Locals in a pretty little seaside town have had their direct train to London brought back after it “vanished” five years ago. The route between the capital and Eastbourne was halted in 2020 and locals have been campaigning since for it to be reopened.
Some even said that it was “quicker from Paris” to get to London than it is from Eastbourne. The twice-daily service between the town and London Bridge will begin again in December. The one-and-a-half-hour service will run from Monday to Thursday with a stop in Lewes. Eastbourne MP Josh Babarinde, who campaigned for the train service to be restored, said the change would have a “positive impact” on the town.
Whilst neighbouring destinations like Brighton have routes to multiple stations, such as London Bridge, London St Pancras International, and Farringdon, Eastbourne trains only go into London Victoria.
Mr Babarinde wrote to Govia Thameslink Railway, Network Rail and the Department for Transport, calling for the London Bridge service to be brought back. To show public support, he displayed a giant ticket-shaped petition outside Eastbourne station, signed by local residents.
Josh Babarinde MP said: “After months of campaigning, including writing to rail bosses, pressing Ministers in the House of Commons, and gathering thousands of signatures from Eastbournians, I’m delighted that we’ve managed to restore our direct London Bridge rail service.
“I want to thank the operator, GTR, for heeding our calls; the Chamber of Commerce and Dave Cooper MBE for their support and the people of Eastbourne for signing my petition, who I hope this service will have a positive impact on.
“This is a huge victory for our town. I look forward to seeing commuters on 15th December for the first journey up to London Bridge.”
Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Govia Thameslink Railway that runs Southern services from Eastbourne, said: “We are delighted to confirm that from December, when timetables next change, we will be able to bring back a direct rail link between Eastbourne, Lewes and London Bridge as we know this is something customers have been calling for.”