thumb|right|275px|Northward view of the platforms in 1961

thumb|right|275px|Northward view of the platforms in 2007

thumb|right|275px|The side entrance to the station which leads directly onto northbound platform 1

Burgess Hill railway station is on the Brighton Main Line, serving the town of Burgess Hill, West Sussex. It is down the line from via and is situated between and on the main line. Train services are provided by Southern and Thameslink.

History

The first station at Burgess Hill was opened on 21 September 1841 by the London and Brighton Railway (L&BR), at the time of the completion of the route to Brighton. The original facilities were all in the small wooden hut (which still stands as a refurbished waiting room on platform 1) and wooden platforms set beside the main line. The L&BR became the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) in 1846 and a track plan of the station dating from 1874 shows that by then several sidings and a signal box had been constructed at the station.

The present station building dates from 1877 and is typical of LB&SCR stations of the period.

Layout and facilities

The station has a typical double-track layout, with two side platforms each long enough to hold a 12-car train. Both platforms are signalled bidirectionally, but in normal service platform 1 is used by northbound services towards London (and beyond to Bedford and Cambridge), while platform 2 is for southbound trains to Brighton and Littlehampton.

In May 2021, both platforms were repaved and yellow tactile paving was installed near the platform edge.

Services

Off-peak, services at Burgess Hill are operated by Southern and Thameslink using and EMUs.

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

  • 2 tph to via
  • 2 tph to via London Bridge
  • 2 tph to
  • 4 tph to (2 of these run non-stop and 2 call at all stations)
  • 2 tph to via

In addition, the station is served by a number of peak hour Gatwick Express services which usually pass through Burgess Hill. These services run non-stop from to London Victoria and are operated using EMUs.

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File:Burgess Hill Station 04.JPG|Main street-level building on Station Road, housing the ticket office and newsagent

File:Burgess Hill Station 02.JPG|An original 1841 building (formerly a parcels store) on Platform 1

File:Burgess Hill station looking southbound to Hassocks.jpg|View from platform 2 (southbound) looking towards Hassocks.

File:Burgess Hill station Class 700 at P1.jpg|Thameslink Class 700155 with a rainbow livery to celebrate gay pride.

File:Burgess Hill station Class 700 approaching from Hassocks to Platform 1.jpg|Southward view from Platform 1, with a Thameslink Class 700 approaching from Hassocks.

File:Burgess Hill station Platform 1 with social distancing sticker on ground.jpg|An outdoor vinyl sticker promoting social distancing on platform 1.

File:Burgess Hill station renovations informations board.jpg|Public noticeboard documenting the station renovations.

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References