Normans Bay railway station

Normans Bay railway station serves Normans Bay in East Sussex. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern.

The Havensmouth level crossing as it was prior to 2015 with metal gates

The automated level crossing in February 2015 soon after its upgrade

Normans Bay
Location	Normans Bay, Rother England
Coordinates	50.826°N 0.389°E
Grid reference	TQ683056
Managed by	Southern
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	NSB
Classification	DfT category F2
History
Original company	London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
Pre-grouping	London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
Post-grouping	Southern Railway
Key dates
11 September 1905	Opened as Pevensey Sluice
1905	Renamed Normans Bay Halt
5 May 1969	Renamed Normans Bay
Passengers
2015/16	11,536
2016/17	8,160
2017/18	10,616
2018/19	13,512
2019/20	15,236
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The station was opened on 11 September 1905 and was originally named Pevensey Sluice, but later that year it was renamed Normans Bay Halt. The name was altered to Normans Bay on 5 May 1969.[1]

According to a text held by a local resident, the station was built in Victorian times due to the arrival of a stranded whale in the nearby marshes, although these are now much further out to sea. On hearing the news of the whale, several Londoners flocked to the south coast and found no railway station, instead having to jump several feet from the train. The local public house; The Star Inn (still in use today) urged the local authorities to place a halt, so several sleepers were hurried in overnight.

A level crossing named 'Havensmouth' by Network Rail is in operation at Normans Bay, which was upgraded to automatic full length barriers in February 2015 in co-operation with the upgrading of part of the East Coastway Line.

A self-service ticket machine was installed at the station in 2016.

Services

All services at Normans Bay are operated by Southern using Class 377 EMUs and Class 171 DMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[2]

• 1 tph to Eastbourne
• 1 tph to Ashford International via Hastings

Additional services between Brighton, London Victoria and Ore call during the peak hours.

On Sundays, there is an hourly service between London Victoria and Ore. This service was introduced in May 2018 as Normans Bay was not served on Sundays before this. The platforms are only long enough for 3 coaches.

References

1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. pp. 185, 172. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
2. "Timetable 23: Ashford International to Hastings and Eastbourne" (PDF). Southern, December 2019.

External links

• Train times and station information for Normans Bay railway station from National Rail
• Southern E Group website for Normans Bay Railway Station