Brighton line alternatives

There is no doubt that the double-track section of line from Brighton to Three Bridges is an operational problem. A number of expensive alternatives have been suggested.

Sadly, the line from Shoreham to Horsham via Christ’s Hospital was closed in the 1960s. At one time, I commuted to London each day from Partridge Green. Apart from West Grinstead and possibly Bramber, all the stations were right in the middle of the communities they served. The line was doubletrack throughout and in good condition. Local rumour had it that it would have been on the list for electrification had war not broken out in 1939.

It would be difficult to reinstate this long-closed line, but the communities at Steyning, Henfield, Partridge Green and Southwater have expanded enormously in recent years (more so than those along the Arun valley to Arundel and Ford).

However, nothing is impossible, and the reinstatement of this line in some form or another would provide a very useful alternative to the Brighton Main Line, with through electric trains running from (perhaps) Hove to Three Bridges and on to London, as well as serving these rapidly expanding communities in the Adur Valley.

A greatly expanded Park and Ride facility at Christ’s Hospital could provide a useful railhead for Southwater, which (like Steyning) has now lost its centrally located station area to redevelopment, and has more than doubled its population in recent years. Brian Goldsmith, Hampshire