Southern Railway Guide for January 1933
The railway arrived in Brighton on 21 September 1841 and had a dramatic effect on the development of the town.
Until the 1840s the only way to get to Brighton from London was by coach and the journey was long and uncomfortable. The majority of passengers either had important business in Brighton or were wealthier travellers coming for the benefits of the sea air.
The coming of the railway introduced two new types of passenger to Brighton, the commuter and the day tripper. The relatively short journey time of an hour and forty five minutes on the express allowed the new commuter to live in a pleasant villa by the sea and continue to work in London.
In 1844 the first day excursion tickets were issued. For the cost of a single ticket, passengers could go to Brighton and back for the day. The Palace Pier opened in 1899, catering particularly for these new day visitors with its theatre, band concerts and amusements.
The railway also altered Brighton physically. A new road, Queen’s Road, was built to link the railway station to the centre of the town. A new commercial area was developed with hotels, pubs and shops. As the engineering works grew, more land was taken over.
Streets were built east of the station to accommodate the men needed to work in the workshops and smithies. Detached and semi-detached villas were built elsewhere in the town for the London commuters. Two large viaducts were built across London Road and Lewes Road to accommodate the new line to Hastings and the branch line to Kemptown.