Direct Southern trains reach Victoria in 47 minutes, and Redhill's Thameslink does London Bridge in 31. Times, first and last trains, and 2026 season costs.

The first thing to understand about commuting from Reigate is that this borough has two London railways, and the faster one is not in Reigate. Reigate’s own station sends direct Southern trains to Victoria in 47 to 48 minutes; two miles east, Redhill’s Thameslink service reaches London Bridge in 31 minutes, four times an hour, and runs through to St Pancras. Which station you build your life around decides your journey more than any timetable tweak. This page sets out the real times at all four of the borough’s commuter stations, the first and last trains, and what tickets cost in 2026, each figure linked to its source. One thing it cannot promise: peak patterns differ, so check your exact train before an interview-day journey.

Diagram of the borough's four stations and their direct London services: Reigate to Victoria with Southern in 47 to 48 minutes plus GWR to Reading; Redhill to London Bridge in 31 minutes and St Pancras in 46 with Thameslink four times an hour, plus Southern to Victoria in 39 minutes; Horley to London Bridge in 39 to 45 minutes; Banstead to Victoria in 58 minutes

Reigate: Victoria direct, London Bridge with a change

Reigate sits at the end of Southern’s metro pattern and on GWR’s cross-country North Downs line, and its off-peak rhythm is simple (timetable data):

  • London Victoria, direct: two trains an hour, leaving around :02 and :31, taking 47 to 48 minutes. Trainline counts 42 trains a day on the corridor, fastest 44 minutes (Trainline).
  • London Bridge: no direct off-peak service. Change at Redhill and the whole journey takes about 52 minutes.
  • Reading, direct with GWR: two trains an hour, at :15 and :45, taking 1 hour 12 minutes (timetable data), the escape route west that most Surrey towns would love to have.

The bookends, from the live timetable: the first direct train to London leaves Reigate at 05:58 (arriving Victoria 06:49; earlier trains from 04:29 involve a change), the last direct out is at 23:04, and the last direct train home leaves Victoria at 23:08, arriving 23:55. Miss it and you are into a post-midnight change at Gatwick or Redhill (first and last trains).

Redhill: the borough’s fast station

Redhill is a junction, and it shows (timetable data):

  • London Bridge, direct with Thameslink: four trains an hour, 31 to 32 minutes, with the same trains running through to St Pancras International in 46 to 47 minutes, dropping you on the Underground’s spine and at Eurostar’s door.
  • London Victoria, direct with Southern: two trains an hour, 39 minutes.
  • Plus the same GWR Reading service that calls at Reigate.

That is six direct London trains an hour off-peak against Reigate’s two, to two terminals rather than one. It is why the station car park at Redhill holds 350 cars to Reigate’s 56, and part of why central Redhill is the cheapest place to buy a home in Surrey: the trains are better than the postcode’s reputation.

Horley, one stop from Gatwick, gets around four direct London Bridge trains an hour, 39 to 45 minutes; for Victoria you change at East Croydon (timetable data). Banstead, on the Epsom Downs branch, has a direct Victoria train every half hour taking 58 minutes (timetable data); for the City, changing at Sutton is quicker.

What tickets cost in 2026

From Trainline’s season ticket data, fetched 7 August 2026 (Reigate; Redhill):

Season tickets to London, standard class, 2026
TicketWeeklyMonthlyAnnual
Reigate to London Terminals£87.00£334.10£3,480
Redhill to London Terminals£87.00£334.10£3,480
Redhill to London, Thameslink routes£113.40£435.50£4,536
Reigate, Travelcard Zones 1 to 6£114.40£439.30£4,576

Reigate and Redhill sit in the same fare band, so the season ticket costs the same from either; Redhill just buys you more trains for it. The cheapest tickets are route-restricted, which is the small print that matters: the base London Terminals season will not cover every Thameslink routing, and none of these are valid on the Underground, which is what the Travelcard version is for. If you commute two or three days a week, price a Flexi Season against the weekly figure before buying.

The important 2026 fact: regulated fares in England are frozen until March 2027, the first freeze in about 30 years, covering standard-class seasons, Anytime and Off-Peak tickets (National Rail). The prices above are not rising this year.

For one-off trips, the National Rail fare data puts a Reigate Off-Peak Day Return to London at £15.20 and an Anytime Day Return at £26.80, with an off-peak single at £7.60 (fare listings). Redhill’s walk-up fares are broadly the same, with one lovely anomaly: its Super Off-Peak Day Return is £13.10, ten pence more than the £13.00 single. Buy the return and enjoy the ten pence of pure railway logic.

Oyster, contactless and the Gatwick corridor

The A23 corridor’s stations, Redhill, Merstham, Salfords, Earlswood, Horley and Gatwick Airport, take both Oyster and contactless pay as you go, and have since 2016 (Department for Transport). Reigate is contactless-only: a bank card or phone works, an Oyster card does not, and the fare data shows an off-peak contactless London fare of £7.60, less than half the equivalent paper Anytime single. For a family day out rather than a commute, tapping in is usually the cheapest walk-up option; just remember everyone needs their own card.

At the stations

Reigate station is small: a Southern-run station with a 56-space APCOA car park that fills early (£6.90 a weekday), no lifts, step-free access by ramps only, and a ticket office that closes on Sundays (National Rail; APCOA). Redhill station is the accessible one, Category A step-free with lifts to every platform and around 350 parking spaces with EV chargers (National Rail). Station parking prices and this summer’s road closures around both are in Reigate roadworks and travel, and if you are driving to the shops instead, the town car parks are free on Sundays.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the train from Reigate to London?

Direct Southern services take 47 to 48 minutes to London Victoria, twice an hour off-peak; Trainline puts the fastest at 44 minutes (Trainline). For London Bridge, change at Redhill, about 52 minutes in all.

Is Redhill quicker than Reigate for London?

Much. Redhill has direct Thameslink trains to London Bridge in 31 minutes, four times an hour, running through to St Pancras, plus Southern to Victoria in 39 minutes (timetable data). Reigate has two direct trains an hour to Victoria only.

What is the last train from London to Reigate?

The 23:08 from Victoria, direct, arriving 23:55. Later departures involve a change and land after midnight, so check the day’s timetable before relying on them (timetable data).

How much is a Reigate to London season ticket?

£3,480 a year standard class to London Terminals, identical from Redhill; add Underground zones and the Travelcard season is £4,576 (Trainline). Regulated fares are frozen until March 2027, so these hold through 2026.

Can I use an Oyster card at Reigate station?

No. Reigate takes contactless pay as you go only; Oyster works from Redhill, Merstham, Salfords, Earlswood, Horley and Gatwick, which joined the Oyster area in 2016 (DfT).

Can I get to Gatwick by train from Reigate?

Not directly off-peak: change at Redhill, from where Gatwick is minutes away on the Brighton main line. From Horley, the airport is one stop.

Sources

Times and prices change, and peak patterns differ from the off-peak rhythm above. Check live times before you travel. Checked against the sources above on 7 August 2026.