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General information | |
Location | Three Bridges, Borough of Crawley England |
Grid reference | TQ288369 |
Managed by | Southern |
Platforms | 5 |
Other information | |
Station code | TBD |
Classification | DfT category C1 |
History | |
Opened | 12 July 1841 |
Original company | London & Brighton Railway |
Pre-grouping | London, Brighton & South Coast Railway |
Post-grouping | Southern Railway |
Passengers | |
2017/18 | ![]() |
Interchange | ![]() |
2018/19 | ![]() |
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2019/20 | ![]() |
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2020/21 | ![]() |
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2021/22 | ![]() |
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Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
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. It is at the point where the Arun Valley Line diverges from the Brighton Main Line and Thameslink,29 miles 21 chains (47.1 km) down the line from London Bridge via Redhill.
The original Italianate style railway station on the East side of the line at Three Bridges was opened in July 1841 by the London and Brighton Railway at a point next to their proposed branch to Horsham. It was designed by the architect David Mocatta,and was one of a series of standardised modular buildings used by the railway. [1] This building was demolished 5 May 1985. [2] Mocatta's plans for the station indicate that it was originally going to be known as "Crawley" [3] but according to The London and Brighton railway guide,of 1841 and the 1846 timetable it was named "Three Bridges" from the time it was opened. [4]
The London and Brighton Railway merged with others to become the London Brighton and South Coast Railway in 1846,and the branch to Horsham was opened two years later. Three Bridges was enlarged in July 1855 with the construction of a branch line to East Grinstead and again enlarged in 1906/9 at the time of the quadrupling of the main line. The present ticket office was then built on the west side of the line and new platforms and station buildings for the new lines.
Three Bridges was a key site for the electrification scheme for the Brighton main line during 1932/33,housing the control room for the scheme,and was one of three locations where current was taken from the national network and transmitted to substations. [5] Electric multiple unit trains began to run between London and Three Bridges on 17 July 1932. The line was electrified throughout on 30 December. [6] At the same time the practice of using "slip coaches" for East Grinstead at Three Bridges from expresses bound for the south coast was abandoned by the Southern Railway. [7] The line from Three Bridges to Horsham was electrified in May 1938. [8] The single-track branch line to East Grinstead was never electrified. It remained steam operated,using tank locomotives of the M7 and H classes hauling push–pull trains. After the end of steam operation in 1964,it was then briefly operated by diesel-electric multiple units of British Rail Class 205 but closed on 2 January 1967.
There have been four recorded accidents at Three Bridges station,the first two of which were relatively minor and involved no injuries. On 12 April 1858 an engine collided with passenger carriages,and on 18 October 1863 an excursion train hit the buffer stops. Two members of station staff died on 13 December 1868 from an explosion of naphtha in a truck of a goods train. [9] On 28 January 1933 an electric train crashed into the back of a steam freight train waiting at the signal box. The driver of the electric train and the guard of the freight train were both seriously injured. [10]
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. [11]
An engine shed was opened in July 1848 on a site to the west of the station. This was closed in 1909 to make way for the enlargement of the station and a new depot was established in the fork between the Brighton and Horsham lines in 1911, which remained open until June 1964.
