General information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Uckfield, Wealden England | ||||
Grid reference | TQ473209 | ||||
Managed by | Southern | ||||
Platforms | 1 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | UCK | ||||
Classification | DfT category E | ||||
History | |||||
Original company | Lewes and Uckfield Railway | ||||
Pre-grouping | London, Brighton and South Coast Railway | ||||
Post-grouping | Southern Railway | ||||
Key dates | |||||
18 October 1858 | Opened | ||||
January 1990 | Track singled | ||||
13 May 1991 | Relocated | ||||
9 December 2000 | Original station demolished | ||||
16 March 2010 | Rebuilt | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2019/20 | 0.387 million | ||||
2020/21 | 48,824 | ||||
2021/22 | 0.159 million | ||||
2022/23 | 0.200 million | ||||
2023/24 | 0.213 million | ||||
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Uckfield railway station is the southern terminus of a branch of the Oxted Line in England,serving the town of Uckfield,East Sussex. It is 46 miles 8 chains (74.2 km) from London Bridge.
The station and all trains that call are operated by Southern. Until 1969,the line continued southwards to Lewes and Brighton.
The first station was opened in 1858 by the Lewes and Uckfield Railway Company. It was situated south of the High Street and became a through station when the line was extended northwards to Tunbridge Wells West in 1868. After closure of the line south to Lewes in 1969,the original station found itself on the wrong side of the High Street level crossing,which created traffic congestion whenever a train was arriving or departing. It was therefore decided to close the original station and open a new station on the other side of the High Street. The present Uckfield station opened in 1991,replacing the original structure,which was sited 55 yards (50 m) to the south. The original station was demolished on 9 December 2000,after having been damaged by flooding. [1]
As part of Network Rail's national stations improvement programme,Uckfield received a new station building to replace the 1991 Portakabin-type structure which was deemed "not fit for purpose". [2] The new building was built to Network Rail's modular,pre-fabricated design,as used at Mitcham Eastfields and Greenhithe. [3] The components for Uckfield's new station –including a ticket office,public toilet,staff accommodation,ticket hall and café–were manufactured by Britspace in Yorkshire and installed by contractors Bryen &Langley. [4] The new building,which cost £750,000, [5] was opened for passenger use on 16 March 2010. [6]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Buxted | Southern Oxted Line Uckfield branch | Terminus | ||
Disused railways | ||||
Buxted Line and station open | British Rail Southern Region Wealden Line | Isfield Line closed;station open | ||
Proposed Heritage railways | ||||
Terminus | Lavender Line | Isfield Line closed;station open |
The typical off-peak service is one train per hour to London Bridge,calling at Buxted,Crowborough,Eridge,Ashurst,Cowden,Hever,Edenbridge Town,Hurst Green,Oxted and East Croydon. On Sundays,this is reduced to an hourly shuttle to Oxted calling at all stations. Previously,most off-peak trains from Uckfield only went as far as Oxted,for interchange with East Grinstead line services. Since the service has been operated by Southern,most trains run through to London Bridge,and passenger numbers have risen. In December 2010,a later last train from London Bridge (at around 11 pm) was introduced,allowing passengers to return from London in the late evening.
Platforms on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted Line were extended in 2016 to hold ten-carriage trains,to allow longer services to run during peak hours. To lengthen the trains to ten coaches,Southern acquired four Class 170 Turbostars from ScotRail. The Class 170s were converted to Class 171s to enable full compatibility with Southern's existing Class 171 fleet.
Whereas the neighbouring East Grinstead line has 750 V DC electric traction,motive power on Uckfield line is provided by Class 171 diesel multiple units. It has been proposed many times that the line be electrified,but this is considered too expensive for the amount of passenger traffic. [7] Rail usage figures published in March 2010 showed that journeys from the station increased by 179% in the five years to 2008/09. [8]
Since 1986,there had been a campaign to re-open the line south of Uckfield through to Lewes,known as the Wealden Line,which has attracted cross-party support. [9] In 2008,the "Wealdenlink" presentation was published,giving new impetus to the campaign for reinstatement. [10] On 23 July 2008,a Network Rail study,commissioned by the Central Rail Corridor Board (a joint group of local councils and stakeholders),reported that there was no economic case for reopening,citing a £141 million cost and a low benefit–cost ratio of 0.64 to 0.79;a figure of 1.5 is the minimum required by the Department for Transport for a scheme to be considered viable. [11]
The Bluebell Railway is an 11 mi (17.7 km) heritage line in West Sussex in England. It is managed by the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society. It uses steam trains which operate between Sheffield Park and East Grinstead,with intermediate stations at Horsted Keynes and Kingscote.
