East Coastway line

The East Coastway line is a railway line along the south coast of Sussex to the east of Brighton, England. Trains to the West of Brighton operate on the West Coastway line. Together with the West Coastway and the Marshlink line to the east, the line forms part of a continuous route from Havant to Ashford. The Brighton Main Line route to Eastbourne and Hastings, via Plumpton and Cooksbridge, shares the East Coastway line east of Lewes station.

TypeHeavy railSystemNational RailStatusOperationalLocaleEast Sussex,
South East EnglandTerminiBrighton
HastingsStations17OperationOpened1846OwnerNetwork RailOperator(s)Southern
SoutheasternDepot(s)Brighton – Lovers Walk
Eastbourne
St LeonardsRolling stockClass 171 “Turbostar”
Class 313
Class 375 “Electrostar”
Class 377 “Electrostar”
Class 442 “Wessex Electric”TechnicalNumber of trackstwoTrack gauge4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) standard gaugeElectrification750 V DC Third railOperating speed90 mph (145 km/h) maximum

The train operating company Southern refers to the routes on this line as “East Coastway” or “Coastway East”. The trains running under the East Coastway name serve stations between Brighton, Lewes, Eastbourne, Hastings, Ore and Ashford, together with the branch line to Seaford. A now-closed branch to Kemptown, Brighton diverged just east of London Road Station.