For other stations with the same name, see Leigh railway station (disambiguation).
Leigh (Kent)
BoroughLeigh, Sevenoaks
CountryEngland
Coordinates51.194°N 0.211°E
ManagerSouthern
Platforms2
CodeLIH
ClassificationDfT category F1
Years1 Sep 1911[1]
EventsOpened (Leigh Halt)
Years 1Apr 1917[1]
Events 1Renamed (Lyghe Halt)
Years 21960[1]
Events 2Renamed (Leigh Halt)
Years 35 May 1969[1]
Events 3Renamed (Leigh)
Years 41993
Events 4Electrified

Leigh railway station is on the Redhill to Tonbridge Line and serves Leigh in Kent, England. It is measured from via . Train services are operated by Southern.

History

The station was opened as "Leigh Halt" in 1911; was renamed "Lyghe Halt" in 1917; "Leigh Halt" again about 1960; and "Leigh" in 1969. (Leigh is pronounced /lai/ (lie)—identical with the name of Lye railway station in the West Midlands.). The station was destaffed in 1967.

In 1993 the line was electrified and services started to run through to London rather than being an extension of the Reading to Tonbridge North Downs Line service.

In 2007, a PERTIS machine was installed at the street entrance to the Tonbridge-bound platform (since replaced by a modern ticket machine). The station was until December 2008 operated by Southeastern before it transferred to Southern, whose green signage was installed before October 2008.

Facilities

Leigh station is unstaffed and facilities are limited. Tickets can be purchased from the self-service ticket machine at the station and there are passenger help points located on each platforms. There is also a basic shelter located on each platform. The station has step free access available to both platforms.[2]

Services

All services at Leigh are operated by Southern using EMUs.

The typical off-peak service is one train per hour in each direction between and . A small number of additional services call at the station during the peak hours.[3]

Future plans

In early 2024 Network Rail created a research paper looking into options to increase rail use between Kent and Gatwick Airport. Five options are being looked are:[4]

  1. Tonbridge - Redhill - Gatwick Airport 1tph (all day) + Tonbridge - Redhill 1tph (peak only)
  2. Tonbridge - Redhill - Gatwick Airport 2tph (all day)
  3. Tonbridge - Redhill - Gatwick Airport 1tph (all day) + Tonbridge - Redhill 1tph (all day)
  4. Maidstone West - Redhill - Gatwick Airport 1tph fast (all day) + Tonbridge - Redhill 1tph (all day)
  5. Ashford International - Redhill - Gatwick Airport 1tph fast (all day) + Tonbridge - Redhill 1tph (all day)

References

  1. ^
  2. ^ "Leigh Station Information". Southern, August 2020
  3. ^
  4. ^ "Kent-Gatwick Rail Connectivity Strategic Advice 2024.pdf page 58-62"[dead link]