56-619: The Arun Valley line , also known as the Mid Sussex line , is part of the Southern - and Thameslink -operated railway services. For the initial part of the route trains follow the Brighton Main Line , and at a junction south of Three Bridges the route turns westwards. It then runs via Crawley , Horsham (where there is a junction with the Portsmouth Line ) and Arundel , before meeting
112-514: A change of train at Barnham. Currently, there are no regular direct trains to Littlehampton . However, Southern will reintroduce a regular peak hour service between London Bridge and Bognor Regis via Littlehampton service in December 2024, providing a daily direct service to Littlehampton from Arundel. All services at Arundel are operated by Southern using Class 377 EMUs . The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is: On Sundays, there
168-515: A new suburban metro service. However, the plan was rejected by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling in December 2016. In January 2017, it was reported that the Department for Transport was considering temporarily renationalising the franchise if the service did not improve. Arundel railway station Arundel railway station serves the market town of Arundel in West Sussex . The station
224-664: Is disruption and then a section from Portsmouth Harbour arrives. Once the train has attached it runs semi fast to London Victoria via the Horsham Branch Line (Horsham to Three Bridges) and the fast Quarry Line . Each of the up services arrive with normally a 10-minute interchange for the Thameslink services to Peterborough via Redhill and London Bridge and the one closest the hour for the Mole Valley service towards London Victoria via Dorking. Based on December 2006 timetable, prior to
280-470: Is maintained at Brighton Lovers Walk and Selhurst depots. The Gatwick Express fleet is maintained at Stewarts Lane . Light maintenance is also carried out at Littlehampton for the electric fleet, and St Leonards for the class 171 fleet when on Marshlink services. Southern, as part of its successful bid for the South Central franchise in 2009, made several commitments to improving services across
336-615: Is on the eastern side of the town, about 550 yards (500 m) from the High Street, across the River Arun . It is 58 miles 28 chains (93.9 km) down the line from London Bridge via Redhill . The station is situated on the A27 and is the transport hub for many settlements in the Arun District area , including Angmering and Wick , for passengers joining London-bound services to
392-712: The Mid-Sussex railways , it became part of the Southern Railway during the Grouping of 1923. The station then passed on to the Southern Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. When Sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Network SouthEast until the Privatisation of British Railways . Until 1978, most trains from Arundel to London were routed via Dorking and Sutton , which
448-627: The West Coastway line at Arundel Junction . Trains on the Arun Valley line then proceed to either Bognor Regis or Portsmouth Harbour . Many stations on this line retain the short platforms which were originally built, not being extended by the Southern Railway when the line was modernised in the 1930s, nor by any subsequent operators. This causes operational difficulties to this day, which require frequent platform and on-train announcements with longer trains, telling passengers they must travel in
504-460: The West London line . For three consecutive years from 2016 to 2018, Southern came last on passenger satisfaction in surveys conducted by the consumer group Which? , scoring low for value for money, reliability, and punctuality in 2018. In 2022, Southern was ranked second-worst on overall passenger satisfaction in a survey conducted by Transport Focus . As part of the wider privatisation of
560-642: The capital and Gatwick Airport . The station is served by the No. 9 Stagecoach bus service that operates between Arundel, Littlehampton , Rustington , and Shoreham ; bus stops are outside the station on the A27. The station can accommodate 12 coach trains and is one of the few stations along the Arun Valley route that does not have coach restriction announcements. Opened by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway as part of
616-513: The coast line via Arundel was finally opened on 3 August 1863 creating a through route to Portsmouth. Originally, the main LB&;SCR route from London to Portsmouth used the Portsmouth line to reach Horsham. However, with the increase in demand at Gatwick Airport , the mainline services were re-routed in 1978 to serve the airport and then travel via Three Bridges. The line was electrified using
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#1732844621704672-570: The 'Metro' area of the South Central franchise. However, such a transfer never took place and the DfT put out the entire franchise for tender. In August 2008, the DfT shortlisted Govia, National Express , NedRail and Stagecoach for the new South Central franchise. In June 2009, the DfT announced that Govia had retained the franchise, to start on 20 September 2009. In March 2012, the Department for Transport announced that Abellio , FirstGroup , Govia , MTR and Stagecoach had been shortlisted for