The Spa Valley Railway (SVR) is a standard gauge heritage railway in the United Kingdom that runs from Tunbridge Wells West railway station in Royal Tunbridge Wells to High Rocks,Groombridge,and Eridge,where it links with the Oxted Line.
The Lavender Line is a heritage railway based at Isfield Station,near Uckfield in East Sussex,England.
The Oxted line is a railway line in southern England. It runs from the Brighton Main Line at South Croydon in Greater London to Hurst Green Junction in Surrey,where its two branches diverge. The western branch continues via Lingfield to East Grinstead in West Sussex,whereas the eastern branch runs via Edenbridge in Kent to Uckfield in East Sussex. The line is named after the town of Oxted in Surrey and also serves parts of the London Borough of Croydon. The 18-mile-26-chain (29.5 km) South Croydon–East Grinstead section is electrified using the 750 V DC third-rail system and is double track throughout. The unelectrified Hurst Green Junction–Uckfield section is 24 mi 53 ch (39.7 km) in length and,south of Hever,is mostly single track.
Sanderstead railway station is on the Oxted Line in the London Borough of Croydon,1 mile (1.6 km) from Sanderstead village. It is in Travelcard Zone 6,12 miles 23 chains from London Bridge. The station is managed by Southern.
Edenbridge Town railway station is one of two stations serving Edenbridge in Kent,England. The station,and all trains serving it,are operated by Southern,and it is on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted line,25 miles 47 chains from London Bridge.
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.
Buxted railway station is on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted Line in England,serving the village of Buxted,East Sussex. It is 43 miles 68 chains (70.6 km) from London Bridge.
Crowborough railway station is on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted Line in England,serving the town of Crowborough,East Sussex. It is 39 miles 11 chains (63.0 km) from London Bridge.
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.
Ashurst railway station is on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted line in southern England and serves Ashurst in Kent. It is 32 miles 8 chains from London Bridge. The station is managed by Southern.
Hurst Green railway station is on the Oxted line in southern England and serves the Hurst Green neighbourhood of Oxted in Surrey. It is 21 miles 20 chains from London Bridge. The station is managed by Southern.
Oxted railway station is on the Oxted line in southern England,serving the commuter town of Oxted,Surrey. It is 20 miles 25 chains from London Bridge. The station is managed by Southern who operate the majority of train services with a few peak services operated by Thameslink.
Lingfield railway station is on the East Grinstead branch of the Oxted line in southern England and serves Lingfield in Surrey. It is 26 miles 23 chains from London Bridge,although off peak trains run to and from London Victoria. The station is managed by Southern.
Dormans railway station is on the East Grinstead branch of the Oxted line in southern England. It serves Dormansland and Dormans Park in Surrey. Most trains run between London Victoria and East Grinstead and are operated by Southern. Thameslink trains call at peak times on weekdays.
East Grinstead railway station is one of the two southern termini of the Oxted line in the south of England and serves East Grinstead in West Sussex. It is 30 miles 4 chains from London Bridge,although trains mostly run to and from London Victoria. 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.
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 Three Bridges–Tunbridge Wells line is a mostly disused railway line running from Three Bridges in West Sussex to Tunbridge Wells Central in Kent via East Grinstead in West Sussex,a distance of 20 miles 74 chains (33.7 km). Opened in 1855,the main section of the line was a casualty of the Beeching Axe –the last train ran on 1 January 1967. The remaining section to Tunbridge Wells closed on 6 July 1985,although the section between Groombridge and Tunbridge Wells West was reopened in 1997 under the auspices of the Spa Valley Railway.
The Wealden Line is a partly abandoned double track railway line in East Sussex and Kent that connected Lewes with Tunbridge Wells,a distance of 25.25 miles (40.64 km). The line takes its name from the Weald,the hilly landscape the lies between the North and South Downs.