Epsom Downs railway station

Epsom Downs
The station building, which now houses a kindergarten
Epsom Downs Location of Epsom Downs in Surrey
Location	Epsom Downs
Local authority	Borough of Reigate and Banstead
Managed by	Southern
Station code	EPD
DfT category	F1
Number of platforms	1
Accessible	Yes[1]
Fare zone	6
National Rail annual entry and exit
2015–16	112,000[2]
2016–17	90,840[2]
2017–18	87,940[2]
2018–19	110,374[2]
2019–20	112,090[2]
Key dates
22 May 1865	original station opened
3 October 1982	line singled
13 February 1989	station resited
Other information
External links	Departures Layout Facilities Buses
WGS84	51°19′25.3″N 0°14′20.1″W / 51.323694°N 0.238917°W / 51.323694; -0.238917Coordinates: 51°19′25.3″N 0°14′20.1″W / 51.323694°N 0.238917°W / 51.323694; -0.238917
London transport portal

Epsom Downs railway station is in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead^[a] in Surrey. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Southern. It is on the Epsom Downs line 18 miles 57 chains (30.11 km) down the line from London Bridge, measured via West Croydon.^[3] In the past the station had nine platforms, but today only one remains.

Epsom Downs is near Tattenham Corner station which is on the Tattenham Corner line, also served by Southern. Both are in Travelcard Zone 6.

History[]

With large numbers of passengers travelling to Epsom to visit the Epsom Downs Racecourse, it became clear that a station near the course was needed. Attempts to build one immediately next to it were strongly opposed by the Epsom Grandstand Association and eventually land was purchased half a mile from the course. Designed by David J. Field, the original station was opened on 22 May 1865 on the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway's extension from Sutton. The line had double track and a nine-platform station with a large building.

With the opening of Tattenham Corner railway station, much closer to the racecourse, on 4 June 1901 (Derby Day), traffic declined, helped in particular by the Royal Train changing its destination to Tattenham Corner in 1925. Services were cut back repeatedly over subsequent decades. On 1 May 1972 the number of working platforms was reduced to two, and following the destruction by fire of Epsom Downs signal box in November 1981 almost the entire branch was reduced to single track operation on 3 October 1982.^{[citation needed]}

On 13 February 1989 a new station was opened 21 chains (420 m) short of the original one.^[4] The old station and platforms were demolished and the land in between given over to a major housing development. The replacement station was installed by British Rail under the Network SouthEast sector.

4EPB in Epsom Downs in 1984.

Services[]

Services at the station are operated using a mixture of Class 377 and Class 455 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service from the station is, as of May 2018:^[5]

• 2 tph (trains per hour) to London Victoria

Epsom Downs, like all other stations on the line, has experienced a significant upgrade in services, in the recent years. Until, May 2018, the station was served by an hourly service to London Victoria, from Monday to Saturday, with no service on Sunday. However, since then, a half hourly service has been in operation 7 days a week.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Banstead		Southern Epsom Downs Branch		Terminus

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Epsom Downs railway station.

• Sutton & Mole Valley Line map
• The Epsom Downs branch website

• Train times and station information for Epsom Downs railway station from National Rail