728-399: The (750 V DC third rail) system by the Southern Railway in 1938 as part of the proposals to electrify the lines from London to Portsmouth. This originally only covered the section from Horsham to Littlehampton and Barnham, as the main line was the line through Dorking and Sutton , as opposed to the line to Three Bridges, but plans were extended to electrify the "branch" as well in
784-504: The Arun Valley line. There are two trains per hour on this route. Some stations between London Bridge and Gatwick Airport have been omitted. Faygate is served during peak hours only. 51°07′01″N 0°09′40″E / 51.117°N 0.161°E / 51.117; 0.161 Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway) Southern is the brand name used by the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) train operating company on
840-1005: The Class 377/6 fleet. In April 2016, Southern commenced a lease for nine three-carriage Class 170s last used by First ScotRail from Eversholt Rail Group . Four (170421–424) moved to Wolverton Works in 2015 and were reconfigured as two two-carriage and two four-carriage Class 171s. The other five (170416–420) remain in Scotland on sub-lease to Abellio ScotRail and were scheduled to move to Southern in 2018. In May 2022, Southern withdrew its Class 455s and received 2 Class 377s from Southeastern. On 7 September 2022, three Class 171s , having been reformed to three-car formations and renumbered to 170422–424, transferred to East Midlands Railway . Brighton Main Line East Coastway line West Coastway line (Brighton to Southampton Central) Former units operated by Southern include: Southern's fleet
896-518: The Coastway lines from May 2010. The Class 313s remained in service until May 2023, when they were withdrawn and replaced by Class 377s. During 2011, Southern announced that, because of delays in procuring new trains for the Thameslink Programme , the 23 Class 377/5s on sub-lease to First Capital Connect would not be returned in time to deliver the operator's planned capacity increases from
952-406: The December 2013 timetable change. It therefore began a process to procure 130 new vehicles. It was announced in December 2011 that Bombardier had been contracted to supply 26 five-car Class 377/6s. In November 2012, it was announced that an option for a further 40 vehicles was being exercised. All twenty-four Class 456s were transferred to South West Trains in 2014 after the introduction of
1008-612: The SSRA announced that Govia had been awarded the franchise and would operate it from May 2003. Govia negotiated a deal with Connex to buy out the remainder of its franchise, this was completed in August 2001. Govia trading as SouthCentral took over operations on 26 August 2001. The franchise was originally to run for twenty years but, in 2002, the Strategic Rail Authority changed the way it handled financing agreements and therefore Govia
1064-594: The South Central Franchise Consultation Paper, be the reopening of the Uckfield – Lewes line, closed in 1969. During the 2010s, several interested parties have been examining the possibility of reopening the line. In January 2016, Transport for London announced a proposal to take over the London suburban parts of the franchise in 2021 through a partnership with the Department for Transport to form
1120-672: The Southern routes of the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise in England. It is a subsidiary of Govia , a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead and Keolis , and has operated the South Central franchise since August 2001 and the Gatwick Express service since June 2008. When the passenger rail franchise was subsumed into GTR, Southern was split from Gatwick Express and
1176-550: The West Coastway line and direct services between Southampton and Brighton on Sundays. In January 2015, Southern hit controversy when it was revealed that the 7.29am Brighton to London Victoria train failed to get in on time on any occasion out of all 240 attempts in 2014. Later in May 2015 it was revealed that Southern had fined passengers for standing in first class on an overcrowded train. Only 20% of Southern trains arrived on time in
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#17328446217041232-464: The conclusion of the Southern franchise in July 2015, the South Central franchise was merged into the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise, which is run as a management contract rather than a traditional franchise. However, the Southern brand was retained. Southern was criticised for major changes to its timetables in December 2007 and December 2008. In December 2007, Southern changed the arrangement for
1288-514: The conductor to concentrate on the passengers, but the RMT and Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) unions said that it was an attempt to make conductors unnecessary and would be unsafe. The rail safety regulator, the Rail Standards and Safety Board has said that "We have 30 years of data which we have analysed. We have found that the driver performing the task does not increase
