Preston Park railway station

Preston Park Add→{{rail-interchange}}
General information
Location	City of Brighton and Hove
Managed by	Southern
Platforms	3
Other information
Station code	PRP
Key dates
1 November 1869	Opened (Preston)
1 July 1879	Renamed (Preston Park)

RCTS railtour in 1962

Preston Park railway station serves Preston Village and the northern suburban areas of Brighton in East Sussex, England. The station is on the Brighton Main Line and Thameslink 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) north of Brighton railway station, and train services are provided by Southern and Thameslink. There are also two spur lines which run from Preston Park through a tunnel to Hove.

History

The London Brighton and South Coast Railway opened a new station named Preston, on 1 November 1869 to serve the growing parish of Preston, then north of the Brighton boundary. The station was enlarged and remodelled to its present design in 1879 during the construction of the spur line from the main line to Hove and the West Sussex coast line. The station was then renamed Preston Park although the nearby Preston Park did not exist until 1883.

In 1881 the railway murderer Percy Lefroy Mapleton alighted at the station after having killed Isaac Frederick Gold and dumped his body in Balcombe tunnel.

Facilities

The station has a pair of island platforms, linked by a subway; only three platform faces are now in operation. The three tracks through the station reduce to two before traversing Patcham Tunnel, almost two miles (3.2 km) further north.

Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club's former home, Withdean Stadium is located a short walk from the station, and for this reason, during its tenancy of the stadium, the club offered free travel vouchers with its match tickets — allowing fans to travel from Brighton to Preston Park without there being an apparent surcharge of the train fare.

Preston Park station was featured in parts of Rizzle Kicks music video for their single "Down with the Trumpets" which peaked at No' 8 in the UK's top 40 in the summer of 2011.

Services

The typical Monday-Friday service from this station is:

• 2 trains per hour to Brighton (TL)
• 1 train per hour to Littlehampton (SN)
• 2 trains per hour to Bedford via Blackfriars and London St Pancras (TL)
• 1 train per hour to London Victoria (SN)

The typical Saturday service from this station is:

• 2 trains per hour to Brighton (TL)
• 1 train per hour to Littlehampton (SN)
• 2 trains per hour to Bedford via London Blackfriars and London St Pancras (TL)
• 1 train per hour to London Victoria (SN)

The typical Sunday service from this station is:

• 1 train per hour to Brighton (SN)
• 1 train per hour to London Victoria (SN)

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Hassocks		Southern Brighton Main Line		Brighton
		Thameslink Thameslink
Burgess Hill		Southern West Coastway		Hove
Burgess Hill or Hassocks		Southern Gatwick Express Peak Times Only		Brighton

See also

• Brighton railway station
• Transport in Brighton and Hove

External links

• Train times and station information for Preston Park railway station from National Rail