Govia Thameslink Railway Great Western Railway London Overground
Depot(s)
Stewarts Lane, Selhurst, Brighton
Rolling stock
Class 165 "Turbo" Class 166 "Turbo Express" Class 171 "Turbostar" Class 377 "Electrostar" Class 378 "Capitalstar" Class 387 "Electrostar" Class 700 "Desiro City"
History
Opened
1839-1862
Technical
Number of tracks
2-5
Track gauge
4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification
750 V DC third rail
Operating speed
Max. 90 mph (140 km/h)
Route map
The Brighton Main Line is a railway line in southern England linking London to Brighton. It starts at two termini in the capital, London Victoria and London Bridge, and the branches from each meet at East Croydon, from where the route continues southwards via Gatwick Airport to the coast. The line serves the suburbs of South London as well as the towns of Redhill, Horley, Crawley, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill.
The distance from the London termini to Brighton is around 50 mi (80 km) and the fastest end-to-end journey time is about an hour. A variety of passenger services operates on the line including limited-stop airport expresses, semi-fast regional and outer-suburban trains, and shorter-distance commuter services. Four different train operating companies (Southern, Thameslink, London Overground and Great Western Railway) run services on the route.
The first part of the Brighton Main Line to be built was the section from London Bridge to Croydon, which was opened by the London and Croydon Railway (L&CR) in 1839. Two years later, a separate company, the London and Brighton Railway (L&BR), extended the line to the south coast. In 1846, the L&CR and the L&BR merged to form the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR), which began to run trains to London Victoria via the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway in 1848. The Brighton Main Line was completed in December 1862 when the LB&SCR opened the direct route between Croydon and Victoria via Thornton Heath.
The Brighton Main Line is electrified using the 750 V DC third-rail system and the majority of the route has four tracks. There are seven tunnels, including two on the Quarry Line, which allows express services to bypass the junction at Redhill station. The most serious accident on the Brighton Main Line occurred in October 1947, when two trains collided in fog near South Croydon station killing 32 people. The listed structures on the route include the Ouse Valley Viaduct, the north portal of Clayton Tunnel and all three termini.
and 26 Related for: Brighton Main Line information
BrightonLine can refer to: BMT BrightonLine, a rapid transit line of the New York City Subway BrightonMainLine, a railway line between London and Brighton...
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and the South Eastern Railway in the late 19th century. The line branches from the London to BrightonMainLine (which...
point most of the line is double track. A couple of miles from the Waterloo terminus, the line runs briefly alongside the BrightonMainLine west branch out...
990 million in 2021–22 and 1,739 million in 2019–20. The opening of the Elizabeth line during 2022 increased passenger numbers at several stations and caused new...
Brighton railway station is the southern terminus of the BrightonMainLine, the western terminus of the East Coastway Line and the eastern terminus of...
Eastern MainLine services at New Cross and BrightonMainLine services at New Cross Gate. Underground connections were at Canada Water (Jubilee line) and...
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...
the original route is over the BrightonMainLine (via London Bridge) and the southern part of the Midland MainLine, plus a suburban true loop (circuit)...
The Chatham MainLine is a railway line in England that links London Victoria and Dover Priory / Ramsgate, travelling via Medway (of which the town of...
Ouse Valley Viaduct (or the Balcombe Viaduct) carries the London-Brighton Railway Line over the River Ouse in Sussex. It is located to the north of Haywards...
station is on the BrightonMainLine in West Sussex, England. It serves Gatwick Airport, 26 miles 47 chains (42.8 km) down the line from London Bridge...
point where the Arun Valley Line diverges from the BrightonMainLine and Thameslink, 29 miles 21 chains (47.1 km) down the line from London Bridge via Redhill...
Waterloo, the BrightonMainLine to access London Victoria and the BrightonMainLine (via Norwood Junction) or the South London Line (via South Bermondsey)...
line from Brighton to Hastings via Lewes was obtained by the Brighton, Uckfield & Tunbridge Wells Railway in 1844, sponsored by the London, Brighton and...
The West Coastway line is a railway line in England linking the conurbations of Brighton/Hove/Littlehampton and Southampton/Portsmouth, with 1.3 million...
Junction on the BrightonMainLine route into London Victoria to Beckenham Junction, via Streatham Hill and Crystal Palace. The line has a junction with...
Littlehampton) and the BrightonMainLine. The Waterloo to Reading Line calls at Virginia Water, Egham, and Staines in Surrey. The South West MainLine calls at Woking...
The Portsmouth line is a secondary mainline originally built by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and the London and South Western Railway...
at Merstham. The SER mainline diverged from the London and Brighton'sline at Reigate Junction, which the London and Brighton opened to traffic on 12...
station is on the BrightonMainLine, serving the town of Burgess Hill, West Sussex. It is 41 miles 39 chains (66.8 km) down the line from London Bridge...
Western MainLine at Reading, the Waterloo-Reading line at Wokingham, the Alton line at Ash, the Portsmouth Direct Line at Guildford and the BrightonMain Line...
railway services. For the initial part of the route trains follow the BrightonMainLine, and at a junction south of Three Bridges the route turns westwards...
Victoria Street, the mainline station is a terminus of the BrightonMainLine to Gatwick Airport and Brighton and the Chatham MainLine to Ramsgate and Dover...
Global Information
