The first station in Friars Walk opened in 8 June 1846 was originally built as a terminus on the Brighton line. However, this station became inconvenient after an extension to opened on 27 June 1846. The new railway met the Brighton line at a junction just west of Lewes Station, requiring trains serving Lewes to reverse. The director of the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway called the station "the most incomplete and injudicious station ever erected". On 2 October 1847, the Keymer Junction to Lewes line opened. New platforms were built opposite the terminus, west of the Hasting line branch. On 1 November 1857, a new station was built at the divergence of the Keymer Junction line. The old station closed; the original booking hall with grand classical columns outside survived until the 1960s before it was demolished. The new building was built in the style of a Swiss chalet. A new junction for the realigned Wealden Line opened on 1 October 1868. The new alignment went through part of the station goods yard of the original terminus. Before this change, the Wealden line joined the Keymer line at Hamsey Junction between the north portal of Lewes Tunnel and Cooksbridge Station. The second station was rebuilt in order to increase platform capacity and reduce the narrow curvature of the track. It opened on 17 June 1889. On 1 October 1889 all passenger services were diverted from the original loop line between Lewes and Southerham Junction onto this alignment. The original route was retained for goods only. On 5 November 1960, severe flooding of the track caused the suspension of all electric services, and replaced by whatever steam locomotives were available. The BoroughSurveyor requested that the London-bound platforms at Lewes station should be blown up to allow flood water to escape via the railway track-bed. However, the British Railways district engineer declined to co-operate. The line to remained inoperable for some time. In the 1960s, the original 1846 terminus building fronting the public street, was demolished. The line to Uckfield closed on 23 February 1969, in order that a relief road in Lewes could be built over the redundant trackbed.
Current layout
The station platforms are arranged in a "V" shape, with a large courtyard in between, which is bound by the tracks on two sides and the station building on the third side. The two-floor building, with the entrance from the top floor, is accompanied with a gallery, which extends to the other platforms as the passenger bridge. Northern platforms
Platform 1 is an eastbound platform for trains towards Eastbourne, Seaford and Hastings, from London
After the introduction of the new timetable in May 2018, the express service to and from Ashford International was discontinued, due to long journey times and lack of rolling stock, which caused overcrowding, which was especially true between Brighton and Eastbourne. Now, the Ashford service runs from Eastbourne as a stopping service.