1344-458: The contract". In 2016, the company introduced an "amended timetable [that] would be a temporary measure until staffing returned to normal" to be announced on 5 July. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) trade union said that 350 services would be cancelled every day (the company ran 2,242 weekday services in the previous timetable). The company said it had insufficient personnel, and too many were taking sick leave ;
1400-469: The correct part of the train. The line was opened in three stages by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) between 1848 and 1863, creating what was then known as Mid-Sussex route to Portsmouth. A single track branch line was opened on 14 February 1848, with passing places at the intermediate stations at Crawley and Faygate . The line was doubled throughout in 1862. The stations now at Ifield and Littlehaven were not opened with
1456-472: The difference in speed and frequency of service between East Coastway services and those on the Brighton Main Line. Further changes to the timetable were made in December 2010; the first timetable change to include many of the requirements of the new franchise. Additional services were included at evenings and weekends. In the London area a 'metro' frequency of service was introduced on most routes with
1512-500: The dispute with ASLEF had been resolved. However, the RMT union said it was 'betrayed' by Southern and that strikes by the RMT would continue. On 29 June 2017, ASLEF implemented an overtime ban with the aim of highlighting a claimed failure by Southern to recruit adequate staff. The standard off-peak service as of June 2024 is: As of May 2022 , Southern services are almost entirely operated by 214 Class 377 electric multiple units, with
1568-508: The exception of services on the unelectrified Marshlink line and the Uckfield branch of the Oxted line , which use Class 171 diesel multiple units. South Central inherited a fleet of Class 205 , Class 207 , Class 319 , Class 421 , Class 423 , Class 455 and Class 456 multiple-unit trains from Connex South Central . Southern inherited a Class 73 locomotive and Class 460 Juniper trains from Gatwick Express . A franchise commitment
1624-500: The extended Gatwick Express services to Brighton, in 2008 Southern leased 17 Class 442 Wessex Electrics withdrawn by South West Trains in early 2007. After retaining the franchise in 2009, Southern leased the remaining seven Class 442s. The last of the Class 460 Junipers were withdrawn in September 2012. To release Class 377/3s for use on London suburban services, Southern introduced a fleet of ex- London Overground Class 313s on
1680-417: The extension of the weekday daytime four-trains-per-hour norm to late evenings (up to around midnight), Saturdays and Sundays. In addition, new late-night services were introduced from London on Friday and Saturday nights with last trains leaving central London at around 00:30. Outside London, a new later-evening service was introduced to Uckfield from London Bridge, new late-night services from Brighton along
1736-452: The government gave a management contract rather than a normal franchise to GTR in order to push through DOO. The management contract meant that GTR did not have the incentive to resolve strikes as a normal franchisee would have, as the government lost money from strikes rather than GTR. On 2 February 2017, the TUC announced that talks between Southern and ASLEF had reached an agreement meaning that
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1792-547: The government had permitted GTR to introduce the emergency timetable, but that it was "nothing to do with staff sickness and everything to do with gross mismanagement of this franchise and the failure to employ enough guards and drivers. ... a cynical and cowardly ploy". The London Evening Standard mentioned Southern in an article in June 2016 "Southern rail suggests commuter goes on 100 mile detour to Clapham instead of her normal six minute journey". In June 2016, amongst criticism of
1848-429: The introduction of the train split at Horsham and the non-stop services Horsham to Barnham. In 2016 most of the off-peak fast services reached Barnham in 80–81 minutes and Chichester in 88; peak-hour services were slightly slower. Stations in italics are served by through trains but are not part of the Arun Valley line. Based on December 2006 timetable. Stations in italics are served by through trains but are not part of
1904-524: The line, The Black Rabbit Bridge (just north of Arundel ) and the Peppering Bridge (a few hundred yards further on) were replaced during the August Bank Holiday weekend of 2009. The line was completely closed to traffic during these major engineering works and a replacement bus service served stations between Arundel and Pulborough . As the two-week Arundel Festival was drawing to a close over
