Uckfield railway station
Encyclopedia
Uckfield railway station serves Uckfield
in East Sussex
, England
. Train services from the station are provided by Southern
, and the station is the terminus for the Uckfield branch of the Oxted Line
.
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The present Uckfield station opened in 1991 replacing the original structure which was sited 50 metres to the south. With the closure of the line south to Lewes
(where a junction allowed trains to continue on to Eastbourne
or Brighton
), the original station found itself stranded on the wrong side of a level crossing
on the High Street which created traffic congestion whenever a train was arriving or departing from the station. The decision was therefore made to close the original station (which had been opened in 1868) and to open a new station on the other side of the road. The original station was demolished on 9 December 2000 after it had been damaged first by flooding and then by vandals.
A campaign to re-open the line south of Uckfield through to Lewes, known as the Wealden Line
, has been ongoing since 1986 and has attracted cross-party support. In 2008 the "Wealdenlink" presentation was published which gave new impetus to the campaign for reinstatement. On 23 July 2008 the Central Rail Corridor Board (a joint group of local councils and stakeholders) commissioned study by Network Rail
reported that there was not an economic case for reopening, citing a £141 million cost and an allegedly low "benefit-cost ratio
" of 0.64 to 0.79 when a figure of 1.5 is the minimum required by the Department for Transport
to make a scheme viable.
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". The new building was built to Network Rail's modular
, pre-fabricated design used at and . The components for Uckfield's new station building - consisting of a ticket office, public toilet, staff accommodation, ticket hall and café - were manufactured by Britspace in Yorkshire
and installed by contractors Bryen & Langley. The new building, which cost £750,000, was opened for passenger use on 16 March 2010.
Whereas the neighbouring East Grinstead
line has electric trains, the Uckfield line is run only by diesel trains. It has been proposed many times that the line be electrified, but this is considered too expensive. Rail usage figures published in March 2010 show that journeys from the station have increased by 179% in five years.
has taken over the service, it has been extended and passenger numbers have risen. In December 2010 a new later evening service from London Bridge (around 11pm) was introduced allowing passengers for the first time in recent years to travel home from London after an evening out.
Uckfield
-Development:The local Tesco has proposed the redevelopment of the central town area as has the town council. The Hub has recently been completed, having been acquired for an unknown figure, presumed to be about half a million pounds...
in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Train services from the station are provided by Southern
Southern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
, and the station is the terminus for the Uckfield branch of the Oxted Line
Oxted Line
The Oxted Line is a railway line in southern England. It was originally operated jointly by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and the South Eastern Railway. It is now part of the Southern franchise....
.
History
Lewes railway station
Lewes railway station serves the town of Lewes in East Sussex, England. It has five platforms and is on the East Coastway Line. Train services are provided by Southern.The station has a café and a newsagent, and there is a taxi office on the main forecourt...
(where a junction allowed trains to continue on to Eastbourne
Eastbourne railway station
Eastbourne railway station serves Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. It is one of two railway stations in the town, the other being Hampden Park Station...
or Brighton
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
), the original station found itself stranded on the wrong side of a level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
on the High Street which created traffic congestion whenever a train was arriving or departing from the station. The decision was therefore made to close the original station (which had been opened in 1868) and to open a new station on the other side of the road. The original station was demolished on 9 December 2000 after it had been damaged first by flooding and then by vandals.
A campaign to re-open the line south of Uckfield through to Lewes, known as the Wealden Line
Wealden Line
Taking its name from its route through the chalk hills of the North and South Downs of the Weald, England, 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 ....
, has been ongoing since 1986 and has attracted cross-party support. In 2008 the "Wealdenlink" presentation was published which gave new impetus to the campaign for reinstatement. On 23 July 2008 the Central Rail Corridor Board (a joint group of local councils and stakeholders) commissioned study by Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
reported that there was not an economic case for reopening, citing a £141 million cost and an allegedly low "benefit-cost ratio
Benefit-cost ratio
A benefit-cost ratio is an indicator, used in the formal discipline of cost-benefit analysis, that attempts to summarize the overall value for money of a project or proposal. A BCR is the ratio of the benefits of a project or proposal, expressed in monetary terms, relative to its costs, also...
" of 0.64 to 0.79 when a figure of 1.5 is the minimum required by the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
to make a scheme viable.
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". The new building was built to Network Rail's modular
Modular design
Modular design, or "modularity in design" is an approach that subdivides a system into smaller parts that can be independently created and then used in different systems to drive multiple functionalities...
, pre-fabricated design used at and . The components for Uckfield's new station building - consisting of a ticket office, public toilet, staff accommodation, ticket hall and café - were manufactured by Britspace in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and installed by contractors Bryen & Langley. The new building, which cost £750,000, was opened for passenger use on 16 March 2010.
Whereas the neighbouring East Grinstead
East Grinstead railway station
East Grinstead railway station serves the town of East Grinstead in West Sussex. The station was formerly divided into two levels: the higher level platforms serving the Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line, whilst the lower level platforms received services from the Oxted Line 49 km ...
line has electric trains, the Uckfield line is run only by diesel trains. It has been proposed many times that the line be electrified, but this is considered too expensive. Rail usage figures published in March 2010 show that journeys from the station have increased by 179% in five years.
Services
The typical off-peak service is one train per hour to , calling at , , , Ashurst (Kent), , , , , and . 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 (with an interchange with East Grinstead line services), but since SouthernSouthern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
has taken over the service, it has been extended and passenger numbers have risen. In December 2010 a new later evening service from London Bridge (around 11pm) was introduced allowing passengers for the first time in recent years to travel home from London after an evening out.