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A year on from the Christmas from hell for Southern Rail users, when the train drivers’ union ASLEF followed the RMT, and announced a series of strikes, local property prices along the main Southern Rail routes still haven’t recovered. According to house price analysis by online estate agents HouseSimple.com, average prices in towns on the routes have risen just 2.17 per cent over the past 12 months compared to UK-wide growth of 3.9 per cent.
UK house prices increased by 2.4 per cent over the past three months according to the Halifax House Price Index, while average price growth was just 0.75 per cent along the three main Southern Rail routes – Brighton Mainline, Mainline West and Mainline East – used by hundreds of thousands of commuters every week.
Although strike action by the train drivers’ union ASLEF was officially called off on 8th November 2017, by then the longest-running industrial dispute in the history of Britain’s railways had rumbled on for 18 months, and the knock-on effect has taken its toll on local property prices.
There wasn’t a single location on the Mainline East route and only one – Hassocks – on the Brighton Mainline route that saw house price growth over the past 12 months above the UK average. Hove (8.18 per cent), on the Mainline West route, was the standout performer with house price growth more than twice the UK average over the past year despite the ongoing dispute disrupting commuters travelling into London.
However, when you look at house price growth over the past three months, which is at the end of a tiring 18 months of industrial action, the fallout from ongoing strike action is much more apparent on house prices, with not a single location on any of the routes showing price growth above the UK average of 2.4 per cent.
The following table shows how average property prices have fared over the past 12 and three months at locations along the Brighton Mainline route:
| Town/City | % change in price in past 12 months | Change in property price over past 12 months (£) | % change in price in past 3 months | Change in property price over past 3 months (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Croydon | 1.77% | 6,704 | 0.98% | 3,734 |
| Gatwick Airport | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Three Bridges | 3.07% | 10,277 | 0.52% | 1,796 |
| Balcombe | 1.02% | 7,023 | 0.48% | 3,300 |
| Haywards Heath | 1.02% | 5,009 | 0.48% | 2,354 |
| Wivelsfield | 0.92% | 6,652 | 0.48% | 3,454 |
| Burgess Hill | 2.23% | 8,284 | 2.23% | 8,284 |
| Hassocks | 4.47% | 23,361 | 0.82% | 4,417 |
| Preston Park | 3.58% | 12,994 | 0.79% | 2,946 |
| Brighton | 3.89% | 14,970 | 0.53% | 2,115 |
The following table shows how average property prices have fared over the past 12 and three months at locations along the Mainline West route:
| Town/City | % change in price in past 12 months | Change in property price over past 12 months (£) | % change in price in past 3 months | Change in property price over past 3 months (£) |
| Redhill | 4.72% | 19,242 | 0.93% | 3,935 |
| Hove | 8.18% | 35,245 | 1.24% | 5,720 |
| Portslade | 3.90% | 11,879 | 0.53% | 1,678 |
| Shoreham-by-Sea | 1.44% | 5,417 | 0.85% | 3,202 |
| Lancing | 4.39% | 12,263 | 0.98% | 2,827 |
| Worthing | 2.78% | 8,838 | 0.58% | 1,871 |
| West Worthing | 2.78% | 8,838 | 0.58% | 1,871 |
| Durrington-on-Sea | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Goring-by-Sea | 2.88% | 9,893 | 0.67% | 2,352 |
| Angmering | 4.66% | 18,947 | 0.70% | 2,954 |
| Crawley | 3.07% | 10,277 | 0. 52% | 1,796 |
| Horsham | 0.14% | 667 | 0.46% | 2,138 |
| Christ’s Hospital | 0.14% | 742 | 0.46% | 2,387 |
| Billingshurst | 6.02% | 31,740 | 0.47% | 2,602 |
| Pulborough | -0.68% | 3,745 | 0.56% | 3,049 |
| Amberley | -2.76% | 19,924 | 0.96% | 6,674 |
| Arundel | -2.76% | 12,716 | 0.96% | 4,258 |
| Littlehampton | 4.56% | 14,715 | 0.61% | 2,032 |
| Ford | -2.76% | -7,046 | 0.96% | 2,361 |
| Barnham | 2.08% | 6,952 | 0.68% | 2,298 |
| Bognor Regis | 2.08% | 6,265 | 0.68% | 2,070 |
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