Lingfield
National Rail
General information
LocationLingfield, District of Tandridge
England
Coordinates51°10′34″N 0°00′25″W / 51.176°N 0.007°W / 51.176; -0.007
Grid referenceTQ394438
Managed bySouthern
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeLFD
ClassificationDfT category E
History
Opened10 March 1884
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 0.503 million
2019/20Increase 0.508 million
2020/21Decrease 0.128 million
2021/22Increase 0.318 million
2022/23Increase 0.353 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road
A 1910 Railway Clearing House map of lines around Lingfield railway station.
Lingfield railway station in LBSCR days circa 1910 (Frith postcard)

Lingfield railway station is on the East Grinstead branch of the Oxted line in southern England and serves Lingfield in Surrey. It is 26 miles 23 chains (26.29 miles, 42.31 km) from London Bridge, although off peak trains run to and from London Victoria. The station is managed by Southern.

The station adjoins Lingfield Park Racecourse.

History

The opening of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway's (LBSCR) Oxted Line in 1884 brought the railway to the small agricultural parish of Lingfield which, like its neighbour Dormansland, had been earmarked for residential development. The area was also to be the location of a new racecourse which was to open in 1890. Lingfield originally had only limited facilities to accommodate passengers and freight, and struggled to deal with the crowds which attended the race meetings. A goods shed and loading dock were added in May 1884, and in 1894 the down platform became an island and the loading dock was extended to become a departure platform for race specials. The LBSCR obtained authorisation to construct a line directly to the racecourse in 1898, but these plans never materialised.[1]

Goods traffic was at a peak during the interwar period, when the sidings saw a variety of interesting traffic. Horseboxes and cattle wagons were numerous, and during the war, it was a stabling point for an emergency tank train. A large banana ripening shed was opened in the late 1950s and this received supplies direct from Avonmouth Docks. This closed on 1 October 1971 as bananas were now containerised and transported by road. Race traffic has also decreased and the track layout was progressively simplified, leaving the remaining traffic to be dealt with by strengthening ordinary services. Further modifications were carried out in 1972 when the station was "modernised" by demolishing the goods shed and removing the down platform canopy. However, the main buildings, together with the adjoining stationmaster's house, have survived as good examples of an LBSCR country station.[1][2]

Services

Off-peak, all services at Lingfield are operated by Southern using Class 377 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[3]

During the peak hours and on weekends, the service is increased to 2 tph in each direction.

During the peak hours, there are also Thameslink operated services between East Grinstead, London Bridge and Bedford. These services are operated using Class 700 EMUs.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Southern
East Grinstead Branch
Thameslink
Peak Hours Only

References

  1. 1 2 Pryer, G.A.; Bowring, G.J. (1980). An Historical Survey of Selected Southern Stations: Volume One. Oxford: Oxford Publishing Company. p. 79. ISBN 0-86093-016-5.
  2. ↑ British History Online
  3. ↑ Table 182 National Rail timetable, May 2022
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