History of Sussex Railways

The first railway to penetrate Sussex was the Brighton Line of the LBSCR. From this beginning, lines spread out along the coast. Over the succeeding years, further lines stretched across the rest of the county, all built by the Brighton, which was by far the dominant railway company in the area and established a major works at Brighton.

The company, however, didn’t have it all its own way. In the south-west corner, the LSWR penetrated as far as Midhurst, and in the east, the SECR had the fastest route to Hastings. Branching off this line at Robertsbridge was the Kent & East Sussex.

There were also two of Colonel Stephens’ rather idiosyncratic railways in the county: The Rye & Camber Tramway, and The West Sussex Railway. The story of the growth and development of the railways of Sussex, and in some cases their demise, is told here.