Brighton railway station

The station forecourt showing Mocatta's original building which is now largely obscured

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.[4] (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.[5] Baker & Son were paid £9766 15s for the station building between May and August 1841.[6] The platform accommodation was built by John Urpeth Rastrick and consisted of four pitched roofs each 250 ft long (76 m).[7] It opened for trains to Shoreham on 12 May 1840, and to London on 21 September 1841.[8][9]

Brighton Station interior in 1962

The station site was extended for the opening of the Brighton Lewes and Hastings Railway on 8 June 1846[10] (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 and South Coast Railway.[11]

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.[12]

At the front of the station is a bus station. 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.

The station roof as refurbished

Help, a dog used to collect charitable donations, was displayed at the station following its death in 1891.[13]

A goods station and yard was also constructed on the eastern side of the passenger station but on a site 30 ft lower (9.1 m) 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. The site of the goods yard has since been redeveloped, and much of it forms the New England Quarter.[14]

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.

Brighton Locomotive Depot seen from above 11 July 1954

The London and 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.[15] 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.[16][17] During the early 1930s, following the electrification of the lines the steam motive power depot was rebuilt and reduced in size.[16] It was closed 15 June 1961, but remained in use for stabling steam locomotives until 1964, and was demolished in 1966.

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 Electrostar, Class 387 Electrostar and Class 313 fleets.

Brighton station was listed at Grade II*[1] on 30 April 1973.[1] 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.[18]

The typical off-peak service from Brighton on the Brighton Main Line is:

• 2 tph (trains per hour) to London Victoria (semi-fast), operated by Southern;
• 2 tph to London Victoria calling only at Gatwick Airport, operated by Gatwick Express;
• 2 tph to Bedford via Gatwick Airport and London Bridge (stopping), operated by Thameslink;
• 2 tph to Cambridge via Gatwick Airport, London Bridge and Stevenage operated by Thameslink;

The typical off-peak service from Brighton on the West Coastway Line is:

• 2 tph to West Worthing (stopping), operated by Southern;
• 2 tph to Hove (to connect with semi-fast services from London Victoria to Littlehampton), operated by Southern;
• 1 tph to Portsmouth Harbour (semi-fast), operated by Southern;
• 1 tph to Southampton Central (semi-fast), operated by Southern.

There are also several trains per day to Bristol Temple Meads, some of which run further to Great Malvern. These services are operated by Great Western Railway.

The typical off-peak service from Brighton on the East Coastway Line is:

• 2 tph to Seaford via Lewes (stopping);
• 2 tph to Lewes only (stopping);
• 2 tph to Hastings via Lewes and Eastbourne (semi-fast), one of which is extended one stop to Ore.

All services on this line are operated by Southern.

Thameslink service ready for a dawn departure from Brighton

Brighton station with a 4 Cig under the Southern Region of British Rail in 1986.

The following companies have served Brighton in the past:

• London & Brighton Railway
• London, Brighton & South Coast Railway
• Southern Railway
• British Rail
• CrossCountry
• South West Trains
• Virgin CrossCountry
• Connex South Central
• Wessex Trains
• Thameslink (original)
• First Capital Connect

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.

South West Trains used to operate regular services from this station, to Reading and Paignton, via Worthing and Chichester. These services were withdrawn on 10 December 2007 because of new franchise obligations, and South West Trains no longer operate any services from Brighton.

CrossCountry also served Brighton, with services to Birmingham New Street and beyond. These services were withdrawn from the December 2008 timetable change, as they were no longer required by the new franchise.

Until May 2018, Brighton was served by an hourly express service to Ashford International, via Lewes, Eastbourne and Hastings, but it has been discontinued since. Now, all Ashford trains run from Eastbourne as stopping services.[19]

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 30,750 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.[20]

The London to Brighton Bike Ride in June each year attracts large numbers of cyclists. As a result, Southern ban bicycles from many trains on the day, and on the following day they operate a queuing system at Brighton station.[21] The train operators had in the past allowed bicycles on trains for the many cyclists returning to London.[22]