Rye railway station is a Grade II listed station, serving Rye, East Sussex, England. It is on the Marshlink line between and and is the principal station between those two terminals. The station is a passing place between two single track sections. Services are provided by Southern, usually between and Ashford with an additional shuttle from Rye to Ashford at peak times. A station at Rye was first planned in the early 1840s, though on a different route to what was opened. It was built by the South Eastern Railway as the central station on the line from Hastings to Ashford, opening in 1851. Despite recommendation for closure in the 1963 Beeching Report, it has remained open because of poor quality road connections. The station building was designed by William Tress; it was Grade II listed in 1980, while an 1894 signal box was listed in 2013. Location The station is to the north of the town centre, between two level crossings. There are two platforms, one for trains to Ashford and the other for Hastings. The line is double track through the station providing a passing loop for trains on the Marshlink line, which is single track between and . The staggered platforms are linked by footbridge. There is a waiting room on Platform 2 (Hastings bound). Stagecoach South East bus routes 70, 100, 101, 102, 292, 293, 312, 313, 326, 342 and 553 serve the station. History Background A station at Rye was proposed in April 1840, when the Tenterden, Rye & Hastings Branch Railway planned a line from the South Eastern Main Line near Smarden to Hastings via Tenterden and Rye. At the time, harbour duties were not charged at Rye, making it a suitable port for goods traffic. The following year, it was estimated a single-track line from the South Eastern Main Line to Hastings via Rye could be built for £250,000 (£ in ). The company attempted to negotiate construction with the South Eastern Railway (SER), who thought the route was a poor choice and preferred to reach Hastings from via . In 1844, the SER became concerned that the Brighton, Lewes & Hastings Railway (BLHR) would extend its line beyond Hastings to Rye and Ashford. A compromise was reached whereby the BLHR was granted permission to build the line with an option for the SER to take over if necessary. The River Rother to