Gatwick Express saved – story updated

The high speed Gatwick Express rail service from central London has won a reprieve.

The non-stop link from the capital to the airport every 15 minutes was threatened with closure as part of planned changes to the London-Brighton line.

But instead the franchise will change from National Express to Southern in May 2008, providing increased capacity. The new Gatwick Express will run from December next year including both the high speed connection and Southern services.

Airlines at Gatwick had lobbied for the Gatwick Express to be saved from closure.

The service will run beyond Gatwick to Brighton at peak times, according to the Department for Transport.

Service changes from December 2008 will see the number of express trains between London and Brighton double at the busiest times.

Six 10-carriage Gatwick Express trains in the 90-minute morning peak period will start at Brighton, calling at Haywards Heath, Gatwick and London Victoria, up from the current seven-carriage trains. The same number of services will run from London in the evening peak, with some stopping at  intermediate stations in both directions.

Unused coaches will be taken out of mothballs and reconditioned to provide the extra trains. Two extra trains will also run from Redhill to London in the peak.

The changes will provide more than 3,700 seats to and from London at the busiest times, the DoT said. 

An extra 48 carriages are also to be added to the Thameslink route which runs between Brighton and Bedford, with the first 16 to begin operating by the end of this year.

Transport secretary Douglas Alexander said: “This is good news for both rail and air passengers.

“Not only are we adding more seats and more trains on some of the country’s busiest rail routes, we are also keeping the fast, frequent Gatwick Express.

“We have done this by making better use of track space, taking carriages out of storage and approving the building of new trains. 

The need to increase capaciity is a real challenge facing the railway industry and it is a priority for my department.”

Delta Air Lines UK sales director Armin Venencie said the airline “broadly welcomes” the DfT’s decision to protect an all-day, non-stop train service between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria.

He said: “The provision of a fast and frequent service to and from the airport is key to meet the needs of air passengers and protects London-Gatwick’s position as a convenient option for customers travelling to and from central London.

“While the mixing of rail commuters and air passengers is not ideal, Delta understands the need for a balance on the Brighton main line and is pleased that the Department has recognised the views of Delta and other US carriers serving Gatwick to keep a regular, non-stop service in place between Gatwick and London.”

by Phil Davies