The Mid-Sussex railways were a group of English railway companies that together formed what became the Mid-Sussex line, from Three Bridges through Horsham to Littlehampton, in southern England. After 1938 the Southern Railway operated a regular electric train service ran from London to Bognor Regis and Portsmouth using the marketing brand "Mid-Sussex Line", leading to an informal consensus.H P White, A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: volume II: Southern England, Phoenix House, London, 1961, pages 104 to 107C F Dendy Marshall, revised by R W Kidner, History of the Southern Railway, Ian Allan Ltd, Shepperton, 1963 reprinted 1982, ISBN N 0 7110 0059 X, page 425Ernest F Carter, An Historical Geography of the Railways of the British Isles, Cassell, London, 1959, page 529J C Gillham, The Age of the Electric Train, Ian Allan Limited, Shepperton, 1988, ISBN 0 71101392 6, page 117 The Mid-Sussex Railway Company ran from Horsham to Petworth, and the Mid-Sussex Junction line of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) extended from the Petworth line to Littlehampton. The Three Bridges to Horsham branch of the was at first the sole access from the north to the Mid-Sussex railways, although a line from Leatherhead was used later.
The through route was opened in a series of stages with only a vague strategic objective, but in the last quarter of the nineteenth century it became the shortest route of the to south coast locations between Littlehampton and Portsmouth. The through route opened in 1867, and electrification was completed in 1938.
The route continues in use as a main line, with passenger train operation using the brand name Arun Valley line south of Horsham. The final part of the line to Petworth has been closed.
History Horsham branch line from Three Bridges
The successful opening and operation of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway inspired promoters in other parts of the country to consider what lines might be built. A railway from London to Brighton was considered to be an early possibility, but the topography of the North Downs and the South Downs made the selection of a route contentious. The London and Brighton Railway eventually was authorised to make a direct line through Three Bridges, and it opened in 1841. Its trains used the London and Croydon Railway at the north end of the route.J T Howard Turner, The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, volume 1: Origins and Formation, B T Batsford Ltd, London, 1977, ISBN 0 7134 0275 X, page 138
One of the routes that had been put forward would have run by way of Horsham, which was an important market town. Horsham was disappointed to have been left off the emerging railway network, and the London and Brighton Railway designed a route connecting Three Bridges to Horsham, a distance of about miles. This was authorised on 21 July 1845.Turner, volume 1, page 233
The London and Brighton Railway merged with the London and Croydon Railway and others by an act of Parliament, the London and Brighton Railway Act 1846 (9 & 10 Vict. c. cclxxxii), of 27 July 1846. The new combined company was called the London Brighton and South Coast Railway.J T Howard Turner, The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, volume 2: Establishment and Growth, B T Batsford Ltd, London, 1978, 0 7134 1198 8, page 1 The continued the construction of the Horsham branch, and it opened to traffic on 14 February 1848.Turner, volume 2, page 11
Indirect routes to Portsmouth As the work proceeded it had become evident that a railway from London to Portsmouth was desirable. At the time the considered that the way to achieve that was to extend westward from Chichester, where it already had a branch line from Brighton, in collaboration with an affiliated company, the Brighton and Chichester Railway. London – Brighton – Chichester – Portsmouth was a very indirect route. The London and South Western Railway (LSWR) was at Guildford, and was considering an approach to Portsmouth by building south from there to Chichester and then westward along the coast. At over 95 miles this too would have been a circuitous way to get from London to Portsmouth.Turner, volume 2, page 28
Already on 8 August 1845 the Railway from Portsmouth to Chichester Act 1845 (8 & 9 Vict. c. cxcix) had been passed regarding a joint entry into Portsmouth, with the and the as partners. The would extend from Chichester and the would make the Fareham to Portsmouth connection. Both of these routes to Portsmouth were rather roundabout, and for the time being a direct route to Portsmouth was in abeyance; it was not until 1859 that the Portsmouth Direct Line opened.Turner, volume 2, page 82
On from Horsham to Petworth
There was a large area between the Brighton main line and the Portsmouth Direct line unoccupied by any railway, in the middle of the nineteenth century. The area was agricultural with no large towns in it, but nevertheless it was desired to occupy it with a railway. A local concern, the Mid-Sussex Railway was projected: it would build a line on from Horsham to Billingshurst, Pulborough and Petworth. The Mid-Sussex Railway Company received its authorising act of Parliament, the (20 & 21 Vict. c. cxxxiii) on 10 August 1857.Ernest F Carter, An Historical Geography of the Railways of the British Isles, Cassell, London, 1959, page 282Donald J Grant, Directory of the Railway Companies of Great Britain, Matador, Kibworth Beauchamp, 2017, ISBN 978 1785893 537, pages 380 and 381Adrian Gray, Railways of Mid Sussex, Oakwood Press, 1975, page 23
The line was to be single track, and miles long; it was originally proposed by the Mid-Sussex company that Petworth should be reached by a more direct route rather than through Pulborough, but Pulborough was considered too important to leave off the line of route. By aligning the route to the south to reach Pulborough, the onward course to Petworth was kept south of the River Rother, to minimise cost of river crossings. The Petworth terminus was some way from the town, at a location known as Coultershaw Mill.Turner, volume 2, pages 85, 86, 88 and 90
Horsham station had been built as a terminus from Three Bridges and was not suitable for simply being altered to a through station, and a new station had to be built. The line to Petworth opened on 10 October 1859; it was a single track. It was leased to the from the outset, and the larger company operated it.Turner, volume 2, pages 92 and 93 The Mid-Sussex Railway Company was absorbed by the by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (Additional Powers) Act 1864 (27 & 28 Vict. c. cccxiv) of 29 July 1864.
