Letter: Campaign to Gauge Opinion on Restoring the Railway Line to Cranleigh

Published on: 31 Oct, 2024
Updated on: 31 Oct, 2024

Cranleigh station before its closure in 1965. Picture supplied by Ben Darnton.

From Adrian Chandler

See: What Cranleigh Really Needs is a Restored Railway Link

I was interested in the recent articles in The Guildford Dragon concerning restoration of the railway line which used to run to Cranleigh and beyond to Horsham. This has nicely coincided with a campaign the British Regional Transport Association has started to gauge opinion and enthusiasm for a restored railway.

Initially, leaflets (see below) are being distributed in Cranleigh where we feel that residents there will drive the interest.

I became interested in this line many years ago and became more involved when Guildford Borough Council was contacted by a councillor from Waverley just over five years ago. He initially needed to establish where the train would terminate at Guildford (possibly platform 3).

Working together, we visited various sites along the route to try and see if there could be any problems and, if found, how we could overcome them.

Sites visited were where it crosses the Horsham Road (A281) (possible tunnel), Bramley Station, the route south of Bramley as it ran alongside the Horsham Road and a possible site for a new Cranleigh Station (on the opposite side of the B2130 to the Hewitts Industrial estate).

Our conclusion was that a single track was certainly feasible whilst still maintaining the Downslink to Cranleigh and further options to Dunsfold and Horsham could be looked into. We didn’t see a problem with using modern rolling stock.

Responses to Letter: Campaign to Gauge Opinion on Restoring the Railway Line to Cranleigh

Jim Allen Reply

October 31, 2024 at 9:10 am

Considering the persistent objections by home owners and walkers, a quieter option would be a monorail above ground allowing walking routes to remain and stations being naturally accessible.

Some residents in Bramley, over the years, have always been the worst detractors to any improved travel route to Cranleigh and the biggest obstacle to reopening public transport.
Warren Gill Reply

November 2, 2024 at 7:38 pm

I’m afraid there is very little chance of it happening due the residents of Bramley kicking off about it and the noise.

Even though it’s not as if it’s a train thundering through Bramley at 100mph or more every few minutes, it would be probably be a 40-70/80 mph, or so, railway with modern engineering standards as trains will either be starting away from Bramley station or slowing for the Bramley station call. The only exceptions would be early and late trains running empty to position themselves for the start or end of service which would pass through at any speed and that would depend on the infrastructure.

However it’s the residents of Linnersh Wood who are the primary objectors to it, from what I am aware from previous attempts at reinstating the line. West Sussex Council wants it back to ease the traffic on the A281, yet it’s a number of individuals who have “influence” and a couple of Conservative councillors that are stopping it.

Bramley residents who vociferously complain about its possible reinstatement are more often than not the same ones who complain bitterly about the traffic on the A281 with its noise, speed and pollution, yet when something that would take a loads of cars on the school run to St Catherine’s and Gosden House schools as well as commuters to and from Guildford and Horsham.

The levels of traffic are only going to increase and get worse with Dunsfold and other housing developments in the pipeline and the new government’s obsession with building housing everywhere.

It’s also ironic that the residents of Bramley are quite happy to drive to Shalford, Farncombe or Godalming and clutter up the roads there with their cars.

However the simple fact is there is no point in terminating the line at Cranleigh, it needs to be reinstated in full back to Horsham, albeit with some diversions such as Baynards (due to the partially filled in and restrictive tunnel) to develop the line’s full potential as it would provide a valuable link to the employment hotspots of Crawley and Gatwick Airport as well as serve local journeys.