Place Lingfield Station code LFD DfT category E Opened 10 March 1884 | Grid reference TQ394438 Managed by Southern 2011/12 0.473 million Number of platforms 2 | |
 | ||
Address Lingfield RH7 6EH, United Kingdom Similar Dormans railway station, Hurst Green railway st, East Grinstead railway st, Godstone railway station, Oxted railway station | ||
Lingfield railway station serves Lingfield in Surrey, in England. Train services from the station are provided by Southern, and the station is on the East Grinstead branch of the Oxted Line. The station adjoins Lingfield Park Racecourse.
Contents
History
The opening of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway's (LBSCR) Oxted Line in 1884 brought the railway to the small agricultural parish of Lingfield which, like its neighbour Dormansland, had been earmarked for residential development. The area was also to be the location of a new racecourse which was to open in 1890. Lingfield originally had only limited facilities to accommodate passengers and freight, and struggled to deal with the crowds which attended the race meetings. A goods shed and loading dock were added in May 1884, and in 1894 the down platform became an island and the loading dock was extended to become a departure platform for race specials. The LBSCR obtained authorisation to construct a line directly to the racecourse in 1898, but these plans never materialised.
Goods traffic was at a peak during the interwar period, when the sidings saw a variety of interesting traffic. Horseboxes and cattle wagons were numerous, and during the war, it was a stabling point for an emergency tank train. A large banana ripening shed was opened in the late 1950s and this received supplies direct from Avonmouth Docks. This closed on 1 October 1971 as bananas were now containerised and transported by road. Race traffic has also decreased and the track layout was progressively simplified, leaving the remaining traffic to be dealt with by strengthening ordinary services. Further modifications were carried out in 1972 when the station was "modernised" by demolishing the goods shed and removing the down platform canopy. However, the main buildings, together with the adjoining stationmaster's house, have survived as good examples of an LBSCR country station.
Services
The typical off-peak service is: