Wealden Line

v t e Wealden Line
Legend
East Coastway line to Eastbourne East Coastway line to Brighton Lewes Lewes Viaduct over River Ouse (demolished 1969) Lewes Tunnel River Ouse Hamsey Loop East Coastway line spur to Wivelsfield Culver Junction Barcombe Mills Barcombe Mills (closed 1969) Bluebell Railway to East Grinstead River Ouse Iron River Isfield Army Camp Isfield Little Horsted (proposed) River Uck River Uck A22 Ouse Valley Railway (not completed) Uckfield (1st site 1858–1991) Uckfield River Uck Ouse Valley Railway (not built) Buxted Greenhurst Viaduct ( 185 yd 169 m ) Sleeches Viaduct ( 183 yd 167 m ) Crowborough Tunnel ( 1022 yd 935 m ) Crowborough Cuckoo Line to Polegate Redgate Mill Junction Eridge Birchden Junction Groombridge Junction & Ashurst Junction Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line to Three Bridges Oxted line to London Victoria Groombridge High Rocks Tunbridge Wells West Grove Tunnel Tunbridge Wells Hastings line to Hastings & Tonbridge

The Wealden Line^[1] is a partly abandoned double track railway line in East Sussex and Kent that connected Lewes with Tunbridge Wells, a distance of 25.25 miles (40.64 km). The line takes its name from the Weald, the hilly landscape the lies between the North and South Downs.

The line is essentially composed of three sections: in the south, from Lewes to Uckfield closed on 4 May 1969; in the north, from Eridge to Tunbridge Wells West closed on 6 July 1985; in between, from Uckfield to Eridge remains open as part of the Oxted Line.

The northern section has partly re-opened under the auspices of the Spa Valley Railway, whilst the Lavender Line has revived Isfield Station on the southern section with about one mile of track. There has been a concerted campaign since 1986 led by the Wealden Line Campaign to have the whole line re-opened to passengers, but a 2008 study concluded that it would be "economically unviable".^[2]