The original small goods yard to the south of the station was greatly extended during the First World War and was used as a marshalling yard for munitions trains heading for the Continent. Trains from the Great Western Railway and the London and North Western Railway were brought here for onward transmission to Newhaven Harbour. [12]
In the early 2000s, Virgin CrossCountry built a depot at Three Bridges operated by English Welsh and Scottish Railway to service its Class 220 Voyagers. [13] It closed following CrossCountry withdrawing its Gatwick and Brighton services in December 2008 and was subsequently demolished and replaced with EMU stabling sidings. [14]
In 2010 Network Rail selected Three Bridges as its preferred site for a signalling centre for trains operating in the southeast of England, being central to the London, Brighton, and future Thameslink services, and with no major negative planning issues. [15] A 1.7 ha (4.2 acres) site 0.5 mi (0.80 km) south of Three Bridges station was selected, located in the "fork" between the Arun Valley Line and Brighton Main Line ( 51°06′44″N0°09′47″W / 51.1123°N 0.1631°W ); the centre was located east of a DB Schenker rail depot, and east of depot facilities for the Thameslink rolling stock programme trains, which was under planning development at the same time. [16] [17] The operating centre build was designed as a 71.45 by 34.8 m (234.4 by 114.2 ft) three-storey building with 6,980 m2 (75,100 sq ft) of floorspace, providing railway operational and administrational and training facilities. Equipment was primarily on the ground floor, with the operation rooms on first and second floors. [18]
In December 2011, Network Rail began construction of a rail operating centre at Three Bridges, one of 14 countrywide intended to replace several hundred signalboxes; the Three Bridges centre was built to control rail operations in the Sussex area. The facility was constructed by C. Spencer Ltd, and was expected to employ around 600 people, with a 900-person net job benefit once complete. [19] [20] The facility was officially opened in January 2014, with the last section of London Bridge Area Signalling Centre moving to the Three Bridges site in 2020. [21]
In 2009 Network Rail submitted a planning application for a rolling stock depot including a three road shed for trains to be procured under the Thameslink rolling stock programme; rejection of the plans for a sister depot at Hornsey resulted in modified plans being submitted in 2011, with the Three Bridges depot expanded to a five road shed with additional stabling and facilities. The depot was opened in October 2015. [22]
The station remains an important junction on the Brighton Main Line throughout Southern Railway and British Railways ownership. Train services are now provided by Southern and Thameslink train operating companies.
Besides a booking hall, the station has refreshment facilities and shops, as well as toilets and accessibility lifts to platforms.
Services at Three Bridges are operated by Southern and Thameslink using Class 377 and 700 EMUs.
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is: [23]
On Sundays, the services to London Victoria and Cambridge reduce to hourly and the service to Peterborough runs hourly but only as far as London Bridge.
During the night, the station is served by a half-hourly Thameslink service to Bedford (not calling at London Bridge). This service runs on Sunday-Friday nights with an hourly Southern service to London Victoria on Saturday nights.
Preceding station | ![]() | Following station | ||
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Southern | ||||
Thameslink | ||||
Thameslink | Balcombe or Haywards Heath | |||
Disused railways | ||||
Terminus | British Rail Southern Region | Rowfant |
Thameslink is a 24-hour main-line route in the British railway system, running from Bedford, Luton, St Albans City, Peterborough and Cambridge via central London to Sutton, Orpington, Sevenoaks, Rainham, Horsham, Brighton, East Grinstead, and Littlehampton. The network opened as a through service in 1988, with severe overcrowding by 1998, carrying more than 28,000 passengers in the morning peak. All the services are currently operated by Govia Thameslink Railway.
East Croydon is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, Greater London, England, and is located in Travelcard Zone 5. At 10 miles 28 chains from London Bridge, it is one of the busiest non-terminal stations in London, and in the United Kingdom as a whole. It is one of three railway stations in the London Borough of Croydon with Croydon in their name, the others being West Croydon and South Croydon. A Tramlink tram stop is located immediately outside the main station entrance.
Brighton railway station is the southern terminus of the Brighton Main 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.
Gatwick Airport railway station is on the Brighton Main Line in West Sussex, England. It serves Gatwick Airport, 26 miles 47 chains (42.8 km) down the line from London Bridge via Redhill. The platforms are about 70 metres (230 ft) to the east of the airport's South Terminal, with the ticket office above the platforms and station entrances and exits directly connected to the terminal. The station is also connected to the airport's North Terminal by the Airport Shuttle people-mover. Gatwick Airport was the busiest station in South East England from 2017 to 2018. There have been two stations at Gatwick, sited about 0.85 miles (1.37 km) from each other.
Purley railway station is in the London Borough of Croydon on the Brighton Main Line, 13 miles 29 chains (21.50 km) measured from London Bridge, in Travelcard Zone 6. It is a junction, with branches to Caterham and Tattenham Corner.
Norwood Junction railway station is a National Rail station in South Norwood in the London Borough of Croydon, south London and is in Travelcard Zone 4. It is 8 miles 55 chains down the line from London Bridge.