1960-406: The line, both being opened on 1 June 1907: Ifield as Lyons Crossing Halt and Littlehaven as Rusper Road Halt ; both serving the outskirts of their nearby towns. An additional stop was opened at Roffey Road Halt ; however this station was closed in 1937, as the land next to the station had remained undeveloped. The Midhurst Railways line from Horsham to Pulborough , Petworth and Midhurst
2016-413: The network. These included: The franchise consultation paper released at the beginning of the 2009 franchising process stated that the ultimate franchise agreement would include a change mechanism to enable the DfT to incorporate additional routes into the South Central franchise, and it invited bidders to submit priced options for schemes put forward by stakeholders. One such scheme could, as indicated in
2072-699: The new Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise. The Invitation to Tender was to be issued in October 2012, with the successful bidder announced in spring 2013. However, in the wake of the collapse of the InterCity West Coast refranchising process, the government announced in October 2012 that the process would be put on hold pending the results of a review. In December 2012, Southern's London Victoria to London Bridge via Denmark Hill service ceased, being partially replaced by London Overground 's new Clapham Junction to Dalston Junction service. At
2128-459: The performance of its services, Go-Ahead warned of lower than anticipated profits on its Govia Thameslink Railway franchises, leading to an 18% drop in the Go-Ahead share price. From 31 October 2016, Southern restored the full weekday timetable. In 2016, Southern altered its method of door operation, with control of the doors moving from the conductor to the driver. Southern said this would allow
2184-511: The power to cancel trains. In December 2016, it was announced that the government would pay £50 million to Southern to cover the costs of the disruption caused by the strikes, due to a deal between the government and Southern. This deal means that the government pays £38 million for lost revenue and £15 million in compensation to passengers. This deal also means that Govia Thameslink Railway will save around £1.1 million in pay for striking workers. Commentators argued that
2240-508: The prospect of no onward trains. During December 2008, further timetable changes included the introduction of the extended Gatwick Express services. However, reliability and timekeeping on some of the new services were considered poor, leading to several public meetings being held. On 22 January 2009, Southern responded to some of these criticisms. During 2009, these services have recorded improved timekeeping and criticisms have since subsided. The new timetable also led to unhappiness due to
2296-436: The risk to passengers at all." During 2016, the RMT and ASLEF unions went on strike over the changes, causing severe disruption to Southern services. The strikes continued into 2017. The BBC suggested that the RMT union are particularly worried about the new method of operation because if drivers (rather than conductors) control the doors then trains could run without conductors and thus any strike by conductors would not have
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2352-484: The same year. Electric services were provided by electric multiple units . For most of the rest of the twentieth century, an hourly express service was provided which joined/divided at Barnham , with 4 or 8 coaches continuing to Bognor and 4 to Portsmouth Harbour. This called at Arundel, Pulborough and latterly Billingshurst, going via Sutton and Dorking. An all-stations stopping service also ran hourly via Crawley to Bognor Regis, usually via Littlehampton. Two bridges on
2408-589: The splitting of services to and from London Victoria on the Arun Valley Line , opting to split trains at Horsham rather than Barnham , as well as run the portion to Portsmouth or Southampton non-stop to Barnham. Some passengers criticised this change as it increased the journey time to and from London by up to 10 minutes from certain stations, while in the event of services running behind schedule, trains were sometimes not split at Horsham, and proceeded non-stop to Barnham, leaving Arun Valley commuters at Horsham with
2464-592: The state owned railway operator British Rail in the 1990s, Connex South Central was awarded the Network SouthCentral franchise by the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising . Operations commenced on 26 May 1996. In March 2000, the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority (SSRA) announced its intention to relet the franchise from May 2003; both Connex and Govia were shortlisted. In October 2000,
2520-473: The train closest to the hour has a front portion which is fast to Barnham then stopping to Portsmouth Harbour. The rear portion calls at all stations to Bognor Regis. The 30-minutes-past train's front portion again runs fast to Barnham then is semi-fast to Portsmouth Harbour. The rear section again calls all stations to Bognor Regis. Up-line service: Again two trains an hour, both services attach at Horsham. The Bognor Regis section always arrives first unless there
