General information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Polegate, Wealden England | ||||
Grid reference | TQ582048 | ||||
Managed by | Southern | ||||
Platforms | 2 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | PLG | ||||
Classification | DfT category D | ||||
Key dates | |||||
1846 | Opened | ||||
1881 | Resited 440yds east | ||||
1986 | Resited on original site | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2019/20 | 1.020 million | ||||
2020/21 | 0.334 million | ||||
Interchange | 299 | ||||
2021/22 | 0.785 million | ||||
Interchange | 990 | ||||
2022/23 | 0.929 million | ||||
Interchange | 19 | ||||
2023/24 | 0.979 million | ||||
|
Polegate railway station serves Polegate in East Sussex,England. It is on the East Coastway Line,61 miles 39 chains (99.0 km) from London Bridge,and train services are provided by Southern.
The first station opened on 27 June 1846 when the London and Brighton Railway opened the line from Lewes to Hastings. The station was built at Polegate to serve the nearby towns of Hailsham and South Bourne,the latter now part of Eastbourne. [1] The first station was on the site of the present station. It then became a junction station on 14 May 1849 when an east facing branch headed northwards to Hailsham was opened and another southwards to Eastbourne,the station had enlarged to three through platforms and a bay platform for Hailsham services. [1] The station then also had a one road engine shed and small freight yard complete with granary and weighing machine.
In 1881 the second station was opened in connection with the construction of a new westward facing line to Hailsham and the 1880 extension of the Cuckoo Line to Eridge,and the re-aligned branchline to Eastbourne which the present line follows today. The second station had four through platforms. The East Coastway line through Polegate was electrified in 1935 bringing in faster more frequent services. In 1965 the Cuckoo line north of Hailsham was closed followed in 1968 by complete closure of the branch to Hailsham. On 6 January 1969 the spur line to Pevensey (Stone Cross Junction) was closed and the up line was lifted,leaving the down line open for departmental trains until 1974 when the line became a mile long engineers siding with access only from Stone Cross Junction,this was then lifted in August 1984. and once extensive goods sidings were gradually closed and removed. [1]
The station closed in 1986 when a newer station opened 440 yards west,although caused controversy when the subway under the station connecting the platforms was also closed as it offered a short cut for non rail travellers to cross from one side of the town to the other without walking towards the high street and using the level crossing. The level crossing is the only means from crossing from one side of the town to the other. The street level building was demolished in May 2017.
The current building is the third station to be built in Polegate and is on the site of the original station. It was completed in 1986 by Network SouthEast,and officially opened by Ian Gow in 1987. The station has a booking hall,and three waiting rooms. A footbridge connects both platforms although step-free access is available by the Level Crossing. The site of the goods yard is now developed with a shopping precinct and car park to the north of the station and a housing estate to the south-east of the station.
The closed lines to Hailsham and Pevensey are still evident. The trackbed of the branch to Heathfield is now a cycle path –Cuckoo Trail –beginning at the north end of the town. The trackbed to Pevensey is mostly intact with the A22 road cutting through the route.
In its heyday,Polegate had three signal boxes,Polegate 'A' or West,Polegate 'B' or East and Polegate Crossing. Polegate 'A' signal box was situated at the western end of the station and controlled the junction for the Cuckoo Line to Hailsham and Eridge and the goods yard. Polegate 'B' signal box,situated at the eastern end of the station controlled the junction for Eastbourne and Hastings based services. Polegate Crossing which controlled the level crossing was abolished in February 2015. The Polegate Crossing signal box was subsequently demolished overnight between 14 and 18 November 2016.
All services at Polegate are operated by Southern using Class 377 EMUs.
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is: [2]
Until 2018,the station was served by hourly services through to Ashford International. These services were discontinued as part of the May 2018 timetable changes due to long journey times and insufficient rolling stock (the line to Ashford was served at the time by 2-car DMUs) which caused overcrowding particularly on the section between Brighton and Eastbourne. Since then,services to and from Ashford have only run as far as Eastbourne. [3]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Berwick or Lewes | Southern | Hampden Park or Eastbourne | ||
Disused railways | ||||
Hailsham | British Rail Southern Region | Pevensey &Westham or Hampden Park | ||
Historical railways | ||||
Berwick | Brighton, Lewes & Hastings Railway | Pevensey & Westham |
Polegate is a town and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England, United Kingdom. It is located five miles (8 km) north of the seaside resort of Eastbourne and is part of the greater area of that town. Although once a railway settlement, its rail links were closed as part of the Beeching cuts. The 2011 census put the civil parish of Polegate at a population of 8,586, with 41.2% aged 65 and over.
