Gatwick Airport New Look Station Set to Open

A new look Gatwick Airport station is set to open to passengers on Tuesday 21st November, transforming the journey from train to plane and giving passengers travelling between Brighton and London easier, faster, more reliable journeys. 

“This project is not just for those making their way to the airport, the work benefits passengers across the region by giving them quicker journeys and a more reliable timetable,” Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail Sussex route director, said.

A bigger station with a new second concourse and airport entrance will double the space for the millions of passengers that use the station each year.

“With the millions of passengers travelling into Gatwick Airport by train each year, this station is a major public transport hub that is being upgraded with Government funding – improving the train-to-plane journey and delivering more reliable services for passengers,” Transport Secretary Mark Harper, said.

Eight new escalators and five new lifts will provide a step change for accessibility. The new lifts and escalators, along with four new stairways and widened platforms, will help passengers move between the train station and the airport quickly.

“Our trains sustainably speed people to the airport in just half an hour from London – and that’s much better for the environment than driving,” Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Govia Thameslink Railway, said.

“However, right now, the station struggles with the numbers using it and that holds up our trains, delaying everyone,” Saunders added.

Easier journeys from train to plane will benefit passengers across the wider network, helping keep trains running on time by removing the congestion and queuing on platforms that delay trains.

Passengers travelling on the Brighton Main Line are already seeing the benefits of the project thanks to track upgrades that have helped reduce journey times between Brighton and London to one hour on some services.

The number of passengers getting to the airport by rail is growing steadily and now over 40% use the train. This fantastic new, fully accessible station concourse will encourage even more passengers to come to the airport using sustainable public transport,” Jonathan Pollard, Chief Commercial Officer, London Gatwick, said.

The existing station concourse is also bigger and better than ever before with new customer information systems, more ticket gates, a dedicated passenger assistance point enhancing the passenger experience and helping people move through the station more quickly.

The new concourse will act as the new entrance for people accessing the airport terminal, while the existing concourse will be for people exiting. Travelling customers will see the refurbished and reconfigured station concourse, station footbridges and the South Terminal linkspan, to provide a seamless one-way system to the airport from the train station.