Hayling Island Branch Line Closes

1963

The Hayling Island branch line closed on 4 November 1963, a casualty of the Beeching Report's recommendations for the reshaping of the British railway network. The wooden bridge across Langstone Harbour was in need of expensive repairs, and the branch had never been a profitable line. The closure ended nearly a century of rail services between Havant and Hayling Island. The last trains were packed with passengers making a final journey on the branch. The bridge was demolished after closure, and the trackbed was eventually converted into the Billy Trail, now one of the most popular walking and cycling routes in the area. The trail follows the old railway route from Havant through Langstone to Hayling Island.