Plumpton railway station

For the disused station on the West Coast Main Line, see Plumpton railway station (Cumbria).

Plumpton
National Rail
The platforms at Plumpton, looking northwest
General information
LocationPlumpton Green, Lewes District, East Sussex
England
Coordinates50°55′44″N 0°03′36″W / 50.929°N 0.060°W / 50.929; -0.060
Grid referenceTQ364161
Managed bySouthern
Platforms2
Other information
Station codePMP
ClassificationDfT category E
History
Original companyLondon, Brighton and South Coast Railway
Pre-groupingLondon, Brighton and South Coast Railway
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
Key dates
June 1863Station opened
Passengers
2018/19Increase 0.113 million
2019/20Increase 0.116 million
2020/21Decrease 26,358
2021/22Increase 76,140
2022/23Increase 91,996
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Plumpton railway station serves the village of Plumpton in East Sussex, England. It is 44 miles 42 chains (71.7 km) from London Bridge via Redhill.

Train services are provided by Southern. The station neighbours Plumpton Racecourse, which had its own platform at the end of the village station.

History

Plumpton lies on the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway "cut-off" line between Keymer Junction, near Wivelsfield on the Brighton Main Line, and Lewes. The erstwhile Brighton, Lewes and Hastings Railway were authorised to build the line in 1845; the LBSCR purchased it and opened the link on 1 October 1847. However, there was no immediate demand for services and the station did not open until June 1863.[1]

The road crossing was established in 1849 and was hand operated until the establishment of the signal box in 1891. That signal box, now defunct (after being reduced to a crossing box under the supervision of Three Bridges PSB[2]) after the crossing was given obstacle detection systems. It still remains and is a Grade II Listed Building.[3]

Crossing Closure Controversy

Network Rail closed the level crossing in September 2015 so that the wooden, wheel worked gates (the last in East Sussex) on the crossing could be replaced. However, Lewes District Council rejected the plans to replace the gates as it would have caused "substantial harm to the significance of the signal box".[4] Network Rail said that they could not open the crossing as the work was not completed. This effectively split the village in two, with some motorists having to take a six or seven mile detour. However the upgrade took place and the level crossing was reopened in February 2016.[5]

Services

A Southern Class 377 set passes through Cooksbridge bound for Eastbourne; the station's old signal box can be seen in the background.

All services at Plumpton are operated by Southern using Class 377 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[6]

During the peak hours, the station is served by an additional hourly service between London Victoria and Eastbourne, increasing the service to 2tph in each direction.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Wivelsfield   Southern
  Cooksbridge
or
Lewes

References

  1. ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 186. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  2. ^ Rhodes, Michael (2015). Resignalling Britain. Horncastle: Mortons Media. p. 102. ISBN 978-1-909128-64-4.
  3. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1238580)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  4. ^ "Network Rail apology over Plumpton level crossing closure". BBC News. 10 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  5. ^ "Level crossing dividing Plumpton village reopens". BBC News. 8 February 2016.
  6. ^ Table 190 National Rail timetable, May 2022