Leigh railway station
Leigh (Kent)  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Leigh, Sevenoaks England | ||||
| Coordinates | 51°11′38″N 0°12′40″E / 51.194°N 0.211°E | ||||
| Grid reference | TQ546461 | ||||
| Managed by | Southern | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | LIH | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F1 | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 1 Sep 1911[1] | Opened (Leigh Halt) | ||||
| Apr 1917[1] | Renamed (Lyghe Halt) | ||||
| 1960[1] | Renamed (Leigh Halt) | ||||
| 5 May 1969[1] | Renamed (Leigh) | ||||
| 1993 | Electrified | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  46,044 | ||||
| 2020/21 | 12,250 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  29,750 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 33,310 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 40,822 | ||||
| |||||
Leigh railway station is on the Redhill to Tonbridge Line and serves Leigh in Kent, England. It is 39 miles 56 chains (39.70 miles, 63.89 km) measured from London Charing Cross via Redhill. Train services are operated by Southern.
History
[edit]The station was opened as "Leigh Halt" in 1911; was renamed "Lyghe Halt" in 1917; "Leigh Halt" again about 1960; and "Leigh" in 1969. (Leigh is pronounced /laɪ/ (lie)—identical with the name of Lye railway station in the West Midlands.). The station was destaffed in 1967.
In 1993 the line was electrified and services started to run through to London rather than being an extension of the Reading to Tonbridge North Downs Line service.
In 2007, a PERTIS machine was installed at the street entrance to the Tonbridge-bound platform (since replaced by a modern ticket machine). The station was until December 2008 operated by Southeastern before it transferred to Southern, whose green signage was installed before October 2008.
Facilities
[edit]Leigh station is unstaffed and facilities are limited. Tickets can be purchased from the self-service ticket machine at the station and there are passenger help points located on each platforms. There is also a basic shelter located on each platform. The station has step free access available to both platforms.[2]
Services
[edit]All services at Leigh are operated by Southern using Class 377 EMUs.
The typical weekend off-peak service is one train per hour in each direction between Redhill and Tonbridge.
In December 2023 the number of units used for the Monday to Friday service was reduced from 3 units to 2.[3] As a result the train service was reduced from hourly off peak and half hourly at peak times to an irregular service without consistent departure times part the hour.[4]
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern | ||||
Future plans
[edit]In early 2024 Network Rail created a research paper looking into options to increase rail use between Kent and Gatwick Airport. Five options are being looked are:[5]
- Tonbridge - Redhill - Gatwick Airport 1tph (all day) + Tonbridge - Redhill 1tph (peak only)
- Tonbridge - Redhill - Gatwick Airport 2tph (all day)
- Tonbridge - Redhill - Gatwick Airport 1tph (all day) + Tonbridge - Redhill 1tph (all day)
- Maidstone West - Redhill - Gatwick Airport 1tph fast (all day) + Tonbridge - Redhill 1tph (all day)
- Ashford International - Redhill - Gatwick Airport 1tph fast (all day) + Tonbridge - Redhill 1tph (all day)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
- ^ "Leigh Station Information". Southern, August 2020.
- ^ "Kent-Gatwick Rail Connectivity Strategic Advice 2024.pdf Page 39" (PDF).
- ^ "Loading..." timetables.southernrailway.com. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ "Kent-Gatwick Rail Connectivity Strategic Advice 2024.pdf page 58-62" (PDF).
External links
[edit]
- Train times and station information for Leigh railway station from National Rail