Brighton Main Line

Brighton Main Line
Clayton Tunnel, one of the most notable structures on the line
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Greater London South East England
Termini	London Victoria, London Bridge, Brighton
Stations	37
Service
Type	Regional rail, Suburban rail
System	National Rail
Operator(s)	Govia Thameslink Railway Great Western Railway London Overground
Depot(s)	Stewarts Lane, Selhurst, Brighton
Rolling stock	Class 165 "Turbo" Class 166 "Turbo Express" Class 171 "Turbostar" Class 377 "Electrostar" Class 378 "Capitalstar" Class 387 "Electrostar" Class 700 "Desiro City"
History
Opened	1839-1862
Technical
Number of tracks	2-5
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	750 V DC third rail
Operating speed	Max. 90 mph (140 km/h)
Route map

The Brighton Main Line is a railway line in southern England linking London to Brighton. It starts at two termini in the capital, London Victoria and London Bridge, and the branches from each meet at East Croydon, from where the route continues southwards via Gatwick Airport to the coast. The line serves the suburbs of South London, as well as the towns of Redhill, Horley, Crawley, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill.

The distance from the London termini to Brighton is around 50 mi (80 km) and the fastest end-to-end journey time is about an hour. A variety of passenger services operates on the line, including limited-stop airport expresses, semi-fast regional and outer-suburban trains, and shorter-distance commuter services. Four different train operating companies (Southern, Thameslink, London Overground and Great Western Railway) run services on the route.

The first part of the Brighton Main Line to be built was the section from London Bridge to Croydon, which was opened by the London and Croydon Railway (L&CR) in 1839. Two years later, a separate company, the London and Brighton Railway (L&BR), extended the line to the south coast. In 1846, the L&CR and the L&BR merged to form the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR), which began to run trains to London Victoria via the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway in 1848. The Brighton Main Line was completed in December 1862, when the LB&SCR opened the direct route between Croydon and Victoria via Thornton Heath.

The Brighton Main Line is electrified using the 750 V DC third-rail system and the majority of the route has four tracks. There are seven tunnels, including two on the Quarry Line, which allow express services to bypass the junction at Redhill station. The most serious accident on the Brighton Main Line occurred in October 1947, when two trains collided in fog near South Croydon station, killing 32 people. The listed structures on the route include the Ouse Valley Viaduct, the north portal of Clayton Tunnel and all three termini.