighton (Ford has reduced service) |
| Chichester | 2 train/h | 1 hour 46 minutes | 1 hour 36 minutes | Havant, Portsmouth Harbour, Southampton Central |
Typical off-peak journey times from London Bridge (via Redhill and Gatwick Airport)
Based on December 2006 timetable. Stations in italics are served by through trains but are not part of the Arun Valley Line. There are two trains per hour on this route. Some stations between London Bridge and Gatwick Airport have been omitted. FaygateFaygate railway station
Faygate Station is located on the Arun Valley Line, between Littlehaven and Ifield, miles from London Bridge. It serves the small village of Faygate and the Faygate Business Centre, situated on the A264 in the countryside between Crawley and Horsham....
is served during peak hours only.
| Destination | Off-peak journey time | Change for |
|---|---|---|
| East Croydon | 16 minutes | Tramlink, London Victoria, Caterham, Oxted |
| Redhill | 36 minutes | Reigate, Guildford, Edenbridge, Tonbridge |
| Gatwick Airport | 50 minutes | |
| Three Bridges | 56 minutes | Haywards Heath, Brighton, Eastbourne, Worthing |
| Crawley Crawley railway station Crawley railway station is a railway station serving the town of Crawley in West Sussex. The station is 47 km south of London Victoria and is owned and operated by Southern... |
1 hour | |
| Ifield Ifield railway station Ifield railway station serves the neighbourhoods of Ifield and Gossops Green in the West Sussex town of Crawley. It is on the Arun Valley Line, and is miles from London Bridge. Train services are provided by Southern.-History:... |
1 hour 3 minutes | |
| Littlehaven Littlehaven railway station Littlehaven Railway Station serves the areas of Littlehaven, Holbrook and Roffey in the northeast of the town of Horsham, West Sussex. It is on the Arun Valley Line, and is the first station out of Horsham on that route going towards London.- History :... |
1 hour 9 minutes | |
| Horsham Horsham railway station Horsham railway station serves the town of Horsham in West Sussex, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line 61 km south of London Victoria and the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines, and train services are provided by Southern... |
1 hour 14 minutes | Dorking, Leatherhead, Epsom, Sutton |