Cliftonville Curve
Cliftonville Curve | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Owner | Network Rail |
Locale | Hove, Preston Village, Brighton, East Sussex |
Termini | |
Connecting lines | |
Stations | 2: Hove, Preston Park |
Service | |
Operator(s) | Southern |
History | |
Opened | July 1879 |
Technical | |
Number of tracks | 2 |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Cliftonville Curve is a short railway that links the West Coastway Line to the Brighton Main Line between Hove and Preston Park.[1] It was opened in July 1879.[1][2] The curve includes a 535-yard (489 m) tunnel.[2]
The line, which is also known as the Cliftonville Spur,[3] was named in reference to Cliftonville station (now called Hove) which had opened in 1865.[4] Cliftonville was an area of Hove which was developed speculatively as a "fashionable neighbourhood" in the mid-19th century.[5] Construction of the curve allowed trains to travel between the Brighton Main Line and the West Coastway Line without having to reverse at Brighton,[3] reducing congestion there and shortening journeys.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Jeffs 2013, chpt. "A Brief History of the 'Brighton'"
- ^ a b c Hymans 2016, chpt. "The West Coast Route"
- ^ a b Middleton 1979, p. 55.
- ^ Middleton 1979, p. 54.
- ^ Middleton 1979, p. 53.
Bibliography
[edit]- Hymans, Michael (2016). Sussex Steam. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-445663-06-7.
- Jeffs, Simon (2013). The London to Brighton Line Through Time. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-445609-79-9.
- Middleton, Judy (1979). A History of Hove. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. ISBN 0-85033-325-3.