The Hayling Island Branch

This British Railways history presents an in-depth look at the iconic seaside line that brought residents and visitors to the tiny English Channel island.

The Hayling Island Branch was one of Britain's most iconic seaside railway lines, connecting the town of Havant with Hayling Island on the south coast of England. First serving as a freight line, it opened to passenger traffic in 1867. It was managed and operated as part of the London Brighton & South Coast Railway, who were responsible for its upkeep until the railway grouping in 1923, when it became a part of the Southern Railway.

The railway had a colorful and bucolic existence, with trains headed by the attractive Stroudley Terrier class tank locomotives and a collection of vintage carriage stock. In 1948 the branch became part of the Southern Region of British Railways, carrying on as a local and at times heavily used branch line, until its closure in November 1963.

Today the track bed of the Hayling Island Branch is an idyllic foot path and Local Nature Reserve known as the Hayling Billy. Only the former goods shed at Hayling Island stands as a reminder of the historic railway.