Seaford Branch Line
| Seaford Branch Line | |
|---|---|
|
Looking out toward Seaford from Newhaven Harbour Station | |
| Overview | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| System | National Rail |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale |
East Sussex, South East England |
| Termini |
Southerham Junction Seaford |
| Stations | 5 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1864 |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Operator(s) | Southern |
| Rolling stock |
Class 313 Class 377 "Electrostar" |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 7.66 miles |
| No. of tracks | two / one |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 750 V DC Third rail |
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The Seaford Branch Line is a rural railway line in East Sussex constructed in 1864 primarily to serve the port of Newhaven and the town of Seaford. It now sees fairly regular trains across the line except for the Newhaven Marine branch.
Route
Engineered by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway's Chief Engineer Frederick Banister,[1] the line starts at Lewes and runs to Southerham Junction where it diverges from the main East Coastway Line to Eastbourne and Hastings. It then continues down the Ouse Valley past Southease to Newhaven. Beyond Newhaven Harbour station the line reduces to a single track and continues through Bishopstone to Seaford. A short 16-chain (1,100 ft; 320 m) spur connects Newhaven Harbour to Newhaven Marine station.
Places served
The line serves the towns and villages of Southease, Newhaven, Bishopstone, and Seaford. The active and inactive stations on the line are Southease, Newhaven Town, Newhaven Harbour, Newhaven Marine, Bishopstone Beach Halt, Bishopstone and Seaford.
Line Alteration
The line was electrified (750 V DC third rail) by the Southern Railway in 1935. The line between Newhaven Harbour and Seaford was reduced to single track in 1975.
Train services
Train services are operated by Southern.
Passenger volume
Comparing the number of passengers in year beginning April 2002 to the year beginning April 2010, Southease has increased by 96%, Newhaven Town by 45%, Bishopstone by 58% and Seaford by 56%. Newhaven Harbour has declined by 51%.[2]
| Station usage | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station Name | 2002–03 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 |
| Southease | 6,225 | 7,093 | 7,245 | 8,527 | 8,855 | 8,442 | 9,994 | 12,228 | |||
| Newhaven Town | 216,136 | 232,450 | 234,952 | 261,348 | 302,576 | 302,526 | 308,682 | 313,082 | |||
| Newhaven Harbour | 92,947 | 103,572 | 91,875 | 59,780 | 52,730 | 48,214 | 40,446 | 45,644 | |||
| Bishopstone | 19,282 | 17,128 | 18,099 | 24,041 | 27,542 | 28,784 | 29,632 | 30,432 | |||
| Seaford (East Sussex) | 493,247 | 596,021 | 630,624 | 697,956 | 769,510 | 797,008 | 765,776 | 769,870 | |||
| The annual passenger usage is based on sales of tickets in stated financial years from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. The statistics are for passengers arriving and departing from each station and cover twelve month periods that start in April. Please note that methodology may vary year on year. | |||||||||||
References
- ↑ "Federick Dale Banister". GracesGuide.co.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ↑ "Station Usage". Rail Statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
