Brighton by rail: the back story

About Brighton by rail: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Brighton Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Brighton station stands at the top of Queens Road, a walk of about 15 minutes downhill to the Clock Tower, the Lanes and the sea. Southern and Thameslink trains run north on the Brighton Main Line to Gatwick Airport and London; Thameslink trains continue through central London to St Pancras for the Eurostar. Along the coast, the East Coastway runs to Lewes and Eastbourne, and the West Coastway to Hove, Worthing and Chichester. From Newhaven, east of Brighton, DFDS ferries sail to Dieppe in France.

The station

Brighton station is at the top of Queens Road. Walk down Queens Road and West Street to the sea in about 15 minutes, or cut through the North Laine.

To London and Gatwick

Southern and Thameslink run frequent trains to Gatwick Airport and London: Southern to London Victoria, Thameslink through London Bridge, Blackfriars, Farringdon and St Pancras International. On the way, the line crosses the Ouse Valley Viaduct near Balcombe, one of the great Victorian railway viaducts.

Check times and buy tickets on the train companies’ own sites or at the station.

Along the coast

East Coastway trains run to Lewes, Newhaven, Seaford and Eastbourne; West Coastway trains to Hove, Shoreham, Worthing and Chichester. For Arundel, check the timetable: many journeys change trains on the way.

To France

From Newhaven, DFDS runs ferries across the Channel to Dieppe, a crossing of about four hours in DFDS’s words; check sailings on dfds.com.

Our advice: for London, Thameslink is handy for the City and St Pancras, Southern for Victoria and the West End. See ULTIMATE London for the capital, and ULTIMATE Rail Journeys for the great train journeys.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Brighton by rail: the back story before you go.