Redhill railway station

Redhill railway station serves the town of Redhill, Surrey, England. The station is a major interchange point on the Brighton Main Line 21 miles (34 km) south of London Victoria. It is managed by Southern, which operates most trains serving Redhill.

History

The local topography determined that it was cheaper to build and operate a railway line between London and Brighton which by-passed the borough of Reigate and instead passed through the nearby Redstone or Red Hill gap. According to the Acts of Parliament establishing the railway routes between London and Brighton, and London and Dover, the line was to be shared between Croydon and Red Hill after which they would deviate. The London and Brighton Railway (L&BR) constructed the new line during 1840 and 1841, with the South Eastern Railway (SER) contributing half of the construction cost and taking ownership of the section between Purley railway station and Redhill. (The SER had however been running services over the line since 1842.) The inevitable and continuing conflict between the two railway companies over the use of this joint line gave rise to the construction of four railway stations at the site of what was then a hamlet on the eastern side of Reigate.

Red Hill and Reigate Road (London & Brighton Railway) station

The original station was opened by the L&BR on 12 July 1841 on a site to the south of the proposed junction with the SER. The nearby market town was served...
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