The
Tattenham Corner Line is a
railway line in Southern England. It was opened in two parts: from Purley to Tadworth as the
Chipstead Valley Railway in 1893, and to Tattenham Corner as the
Epsom Downs Extension Railway in 1894. Both companies were then acquired by the
South Eastern Railway. The Tattenham Corner Line is now part of the
Southern franchise.
The line diverges eastwards from the
Brighton Main Line at
Purley. It immediately splits from the
Caterham Line and passes below the Brighton line. It then runs close to the Brighton line as far as
Coulsdon Town, after which it turns westwards and follows the
Chipstead Valley, eventually climbing to the high ground at
Tattenham Corner.
The line is primarily a
commuter route, but the station at Tattenham Corner was built to serve the
Epsom Downs Racecourse, with large numbers of extra trains on
Derby day.
There is also a railway terminus at
Epsom Downs, about 2 km north of
Epsom Downs Racecourse. It was built by the
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and opened on 22 May 1865.
The line was
third rail electrified by
Southern at 660V DC (later upgraded post war by BR to 750V DC) in March 1928.
Services
Train services on the line are operated by
Southern, and run to
London Bridge and
London Victoria (peak and evenings). During peak hours trains combine (am) or divide (pm) at Purley, the other section being for the
Caterham Line.
Services are provided by a mixture of
Class 455,
Class 456 and......
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