Brighton railway station 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 in England, and the principal station serving the city of Brighton, East Sussex. It is 50 miles 49 chains from London Bridge via Redhill.
Hastings railway station is the southern terminus of the Hastings line in the south of England and is one of four stations that serve the town of Hastings, East Sussex. It is also on the East Coastway line to Eastbourne and the Marshlink line to Ashford International. It is 62 miles 33 chains (100.4 km) from London Charing Cross measured via Chelsfield and Battle; and 82 miles 33 chains (132.6 km) from Charing Cross via Chelsfield and Ashford.
The East Coastway line is a railway line along the south coast of Sussex to the east of Brighton, England. Trains to the west of Brighton operate on the West Coastway line. Together with the West Coastway and the Marshlink line to the east, the line forms part of a continuous route from Havant to Ashford. The Brighton Main Line route to Eastbourne and Hastings, via Plumpton and Cooksbridge, shares the East Coastway line east of Lewes station.
Bexhill railway station serves Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern.
Collington railway station serves Collington, at the western end of Bexhill in East Sussex. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern.
Normans Bay railway station serves Normans Bay in East Sussex. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern.
Pevensey & Westham railway station serves the villages of Pevensey and Westham in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. The station is located around 4 miles (6.4 km) from Eastbourne town centre, and is one of four stations serving the town.
Ore railway station serves Ore in East Sussex, England. It is on the Marshlink Line, and train services are provided by Southern, with a single peak hour service operated by Southeastern.
Ham Street railway station is a Grade II listed stop on the Marshlink line in the village of Hamstreet, Kent, between Ashford International and Hastings. Services are provided by Southern.
Lewes railway station serves the town of Lewes in East Sussex, England. It has five platforms and is on the East Coastway Line, 49 miles 74 chains (80.3 km) from London Bridge via Redhill. Train services are provided by Southern.
Hampden Park railway station serves Hampden Park in the northern areas of the seaside town of Eastbourne in East Sussex. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. The station is sometimes used as an interchange to avoid travelling into Eastbourne itself.
Eastbourne railway station serves the seaside town of Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line. The station is managed by Southern, who operate all trains serving it. It is one of two railway stations in the town, the other being Hampden Park Station. There are also two other stations in the Eastbourne area, one being Pevensey & Westham, in nearby Westham, the other being Polegate.
Eridge railway station is on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted line in southern England and serves a rural district around Eridge in East Sussex. It is 35 miles 53 chains from London Bridge. The station is managed by Southern.
Tunbridge Wells West is a railway station located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. It is one of two railway stations in Tunbridge Wells constructed by rival companies. The other, Tunbridge Wells Central was opened in 1845 by the South Eastern Railway (SER). Tunbridge Wells West was closed to mainline passenger services in 1985. A new station on part of the site has been opened as a heritage railway line opened in 1996. It stands next to the original engine shed which has been restored to use. The line is called the Spa Valley Railway.
Hellingly was a railway station on the now closed Polegate to Eridge line in East Sussex. It served the village of Hellingly.
Groombridge railway station is a station on the Spa Valley Railway (SVR) in Groombridge, East Sussex, England. Once a busy station serving four directions, it closed in 1985 to British Rail services. A new station the other side of Station Road bridge was opened by the SVR in 1997 as part of a standard gauge heritage railway to Tunbridge Wells West.
The Cuckoo Line is an informal name for the now defunct railway service which linked Polegate and Eridge in East Sussex, England, from 1880 to 1968. It was nicknamed the Cuckoo Line by drivers, from a tradition observed at the annual fair at Heathfield, a station on the route. At the fair, which was held each April, a lady would release a cuckoo from a basket, it being supposedly the 'first cuckoo of spring'. The railway line served the following Sussex communities: Polegate, Hailsham, Hellingly, Horam for Waldron, Heathfield, Mayfield, Rotherfield and Eridge. Services continued through Eridge and onward via Groombridge to Tunbridge Wells.
Hailsham Railway Station was on the Cuckoo Line between Polegate and Hellingly serving the town of Hailsham. Originally built in 1849 by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway it was a terminus station serving both passengers and livestock for the nearby market. It remained a terminus until 1880 when it was connected with Eridge on a single line railway.
National Cycle Route 21 is part of the United Kingdom's National Cycle Network. It runs from Greenwich in South-East London south to Crawley, then east to Groombridge and south to Eastbourne, with a short final loop northwards again to its end at Pevensey.