Arun Valley Line
| Arun Valley Line |
| Principal stations (from north to south)
(Brighton Main Line) |
The Arun Valley Line is part of the Southern-operated British 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 (where there is a junction with trains operating the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines) and Arundel before meeting the West Coastway Line at Arundel Junction. Trains on the Arun Valley Line then proceed to Portsmouth.
The line is electrified at 750v DC (third rail).
Contents
History of the route
- Three Bridges - Horsham: this first part of the route was opened by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway on 14 February 1848. The stations now at Ifield and Littlehaven were not opened with the line, both being opened on 1 June 1907: Ifield as Lyons Crossing Halt and Littlehaven as Rusper Road Halt; both serving the outskirts of their nearby towns.
- Horsham - Petworth (on the now-closed line to Midhurst): the section opened on 10 October 1859.
- Horsham - Shoreham by Sea (another line now closed): this was the first link to the coast route opened on 16 September 1861, by a line from Itchingfield Junction south of Horsham.
- The line now used by the Arun Valley Line services, from what was Hardham Junction south of Pulborough, to Arundel Junction on the coast line was finally opened on 3 August 1863, creating what was then known as Mid-Sussex route serving Portsmouth.
Services today
There are currently two trains per hour on the route off-peak:
- one stopping train, with a portion for Bognor Regis and a connection to Littlehampton
- one semi-fast train terminating at Chichester, with a connection to Bognor Regis.
Typical off-peak journey times from London Victoria
(via Redhill and Gatwick Airport)
Based on December 2006 timetable.
Stations in italics are served by through trains but are not part of the Arun Valley Line.
| Destination | Frequency | Stopping serivce | Semi-fast service | Change for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clapham Junction | 2 tph | 6 minutes | 6 minutes | Wimbledon, Woking, Guildford, Reading |
| East Croydon | 2 tph | 16 minutes | 16 minutes | Croydon Tramlink, London Bridge, Caterham, Tattenham Corner |
| Redhill | 2 tph | 29 minutes | 29 minutes | Reigate, Guildford, Edenbridge, Tonbridge |
| Gatwick Airport | 2 tph | 39 minutes | 37 minutes | |
| Three Bridges | 2 tph | 44 minutes | 42 minutes | Haywards Heath, Brighton, Eastbourne, Worthing |
| Crawley | 2 tph | 47 minutes | 45 minutes | |
| Horsham | 2 tph | 56 minutes | 54 minutes | Dorking, Leatherhead, Epsom, Sutton |
| Christs Hospital | 1 tph | 1 hour | ||
| Billingshurst | 2 tph | 1 hour 6 minutes | 1 hour 2 minutes | |
| Pulborough | 2 tph | 1 hour 13 minutes | 1 hour 8 minutes | |
| Amberley | 1 tph | 1 hour 20 minutes | ||
| Arundel | 2 tph | 1 hour 25 minutes | 1 hour 17 minutes | |
| Ford | 1 tph | 1 hour 30 minutes | Littlehampton, Worthing, Brighton | |
| Barnham | 2 tph | 1 hour 34 minutes | 1 hour 28 minutes | Bognor Regis, and also Littlehampton, Worthing, Brighton (Ford has reduced service) |
| Chichester | 2 tph | 1 hour 46 minutes | 1 hour 36 minutes | Havant, Portsmouth Harbour, Southampton Central |
Typical off-peak journey times from London Bridge
(via Redhill and Gatwick Airport)
Based on December 2006 timetable.
Stations in italics are served by through trains but are not part of the Arun Valley Line.
There are two trains per hour on this route. Some stations between London Bridge and Gatwick Airport have been omitted. Faygate is served during peak hours only.
| Destination | Off-peak journey time | Change for |
|---|---|---|
| East Croydon | 16 minutes | Croydon Tramlink, London Victoria, Caterham, Tattenham Corner |
| Redhill | 36 minutes | Reigate, Guildford, Edenbridge, Tonbridge |
| Gatwick Airport | 50 minutes | |
| Three Bridges | 56 minutes | Haywards Heath, Brighton, Eastbourne, Worthing |
| Crawley | 1 hour | |
| Ifield | 1 hour 3 minutes | |
| Littlehaven | 1 hour 9 minutes | |
| Horsham | 1 hour 14 minutes | Dorking, Leatherhead, Epsom, Sutton |
External links
- Map showing Arun Valley Line route
- Interactive map of Arun Valley Line stations, bus links and things to do
