As you will know from the regular Network Rail newsletter, the £150m upgrade of Gatwick Airport railway station continues to make progress. On the 2nd November, stage 2 of the upgrade started - this saw the reopening of platform 7, with the focus of works shifting towards the new lifts and escalators for platform 5 / 6 and preparations for the construction of the new station concourse.
Please see below for a set of photos showing the transformation underway.
An update on the upgrade over the Christmas holiday period. This will see important works underway at the station with changes to train services to and from the south coast.
The briefing below provides further details on the works at Gatwick, but please remember that there is wider engineering work underway across the network. The most notable on the GTR network is works at King's Cross to support the ongoing upgrade of the East Coast Mainline. The best advice as always is to check journeys at www.nationalrail.co.uk
With our partners at Network Rail and across the industry, we'll be working hard to support people to travel with confidence this Christmas. We are asking customers to follow our travel advice, to plan ahead and to book tickets in advance.
Briefing: changes to train services between London, Gatwick Airport and the south coast, 26 December to Sunday 3 January 2021 inclusive
Southern, Thameslink, Great Western Railway and South Western Railway services will change between 26 December 2020 and Sunday 3 January 2021 to support the upgrade of Gatwick Airport railway station.
A summary of the changes by route is available below. Further details on individual journeys, including the times of trains will be available in journey planners such as www.nationalrail.co.uk. If you are planning to travel during this period, please allow additional time for your journey.
Please note that wider engineering work will be taking place across the network during this period. The purpose of this update is to focus on the impact on rail journeys via Gatwick Airport.
Upgrades at Gatwick Airport railway station
In support of the £150m upgrade of Gatwick Airport railway station, between Saturday 26 December and Sunday 3 January 2021, engineers will:
- Install new foundations for a new lift and staircase on platform 3 /4
- Install a new worksite footbridge to span platforms 3 to 7. This will enable the construction team to continue working on platforms 3/4 and 5/6 after the 3rd January while trains pass through the station.
These works require platforms 3-7 and the railway lines that serve these platforms to close. With one line available in each direction through Gatwick, we need to make temporary changes to the train service at Gatwick and across the wider region.
Changes to train services between London and the south coast
There is no train service on Christmas Day.
On Boxing Day limited train services will operate on the following three routes:
- London Victoria - Gatwick Airport - A half-hourly train service will operate calling at London Victoria, Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport.
- London Victoria - Brighton - A hourly train service will operate calling at London Victoria, Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Three Bridges, Haywards Heath and Brighton. Please note, this route will be available in journey planners shortly.
- London Victoria - Sutton (via West Croydon) - A half-hourly stopping train service will operate between London Victoria and Sutton via West Croydon.
- London Victoria - East Croydon - A half-hourly stopping train service will operate between London Victoria and East Croydon.
From 27 December 2020 until Sunday 3 January 2021, there will be changes to Southern, Thameslink, South Western Railway and Great Western Railway services that use the railway lines through Gatwick, Horsham, Epsom and Dorking.
As an overview, please see below as a summary of the main changes. Please note that there will be variations on individual days owing to bank holidays and Sundays.
Southern
- Southern services between London Victoria and Bognor Regis / Portsmouth & Southsea / Southampton will operate on diversion via Dorking.
- These services will not call at Gatwick Airport or nearby stations such as Crawley or Three Bridges. This means that customers at Horsham or to the south that wish to travel to the airport should plan to change trains at Horsham and to allow additional time for the connection. Thameslink services will operate on the route between Horsham, Gatwick Airport and London Bridge.
- Southern services between London Victoria and Brighton will not operate Monday 28 December - Thursday 31 December or Saturday 2 January. Customers for Brighton to/from London or Gatwick Airport should plan to use Thameslink services to/from London Bridge.
South Western Railway
- South Western Railway services in the Epsom and Dorking area will operate at a reduced frequency. Please plan to use either South Western Railway or Southern services to reach your destination. Please be aware that South Western Railway services will be affected by planned works between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction. You can find out more about those works here: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/our-routes/wessex/london-waterloo-to-clapham-junction-engineering-work/
Thameslink
- The Thameslink Gatwick Airport to Bedford via Redhill service will start its journey at Three Bridges.
Great Western Railway
- Great Western Railway services to Gatwick Airport will terminate at Redhill. Customers for Gatwick Airport should plan to change trains at Redhill and allow additional time for the connection.
