Horsham railway station

Horsham railway station serves the town of Horsham in West Sussex, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line 38 miles (61 km) south of London Victoria and the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines, and train services are provided by Southern. Services on the Sutton & Mole Valley Line from London Victoria, Sutton & Dorking terminate at Horsham.

Horsham also served by a half hourly service from London Victoria to Southampton Central or Portsmouth Harbour (alternating) and Bognor Regis. These trains usually divide at Horsham with the front (Southampton/Portsmouth) portion travelling non-stop to Barnham, and the rear (Bognor Regis) half providing stopping services along the Arun Valley.

History
Horsham would have been an important midway point in two of the original proposals for a London to Brighton railway via the Adur valley but in the event Sir John Rennie's proposed direct line through Three Bridges and Haywards Heath was given Parliamentary approval. As a result, the original Horsham station was the terminus of a single track branch line from Three Bridges opened by the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) in February 1848.

Between 1859 and 1867 the station was enlarged on several occasions to coincide with the doubling of the branch line from Three Bridges; the extension of the railway from Horsham along the Arun Valley Line; the opening of new lines from Horsham to Shoreham via Steyning and from West Horsham to Guildford. Finally, in 1867 a new route to Dorking, Leatherhead and thence to London, was opened. The station was again partially rebuilt and resignalled, with three signal boxes, in 1875.

The present station was built by the Southern Railway in the International Modern Style in 1938 to coincide with the electrification of the line. The building is grade II listed, see external links below.

In September 2011 the station frontage was closed to undergo extensive refurbishment work to the main ticket hall. It reopened late in 2012 with a new side entrance, internal lift access, relocated barriers and stairway, a new ticket office, and new information screens. The platforms received a rebuild of the roofing and refurbished waiting rooms. Previously, the building was shared with a business, who vacated in order to give the floor space needed to create the new features and new ceiling and lights and so completing a complete reconfiguration of the layout.

Services
Off-peak frequencies on Mondays to Fridays: (As of Feb 2009)
 * 2 trains per hour to London Victoria via Gatwick Airport and East Croydon
 * 1 train per hour to London Victoria via Dorking, Epsom and Sutton
 * 2 trains per hour to London Bridge via Gatwick Airport and East Croydon
 * 1 train per hour to Southampton Central, running fast to Barnham
 * 1 train per hour to Portsmouth Harbour, running fast to Barnham
 * 2 trains per hour to Bognor Regis, 1 stopping at all stations and 1 running semi-fast to Barnham.

From 10/12/2007, the service towards Portsmouth Harbour/Southampton Central and Bognor Regis now divides at this station and attaches here towards London Victoria via Gatwick Airport and East Croydon during off-peak hours, as part of the new West Coastway timetable.

Facilities

 * Booking Hall
 * Ticket Office (3 windows)
 * Quick Ticket
 * Automatic Ticket Gates
 * Newsagents - closed due to station refurbishment
 * Hairdressers - relocated to Station Road/New Street due to station refurbishment
 * Solo Cafe
 * Photo Booth
 * Telephone
 * Cash Machine
 * Waiting Room (x2)
 * Stairs
 * Lifts
 * Subway (linking platforms)
 * Taxi Rank
 * Bicycle storage - new 2 tier racks installed to rear of station in September 2011
 * Car Park

Motive Power Depot
A small wooden motive power depot was built at the station in 1876. This was replaced by a brick-built ten-road semi-roundhouse together with a 46 ft (14 metre) turntable in 1896. This in turn was extended with a further eight-roads in 1900. In 1927 the Southern Railway installed a 55 ft (16.8 metre) turntable. This depot was closed in 1964.

Signalbox
Nearby is the type 13 signal box dating from 1938, which is also Grade II listed. It closed in 2005 when its controls were transferred to Three Bridges Panel signal Box.

Future
Horsham has been listed as a possible terminus for Thameslink when the Thameslink Programme is complete. The initial proposal is for two trains an hour from Horsham to Cambridge.