Midhurst Railways

v t e Midhurst Railways
Legend
Portsmouth Direct line Rogate Elsted Midhurst LSWR Bepton Road bridge Midhurst Line Platform  A272  Midhurst LBSCR Petersfield Portsmouth Direct line Selham Cocking Petworth Fittleworth Arun Valley line Singleton Pulborough Hardham Junction Lavant Arun Valley line West Coastway line Chichester

The Midhurst Railways were three branch lines which were built to serve the market town of Midhurst in the English county of West Sussex. The three lines were the Petersfield Railway, from Petersfield; the Mid-Sussex Railway extended by the Mid-Sussex and Midhurst Junction Railway, from Hardham Junction (Pulborough); and from Chichester. The Petersfield Railway opened in 1864, the promoting company having been absorbed by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1863. The Mid-Sussex lines reached Midhurst in 1866, after being absorbed by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) in 1862. The two lines did not connect, and there were two separate stations close by one another. The Chichester line took much longer to complete, and was opened in 1881, and a new LBSCR station was opened, replacing the first station. In 1925 the former LSWR line was connected to that station.

The lines were never busy and the area remained rural; the Chichester line was closed to passenger trains in 1935. A culvert on that line was washed out in 1951 causing a goods train to fall into the cavity. The line was severed and never reopened past that point. Passenger services were withdrawn on the Petersfield – Midhurst – Pulborough axis in 1955, and goods traffic ended in 1966.

The Chichester to Lavant line continued with a very sporadic goods service, and that ended in 1968. Gravel extraction at Lavant revived the southern part of the line in 1971, and that continued until 1991. The lines now have no railway activity.