Before the Lewes to Uckfield line closed in 1969, one could take a direct train from Lewes to Tunbridge Wells via Uckfield and from there to London.
My good friend Dr John Etherton recalls:
“In June 1957, three of us 11-year-old schoolboys from Seaford were summoned to interview in Lewes following our success with the 11+ examination. After this we trooped back to Lewes railway station. Having time to spare, we wandered around this wonderful Victorian station – only to hear the awesome and unmistakable rapid puffing of a real steam locomotive, bearing down from Uckfield, known locally as the ‘Uckfield Flyer’.
“The cab stoker hopped out, as we gawped at it, and yelled ‘Up you go boys!’ After brief tuition on the niceties of controlling the mighty beast, he instructed one of us to activate the whistle immediately prior to its departure. Then all three hopped smartly down to resume our journey back to Seaford. What a one-off privilege!”
Investment focus on the Brighton main line can lead to disruption
Since the closure of the Lewes–Uckfield route, known as the Wealden Line, the government and Network Rail have invested heavily in the Brighton main line (BML). Because of this concentration on a single route south from London (with just two tracks), there is always a possibility of disruption.
Anything happening on the BML can cause severe delays throughout the whole of the Southern Railway network. As former East Sussex county councillor Rosalyn St Pierre told me:
“The case for the [Lewes–Uckfield] line is obvious. Channelling all rail traffic from three major coastal areas from Haywards Heath northwards via the Balcombe viaduct and Balcombe tunnel is a high-risk strategy. It’s like three motorways merging with a smaller road.
“The viaduct and the tunnel are great pieces of Victorian engineering, but what happens when they need repair? Also, a collapse in the tunnel or of the viaduct would result in chaos. In such cases, passengers would have to be diverted westward via Arundel or east via the Hastings/Tunbridge Wells line, causing enormous travel delays.”
Reopening the Uckfield–Lewes line would add resilience to the key commuter route from the south coast towards London. Rosalyn St Pierre added: “Commuters, travellers and tourists would have the option of faster travel times unhindered by traffic jams.”
UK government and East Sussex County Council bias towards road building
Sadly, most of the UK’s transport policy since World War Two has been biased towards roads. It seems the planners and politicians are blinkered when it comes to the provision of transport networks. It’s only in the last few years that the voice of “sustainable transport” has begun to be heard, but this voice is still in the minority.
For years now, the East Sussex County Council (ESCC) has either been silent or in a state of lukewarm support for restoring the seven miles of track. For instance, in February 1987 the rail company Network SouthEast agreed to contribute £1.5 million to reinstate the Lewes–Uckfield Line, a quarter of the projected cost. Sadly, ESCC proved to be “uncooperative” and the plans were dropped.
However, there was a brief period in 2008 when ESCC seemed to push ahead with a scheme for reopening the line, but the government didn’t respond positively and the scheme was dropped. Since then, ESCC has sat on its hands when it comes to rail infrastructure.
Current strategic investment plans include reinstatement of the line
More recently, the “shadow” transport authority for the south-east region, Transport for the South East (TfSE), saw some merit in opening the Lewes–Uckfield line. Malcolm Smith of the South Downs Network and TfSE Forum member reports:
“In March 2023, TfSE proposed the reinstatement of the lines from Uckfield to Lewes and Tunbridge Wells Central to Tunbridge Wells West by including it in its strategic investment plan. It also supports reconfiguration of Lewes station to allow direct services towards Brighton from the Uckfield line. The projects are considered medium-term for delivery in the 2030s.”
However, progress on a business case and any subsequent implementation cannot go forward without government approval and funding. It’s unlikely that anything will happen before the next election because, as we all know, this government’s transport policy, if you can call it a policy, is in utter chaos.
So what’s the route for the line?
However, we can be certain of one thing. The line will not be restored to its original route into Lewes across Malling fields. It would certainly use the “Hamsey Loop”, which was developed in the 19th century and would enable trains to connect with the mainline route just north-west of Lewes and enter the station at Lewes on the southbound platform with the trains from London.
What are the challenges to reopening the line?
The biggest challenge to reopening the line is financial. The current government seems to be in disarray as to what new rail infrastructure it is willing to support. The decision to accept TfSE’s proposals will probably be left until after the next general election, and who knows what the new government will decide to do about it?
Lewes District Council has been supportive of the reinstatement of the Lewes–Uckfield line, but they are not the transport authority. Campaign groups like Railfuture and the Wealden Line Campaign, who have been campaigning for many decades to get the line reopened, will no doubt continue with their respective campaigns.
In 2025 there will be an election for new members of the ESCC. If the political balance changes significantly, then support may be forthcoming from them.
However, if a scheme were proposed, the residents of villages along the route may be concerned that the new rail line could come with stations, which would then encourage house-building in their villages. Stations bring extra costs to a project and, therefore, I think that we should concentrate on the regional strategy for improving sustainable transport and providing a second route between London and the south coast to improve capacity and relieve traffic on the Brighton main line.
Reopening the line would contribute to the shift from car to rail
It’s clear that everyone wants to reduce the traffic on the A26 through Lewes and through the Cuilfail Tunnel, which is often very congested, as traffic tries to get onto the already congested A27. A rail link with frequent services could make a significant contribution to “modal shift” from car to rail, as people will be able to commute into Brighton and south coast towns.
The present government and previous governments have favoured major road networks as the solution to our transport problems for decades. It seems so sad that for the sake of building about seven miles of railway track, this country, which used to lead the world in railway construction, cannot get its act together and improve transport in East Sussex.
For more information, see Vic Ient’s video of the disused Lewes to Uckfield railway line.
Thanks to: former County Councillor, Rosalyn St Pierre; Malcolm Smith, Sustainable Transport, South Downs Network; and Dr John Etherton.