2576-405: The two became separate brands, alongside the Thameslink and Great Northern brands. Southern operates the majority of commuter services from its Central London terminals at London Bridge and London Victoria to South London, East and West Sussex , as well as regional services in parts of Hampshire , Kent and Surrey . It also provides services between Watford Junction and Croydon via
2632-428: The union denied that high levels of sickness were the cause of cancellations, while agreeing that there were an insufficient number of guards and drivers. The government Department for Transport said that the situation was unacceptable. While the company was obliged to notify the department in advance, this did not amount to giving the company permission for the changes. The RMT union general secretary Mick Cash said
2688-499: The weekend, Southern maintained a service into the station from the West Coastway Line from Bognor Regis via Barnham and Ford, and a reversal at Littlehampton. There are currently four trains per hour in each direction over the route off-peak, made up of twin portions from two trains per hour from London Victoria. This is the most frequent service on the route since the late 1970s. Down-line services: Both divide at Horsham,
2744-514: The year from April 2015 to March 2016, and there was an ongoing industrial dispute over driver-only operated trains. In late 2016, the Transport Select Committee told ministers to "get a grip" on railway franchises, with their report asking if the train operator was in breach of their contractual obligations due to the large number of cancelled trains, and went on to say, "in normal circumstances, this would be grounds for termination of
2800-625: Was brought forward to September 2009 upon the integration of the Gatwick Express service, to allow the new operator to be in place during major changes to the timetable in and around South London in December 2009. In the run-up to the bidding process for the franchise, reports emerged suggesting that Transport for London , the operator of the London Overground service, wished to take control of all overground services in South London, including
2856-434: Was opened on 10 October 1859. The section from Hardham Junction to Midhurst was closed between 1964 and 1966. The Steyning Line from Horsham to Shoreham by Sea was opened on 1 July 1861 branching off at Itchingfield Junction south of Horsham. It closed in 1966. The line from Christs Hospital to Guildford opened in 1865 and closed in 1965. The line between Hardham Junction south of Pulborough, and Arundel Junction on
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#17328446217042912-472: Was part of a wider plan to increase capacity on the Brighton Main Line , involving the extension of peak-hour services from Gatwick to Brighton and Eastbourne from December 2008. This change doubled the number of London to Brighton express trains during those periods. In December 2008, Southern took over the services on the Redhill to Tonbridge Line from Southeastern . The South Central franchise end date
2968-501: Was re-awarded with a seven-and-a-half-year franchise until December 2009. In May 2003, the franchise was rebranded as Southern in a recall of the pre-nationalisation Southern Railway , using a green roundel logo with Southern in yellow in a green bar. During April 2007, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that the Gatwick Express franchise was to be incorporated into the main South Central franchise. This reorganisation
3024-520: Was slightly quicker than today's workings. However, since 1978, services now serve Gatwick Airport and East Croydon , and passengers for Dorking and Sutton require a change of train at Horsham . The current use of the station is for predominantly London or Gatwick Airport bound passenger traffic. On Mondays to Saturdays, southbound trains currently only serve Ford, Barnham , and Bognor Regis. Passengers for Chichester , Portsmouth Harbour and Southampton Central , or any stations towards Brighton have
3080-503: Was to replace all the Mark 1 slam-door stock, resulting in Southern ordering 28 three-car DC, 139 four-car DC and 15 four-car dual-voltage Class 377 Electrostars in September 2001 and March 2002 to replace the Class 421, Class 422 and Class 423s. In August 2002, Southern ordered nine two-car and six four-car Class 171 Turbostars to replace the Class 205s and Class 207s on the routes that are not fully electrified. A tenth two-car Class 171
3136-701: Was transferred from South West Trains , entering traffic in July 2007. In 2007, Southern ordered 12 four-car, dual-voltage Class 377/5 Electrostars to replace the remaining twelve Class 319s for transfer to First Capital Connect . In March 2008 Go Ahead purchased a further 11 Class 377/5s. All 23 ended up being sublet to First Capital Connect to provide extra stock for the Thameslink Programme Key Output Zero changes from March 2009. However, due to delays in their production, Class 377/2s were also sublet. To cover for this, Class 350/1s were subleased from London Midland . To provide stock for
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