The population of Petworth in 1851 was 2,439 and of Midhurst 1,481.Gray, page 83 A separate company, the Mid-Sussex and Midhurst Railway, received authority to continue the line to Midhurst under the Mid Sussex and Midhurst Junction Railway Act 1859 (22 & 23 Vict. c. cxxv) of 13 August 1859. It was originally the intention of the Mid-Sussex and Midhurst Railway to seek to extend its line to Petersfield, but the would not support such an extension, as being contrary to a territorial exclusivity agreement with the . There was some delay due to the difficulty in raising capital, but the line to Midhurst opened on 15 October 1866. The company was acquired by the by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (Capital and Powers) Act 1866 (29 & 30 Vict. c. cclxxxi) of 30 July 1866, but this only took effect in June 1874.Carter, page 301
Branch to Shoreham and Brighton
In 1861 a branch line from Itchingfield Junction, south of Horsham, to Shoreham was opened; it largely followed the valley of the River Adur. At the time Shoreham was considered an important harbour for cross-Channel cargo, and the connection to Brighton was a useful cross-country connection.James Buckman, The Steyning Line and its Closure, self published by James Buckman, Seaford, 2002, ISBN 1 85770 254 9, pages 15 and 21
Continuing to the coast
At this stage the decided to double the track on the River Arun bridge at Ford (at the time called Arundel station), as this was the only remaining single track section on the coast line from Brighton to Portsmouth. As part of the work they hoped to reduce the span to save cost. At first this was objected to by the River Arun Navigation Commissioners, but they relented on condition that the build a railway from Littlehampton, where there were to be quayside sidings, to Pulborough. So far as the commissioners were concerned this was a considerable improvement to be paid for by the railway.
The were not displeased to be obliged to make this railway, as they had already been thinking of doing so and had expected opposition. The work was authorised by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Act 1860 (23 & 24 Vict. c. clxxi) on 23 July 1860; the new line would be about ten miles long from Hardham Junction just south of Pulborough to the Ford station, and it would save ten miles on the journey from London to Chichester and Portsmouth. The new line was described as the Mid-Sussex Junction Railway. A branch line from Ford to Littlehampton was also authorised under the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Act 1860.Turner, pages 98 and 99Gray, page 36
As part of the work, the original Mid-Sussex Railway section from Horsham to Hardham Junction was doubled. The miles of new line from Hardham Junction to Arundel Junction was opened on 3 August 1863.Turner, volume 2, pages 105 and 106 At first this was limited to three trains a day between Ford and Pulborough, due to the reservations of the Board of Trade inspecting officer, Col. Yolland, about the security of the track. where the trains made connection with the Petworth to London trains.
Littlehampton
The Littlehampton branch of 1 mile 57 chains was authorised as part of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Act 1860 (23 & 24 Vict. c. clxxi); it was part of the River Arun Commissioners’ requirement. It was simple enough to construct, and it joined the West Coast line at Ford; the junction was named Arundel Junction, and was the point of convergence for the Pulborough line as well as the Littlehampton branch. Soon after it was renamed Ford Junction. The Littlehampton branch opened on 17 August 1863.Turner, volume 2, page 135
Both lines faced Portsmouth, so that direct through running from Littlehampton to Arundel was not possible, even though that must have been the commissioners’ expectation. A spur was authorised by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (Additional Powers) Act 1864 (27 & 28 Vict. c. cccxiv) of 29 July 1864; this would run directly from the Littlehampton line towards Pulborough, but it was not constructed and the powers were allowed to lapse.
A more comprehensive scheme was prepared, and this was authorised by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (Capital and Powers) Act 1866 (29 & 30 Vict. c. cclxxxi) of 30 July 1866. It would have provided two new spurs to enable direct running from Littlehampton towards Pulborough or Worthing. Parliament imposed a penalty of £50 per day if the new spurs were not constructed within a specified time. However the Pulborough-facing spur would have crossed the West Coast line by a flat crossing, and the Board of Trade objected to the arrangement; consequently neither spur was constructed, and later on the Brighton company had to start paying the £50 per day penalty for non-compliance with their own act of Parliament.Turner, volume 2, page 150
Horsham and Guildford Direct Railway