Hampden Park railway station serves Hampden Park in East Sussex. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. Opened in 1888, it was originally called "Willingdon". It is one of two stations serving Eastbourne, the other being Eastbourne railway station
The station is located on a spur line originally termed the Eastbourne Branch. There was a rarely used triangular junction between Polegate and the now-closed Stone Cross which allowed trains to bypass the Branch; the track has now been lifted. Services along the coast have almost invariably served Eastbourne, and as Eastbourne is at the end of the spur line, the trains pass through Hampden Park station twice - once on the way to Eastbourne, and once on the way out of Eastbourne - although not all trains stop on both occasions.
Because of this arrangement, some connections are advertised to allow passengers on the Victoria-Eastbourne service to use Hampden Park to pick up the stopping service to Hastings and vice versa. This connection works satisfactorily in the London-bound direction but is less reliable homebound. In the event of a late-running train from London, the connecting service to Hastings is rarely held, and train doors regularly close in the faces of passengers who have just crossed over the footbridge. Passengers on the London services are also subject to confusion as both platforms are can accommodate only 8 coaches while some rush hour services to/from London have 12 cars. Most off-peak trains to/from London divide at Haywards Heath so are 8 cars or less, as are local trains.
The level crossing at Hampden Park is thought to be one of the busiest in the country, with an average fourteen train movements an hour off-peak, and this can lead to significant traffic congestion on adjacent roads.
Read more about Hampden Park Railway Station: Services
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