The history of Brighton's lost railways uncovered

While many commuters are used to the three main lines going out of Brighton - the city was once much better connected with tracks criss-crossing the city from Kemp Town to Devil's Dyke.

Computer graphics have overlaid the route these tracks would have taken on satellite images from the present day.

Brighton was a railway powerhouse in the 1800 and 1900s, home to the railway works which made more than 1,200 steam engines and carriages - now where the modern housing development is along Stroudley Road and Kingscote Way.

Once the railway works closed in 1957, tens of thousands of Isetta bubble cars were manufactured at the site until 1964.

The area behind Brighton Station before the new development was built

1840 - Present West Coastway Line

Constructed by the London and Brighton Railway and opened in 1840, the West Coastway was the first railway line to open in the area ahead of the completion of the London to Brighton line in 1841.

Initially running as far as Shoreham, the line remained this way until 1845 offering 7 services per day in both directions.

The Brighton and Chichester Railway opened the Worthing extension for passenger traffic on November 24, 1845, closely followed by an extension to Chichester in 1846.

Following the formation of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway in the same year – a merger between five smaller railways in the area - rapid development and extension of the line took place.

By late 1948, trains were able to run as far as Eastleigh, near Southampton, from Brighton.

Lancing station in 1967

The line is still used to this day, with dozens of services running between between Brighton, Southampton, and Portsmouth each day.

Until May 15 2022, Great Western Railway ran a twice-daily service from Brighton to Bristol.

An old view of Brighton Station before the main canopy was built

1841 – Present Brighton Main Line

One of the busiest commuter routes in the country has an extensive history to go along with it. 

The coastal resort of Brighton has long been a desirable destination for Londoners looking for a break from the bustle of the capital. The seaside air was said to provide a holistic treatment to many illnesses and ailments.

Early proposals for the railway line were drafted in the early 1800s, with surveys commencing to investigate the viability of the route.

In July 1837, construction was approved for a line between Norwood in South London and Brighton, with branches to both Shoreham and Lewes, the former opening in advance of the main line.

More than 6,000 workers were involved in the making of the route - digging cuttings, boring tunnels, and constructing viaducts.

Delays in construction between Haywards Heath and Brighton resulted in a staggered opening, with the line between Norwood and Haywards Heath opening two months before the remaining portion towards Brighton in September 1841. This allowed for direct services between London Bridge station and Brighton.

Brighton Station in the 1900s

Since the initial opening, routes to Victoria and beyond have opened.

Southern, Gatwick Express and Thameslink, Under the GTR franchise, operate a comprehensive timetable of services along the Brighton mainline between major airports, cities and towns.

Between 1988 and 2002, passengers could board the Sussex Scot service at Brighton in the morning and arrive in Glasgow that same evening.

Outside of the capital, Brighton is the seventh-busiest station in the country. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, around 17 million passengers used the terminus each year.

The station building at Brighton, despite more recent additions, still retains some of the original design. Looking at the station from a distance down Queen’s Road, the station clock and top floor can be spotted.

Read more: How Brighton Railway Station has evolved since its creation

The Pullman Carriage works in 1950

1846 – Present East Coastway Line

Crossing over the imposing 10-million brick London Road Viaduct, and passing by Brighton’s universities, the East Coastway Line connects the city with other seaside towns and resorts such as Eastbourne, Hastings, and Bexhill.

It plays an important role for tens of thousands of football fans visiting the Amex Stadium in Falmer for the club's Premier League games.

Proposals for a route between Brighton and Lewes were put forward in 1844, with approval for construction that same year.

By June 1846 this line was open for passenger use. Shortly after, the track to Hastings via Polegate was laid.

In line with most routes in the South East, tracks were electrified with 750 volts DC third rail in 1935; allowing electric multiple unit trains to utilise the route as far as Ore.

1887 – 1939 Devil’s Dyke Railway

Unbeknownst to many walking between Devil’s Dyke and Hangleton, the route takes hikers along the embankment of a former railway line.

In the late 1800s, the Dyke was a popular destination for residents and visitors alike, boasting a zoo, cable car and observatory among other attractions.

There was demand for a railway line to connect the city to the Victorian entertainment, and so the Brighton and Dyke Railway was formed.

A postcard of Dyke Railway Station

Branching off from the West Coastway Line where the current Aldrington Station sits, the 20-minute route climbed its way up to the Dyke; an incline of more than 400ft. Alongside passenger services, the locomotives carried coal, food and hay between the town and the summit.

Despite the popularity of the attraction, the line was not earning enough money to stay open, and closed shortly after its 50th anniversary. 

The Dyke Railway Trail between Hangleton and the South Downs follows the route of the old line, which is still very well defined from above.

The platform is now hidden behind trees at Devil's Dyke Farm.

A train running near the Dyke

1869 - 1971 Kemp Town Branch

On the second of August 1869, the first trains made the 1 mile and 32 chain (1.4mi) route to Kemp Town Railway Station, after three years of construction.

The route carved through suburban Brighton en route to the up-and-coming affluent district of Kemp Town, tunnelling under the Race Hill and towering over Lewes Road.

However, the branch line’s success was short lived.

The sculpture at Buzz Bingo (Image: Google)

The same journey made by road was quicker, with the competing and more convenient Brighton Corporation Tramway taking a large portion of the route’s passengers in the early 1900s. The last passenger service left Kemp Town on New Year’s Eve in 1932.

Over the course of the route’s 63-year long passenger history, intermediary stations were built at Lewes Road and Hartington Road, with the latter closing only 5 years after opening in 1906.

The final passenger train heading through the tunnel, by Derek Seamer

The branch remained open for freight operations until June 1971, marking the end of the line for the century long history of railway in Kemp Town. In this time, the line was used for storing electric-multiple-units overnight in the Second World War, transporting coal from the Kemp Town coal yard among other goods.

Motivations behind the railway’s construction are unclear, with some controversially suggesting that the proposals for the line were initially to prevent the London, Chatham and Dover railway from acting upon suggestions to open a line between Beckenham in London and Kemp Town, Brighton.

Modern day evidence of the former line are few and far between, with much of the route either filled in; built upon or built-in, in the case of the Kemptown Tunnel.

On the site of the former Kemp Town railway station now sits Freshfield Business Park, with the south tunnel portal now including self-storage units. A sculpture on the south-west corner of the Buzz Bingo hall at the park commemorates the railway line.