Eastbourne station, where the line ends at the buffers: the way along Terminus Road to the pier, ticket office hours, step-free access, taxis and parking.
Eastbourne station, managed by Southern, stands at the inland end of Terminus Road, the street that runs through the town centre to the seafront. The line ends here: trains halt at the buffers beside the concourse, so every platform leads onto it and there is no wrong side to arrive on. Journeys from London, Brighton, Gatwick Airport and Southampton each have their own page with the day’s trains.
Walk to the end of the platform and through the barriers on the central concourse. The platforms are level with the main entrance, which faces south onto Terminus Road where Gildredge Road and Ashford Road meet it. The taxi rank and the two Railway Station bus stops, R1 and R2, are along Terminus Road to the right as you come out, and rail replacement buses pick up at the station front too.
Turn left out of the main entrance and Terminus Road takes you into the shops, with the Beacon shopping centre filling the left-hand side for the first stretch. From the Cornfield Road junction the street is pedestrianised, and it carries on across Seaside Road to Grand Parade on the seafront, where Eastbourne Pier is a short way along to the left. The ground barely rises or falls between the station and the sea, which makes it an easy walk with a case; the station panel gives the time and distance.
For Meads, the Old Town or Sovereign Harbour, National Rail’s Onward Travel Information map for the station (data correct at July 2026) shows which nearby stop to use. Eastbourne is a PlusBus area: the add-on, bought with a train ticket, covers unlimited bus travel within the town’s zone.
The taxi rank is partly covered, and National Rail says ramps can be deployed from the rear and side of vehicles there. Cabs are usually waiting, so booking ahead only matters very early or late in the day.
National Rail lists two ticket counters, on the north and south-east sides of the concourse, open 06:00 to 21:15 Monday to Friday, 05:50 to 21:15 on Saturday and 06:40 to 21:15 on Sunday. The ticket machine on the central concourse has room in front for a wheelchair and prints tickets bought online. Contactless payment and Oyster cannot be used at Eastbourne, so arrive with a ticket rather than planning to tap in.
Male, female and unisex accessible toilets are on the north-west side of the concourse. The accessible one has baby changing and opens with a RADAR key, and there is no Changing Places toilet. A heated waiting area and a newsagent are on the concourse, and all three platforms have seating under a canopy. National Rail lists no public Wi-Fi and no left-luggage service.
National Rail puts Eastbourne in step-free category A, which it defines as step-free access “to and between all platforms, at all times trains are running”. The station has no lifts and needs none, since the platforms and the entrance share one level, and there are tactile warnings on every platform in use. Boarding still takes a staff-operated ramp, kept at the station along with wheelchairs or mobility buggies, and induction loops cover the whole building.
Staff are on duty from the first train of the day to the last. Help is available unbooked, as turn up and go, or booked through Southern’s Assisted Travel service up to two hours before departure; either way, find a member of staff on arrival, allowing 20 minutes before the train. The Assistance Meeting Point is on the concourse; if no one is there, ask at the ticket gates, ticket office or platform. The assisted travel helpline, 0800 138 1016, answers around the clock except on Christmas Day.
APCOA runs the station car park, at Commercial Road, BN21 3XE, with number-plate recognition, a 2.00-metre height limit and charging points in some standard bays. On 27 October 2026 APCOA’s page listed £3.30 for up to an hour, a daily rate of £7.80 on weekdays and £6.90 at weekends, and £2.50 from 5pm, with daily rates ending at 4am; those figures move, so read the tariff board before paying. Blue Badge holders park free once the car is registered with APCOA.
There are drop-off and pick-up points on both sides of the station. Bikes have 248 spaces under CCTV, in stands at the front and sheltered stands near the car park. Drivers heading for the seafront rather than a train will find Eastbourne’s council and seafront car parks compared in the parking guide.
Each route has its own page with the day's trains, the changes and a link to times and fares.