Editing Reigate (section)

===Transport and communications===
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| caption = Extract from ''Mogg's Twenty Four Miles Round London, 1820'' showing the turnpike roads through Reigate
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In medieval times, the main road north from Reigate followed Nutley Lane, climbing Colley Hill in the direction of [[Kingston upon Thames]], from where produce and manufactured items could be transported via the [[River Thames]].<ref name=Greenwood_2008_p7>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|p=7}}</ref>{{refn|During the middle ages, goods were generally transported using [[packhorse]]s, rather than wheeled [[cart]]s.<ref name=Greenwood_2008_p7/>|group=note}}{{refn|In the medieval and early modern periods, Kingston upon Thames acted as a "port" for much of east Surrey, from where goods could be distributed via the Thames to London and elsewhere.<ref name=Greenwood_2008_p52>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|p=52}}</ref>|group=note}} Although the direct route to London via Merstham had a less severe gradient, it appears to have been little used for the transport of goods.<ref name=Greenwood_2008_p7/> The manor of Reigate was responsible for maintaining the roads in the local area, but repairs were carried out infrequently<ref name=Hooper_1979_pp82-83>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|pp=82–83}}</ref> and improvements were often only funded by private donations.<ref name=Greenwood_2008_pp23-24>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|pp=23–24}}</ref>{{refn|In 1466, Richard Jay of Crawley left money in his will to fund repairs to "the weies [ways] of the new causey [causeway] between Crawlei and Reygate".<ref name=Greenwood_2008_pp23-24/>|group=note}} In 1555, the responsibility for local infrastructure was transferred to the parish, and separate [[surveying|surveyors]] were employed for the Borough and for Reigate Foreign. The inefficiency created by this division resulted in frequent complaints and court cases relating to the poor state of the roads<ref name=Hooper_1979_pp82-83/> and so, in 1691, local [[justices of the peace]] were given the role of appointing the surveyors.<ref>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|p=23}}</ref>

The first [[turnpike trust]] in Surrey was authorised by Parliament in 1697 to improve the road south from Woodhatch towards Crawley. The new road took the form of a [[bridleway]], laid alongside the existing causeway between the River Mole crossing at [[Sidlow]] and Horse Hill, and was unsuitable for wheeled vehicles.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=85}}</ref> Repairs were also carried out on the route between Reigate and Woodhatch under the same Act.<ref>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|p=26}}</ref> A second turnpike was authorised in 1755, to improve the route from [[Sutton, London|Sutton]] to Povey Cross, near [[Horley]], which involved creating a new road north from Reigate over Reigate Hill. A cutting was excavated at the top of the hill, using a battering ram to break up the underlying chalk.
The new route was completed the following year<ref name=Hopper_1979_pp86-87>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|pp=86–87}}</ref> and the old road via Nutley Lane was blocked at Colley Hill.<ref>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|p=32}}</ref>{{refn|On opening, the turnpike over Reigate Hill was so steep that coach passengers had alight and to ascend on foot. In the early 19th century, the base of the cutting was lowered to reduce the gradient<ref name=Greenwood_2008_p29>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|p=29}}</ref> and bends in the road were straightened in 1825.<ref>{{harvnb|Greenwood|2008|p=33}}</ref>|group=note}} In 1808, a second turnpike to the north was opened to Purley via Merstham. The new trust was required to pay £200 per year to the owners of the Reigate Hill road, in compensation for lost tolls.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=90}}</ref>

[[File:Reigate Tunnel (June 2022).jpg|thumb|[[Reigate Tunnel]] decorated for the [[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II]] in June 2022]]
Two improvements were made to the road network in the town centre in the early 19th century. Firstly, in 1815, the Wray Stream, was [[culvert]]ed to improve the drainage and road surface of Bell Street. Secondly, [[Reigate Tunnel]], the first road tunnel in England, was constructed at the expense of [[John Cocks, 1st Earl Somers]], the lord of the manor. Opened in 1823, it runs beneath the castle and links Bell Street to London Road. It enabled road traffic to bypass the tight curves at the west end of the town centre, but is now only used by pedestrians.<ref>{{harvnb|Ward|1998|pp=51–52}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1241366|desc=The Tunnel|grade=II|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> The Borough Council became responsible for local roads on its formation in 1865. The final tolls were removed from the turnpikes in 1881.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=91}}</ref>

The first station to serve Reigate area, on Hooley Lane near [[Earlswood]], opened in 1841. The following year, the South Eastern Railway opened the {{rws|Redhill||railway station at Redhill}}, which was initially named Reigate Junction.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=177}}</ref> The [[North Downs Line|railway line]] through Reigate was constructed by the Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway and opened in 1849. It was designed to provide an alternative route between the west of England and the Channel ports, and serving intermediate towns was a secondary concern.<ref>{{harvnb|Jackson|1988|p=7}}</ref>{{refn|Reigate railway station was known as Reigate Town until 1898.<ref>{{harvnb|Mitchell|Smith|1989|loc= Fig. 97}}</ref>|group=note}} [[Railway electrification in Great Britain|Electrification]] of the section of line from Reigate to Redhill was completed on 1 January 1933.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title= Southern Railway Developments |date= 19 January 1931 |page= 9 |issue= 45724 }}</ref>

In February 1976, Reigate was joined to the UK motorway system when the [[M25 motorway|M25]] was opened between Reigate Hill and [[Godstone]].<ref>{{harvnb|Asher|2018|p=115}}</ref> The section to [[Wisley]] via [[Leatherhead]] was opened in October 1985.<ref>{{cite news |last= Petty |first= John |date= 5 October 1985 |title= Cracked M25 link to open |issue= 40526 |page=36 |location= London |work= Daily Telegraph }}</ref>