Riddlesdown Railway Station
History
The Oxted line was opened in stages by different companies; Riddlesdown lies on the portion between South Croydon and Crowhurst Junction (to the south of Hurst Green), which was authorised in 1878 and opened on 10 March 1884 by the Croydon and Oxted Joint Railway. Riddlesdown was not one of the original stations on the line – it was opened by the Southern Railway on 5 June 1927.
Platforms
There are two platforms, each of which is long enough for an eight-car train. When the station first opened, lighting was by gas. Electric lighting had been installed by April 1960.
Platform 1 is the platform for trains towards Croydon and London.
Platform 2 is the platform towards East Grinstead.
The station is unusual amongst suburban London stations in that there is no means of crossing between the platforms. The platforms are reached via separate footpaths from Lower Barn Road, either side of the bridge that takes the railway over the road. The ticket office is on Platform 1.
On the London-bound platform 1, there is a staffed ticket office (open for only part of the day) and waiting room.
There are self-service ticket machines and Oyster scanners on both platforms.
To the south of the station is the northern portal of Riddlesdown Tunnel, which is 837 yards (765 m) long.
Services
Off-peak, all services at Riddlesdown are operated by Southern using Class 377 EMUs.
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:
- 2 tph to London Victoria
- 2 tph to East Grinstead via Oxted
During the middle of the weekday (roughly 11:30-14:30), this service is reduced to one train per hour.
During the peak hours, there are also Thameslink operated services between East Grinstead, London Bridge and Bedford. These services are operated using Class 700 EMUs.
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern | ||||
| Thameslink Peak Hours Only | ||||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Sanderstead Line and station open |
Southern Railway Croydon & Oxted Joint Railway |
Upper Warlingham Line and station open | ||
References
- ^ "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
- ^ Padgett, David; Kelman, Leanne (November 2019) [1994]. Munsey, Myles (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 5: Southern & TfL (4th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. map 14C. ISBN 978-1-9996271-2-6.
- ^ Casserley, H.C. (April 1968). Britain's Joint Lines. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 112. ISBN 0-7110-0024-7. 469 CEX 468.
- ^ Dendy Marshall, C.F.; Kidner, Roger W. (1963) [1937]. History of the Southern Railway (2nd ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. pp. 225–6, 234, 407, 499, 528. ISBN 0-7110-0059-X.
- ^ The Locomotive, Railway Carriage & Wagon Review. Locomotive Publishing Company, Limited. 15 July 1927. p. 231.
On Croydon and Oxted line a new station has been opened at Riddlesdown, between Sanderstead and Upper Warlingham stations.
- ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1995). Croydon (Woodside) to East Grinstead. Midhurst: Middleton Press. Illustrations 41, 42. ISBN 1-873793-48-0.
- ^ Table 182 National Rail timetable, May 2022
External links
- Train times and station information for Riddlesdown railway station from National Rail