The Arun Valley line, also known as the Mid Sussex line, is part of the Southern- and Thameslink-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 and Arundel, before meeting the West Coastway line at Arundel Junction. Trains on the Arun Valley line then proceed to either Bognor Regis, Portsmouth Harbour or Southampon Central
Redhill railway station serves the town of Redhill, Surrey, England. The station is a major interchange point on the Brighton Main Line, 22 miles 40 chains (36.2 km) measured from London Charing Cross. It is managed by Southern, and is also served by Thameslink and GWR.
Merstham railway station is in Merstham, Surrey, England. It is on the Brighton Main Line, 20 miles 59 chains (33.4 km) measured from London Charing Cross, and train services are currently provided by Southern, who manage the station, and Thameslink.
Horley railway station serves the town of Horley in Surrey, England. It is on the Brighton Main Line, 25 miles 60 chains (41.4 km) down the line from London Bridge via Redhill, and train services are provided by Thameslink and Southern.
Salfords railway station serves the village of Salfords in Surrey, England. The station is sometimes shown as Salfords (Surrey) in timetables to differentiate it from the two stations in Salford, Greater Manchester. It is on the Brighton Main Line, 23 miles 37 chains (37.8 km) down the line from London Bridge via Redhill and is managed by Southern. Train services are provided by Thameslink and Southern.
Earlswood railway station serves Earlswood, south of Redhill, in Surrey, England. It is on the Brighton Main Line, 21 miles 50 chains (34.8 km) down the line from London Bridge via Redhill and south of the junction between the Redhill line and the Quarry line. Train services are provided by Thameslink, Great Western and Southern.
Horsham railway station serves the town of Horsham in West Sussex, England. It is 37 miles 56 chains (60.7 km) down the line from London Bridge, measured via Redhill, on the Arun Valley Line and the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines, and train services are provided by Southern. Services on the Sutton & Mole Valley Line from London Victoria via Dorking terminate here, the others continue into the Arun Valley: a half-hourly service from London Victoria to Southampton Central or Portsmouth Harbour (alternating) and Bognor Regis. These trains usually divide here with the front (Southampton/Portsmouth) portion travelling fast and the rear half providing stopping services.
Stevenage railway station serves the town of Stevenage in Hertfordshire, England. The station is 27 miles 45 chains (44.4 km) north of London King's Cross on the East Coast Main Line. Stevenage is served and managed by Great Northern, who operate Thameslink stopping services southbound to King’s Cross via stations such as Welwyn Garden City and Potter’s Bar, to Brighton and Horsham via Central London and Gatwick Airport and to Moorgate via Watton-at-Stone, Hertford North and Enfield Chase and services northbound to Cambridge and Peterborough. It is also frequently served by London North Eastern Railway, who operate fast non-stopping services southbound towards London and northbound towards cities including York, Leeds and Edinburgh. Hull Trains and Lumo operate very limited services from the station.
Pulborough railway station serves the West Sussex village of Pulborough. It is at the western end of the village, just off the A283 road. It is 50 miles (80 km) down the line from London Bridge via Redhill.
Billingshurst railway station serves the market town of Billingshurst, in West Sussex, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line 44 miles 71 chains (72.2 km) down the line from London Bridge via Redhill. The station is operated by Southern. The signalbox was believed to be the oldest operational box in the country, and in May 2016 was moved to Amberley Museum and Heritage Centre.
Crawley railway station is a railway station serving the town of Crawley in West Sussex, England. It is 30 miles 49 chains (49.3 km) down the line from London Bridge, measured via Redhill. It is operated by Southern. The station is the last stop on the Arun Valley Line before it joins the Brighton Main Line.
Hitchin railway station serves the town of Hitchin in Hertfordshire. It is located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) north east of the town centre and 31 miles 74 chains (51.4 km) north of London King's Cross on the East Coast Main Line.
Ifield railway station serves the neighbourhoods of Ifield and Gossops Green in the West Sussex town of Crawley, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line, 31 miles 66 chains (51.2 km) down the line from London Bridge, measured via Redhill. Train services are provided by Thameslink and Southern.
Littlehaven railway station serves the areas of Littlehaven, Holbrook and Roffey in the northeast of the town of Horsham, West Sussex, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line, 36 miles 50 chains (58.9 km) down the line from London Bridge, measured via Redhill.
Media related to Three Bridges railway station at Wikimedia Commons