Campaign to reopen defunct Horsham to Guildford rail line

The English Regional Transport Association also wants to reopen the Horsham to Shoreham line. Both lines have been closed for more than 50 years but much of the original track beds survive.

A public meeting to discuss the proposals will be held at the Lynd Cross pub in Springfield Road, Horsham, on June 22 from 2pm-5pm.

The transport association - a voluntary membership-based group - says that reopening the line with cycle and footpaths would provide a ‘transport-leisure corridor which could cut congestion, reduce road traffic, save land, make modest development more sustainable and offer many new rail direct journeys currently laboriously lengthy, costly, inconvenient or non-existent.’

The association also says that the proposals would bring places like Cranleigh ‘back onto the railway map and would make access and visitorship a more atttractive proposition.’ It adds on its website that ‘a new parkway station could be made avialable intersecting the A24 so people could have more options in their travel and commuting habits.

‘It would also free up seats on the direct London – Brighton line and enable people to commute to and from Gatwick by rail from north of Guildford via Horsham and Three Bridges-Redhill and back informing a loop.

‘This would cut wait-over and clear through tracks at Gatwick, keeping trains on the move and utilising existing stock, saving costs.

‘Due to blockages, a railway bypass is required at Cranleigh to the west but the gains of a railway and a station there should be obvious to most discerning people and places.’

The association says it is seeking people to join and help in progressing the proposals.

See https://ertarail.com/events/