Gatwick Airport train station to get £150m revamp
Gatwick Airport train station is to receive a £150m upgrade after the government agreed to the cash injection to reduce delays and congestion.
The revamp, which will double the size of the station concourse, widen two platforms and increase the number of lifts, is designed to reduce congestion and overcrowding as the UK’s second largest airport continues to see an uplift in the number of passengers it takes each year.
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Over 46m passengers flew through Gatwick last year, which also saw an additional 1.1m long-haul passengers over the course of the last financial year. The airport said its growth had largely been driven by its connections to Asia. China Eastern airlines started flying to Shanghai in December 2018.
Transport secretary Chris Grayling said: “With 46m people now using Gatwick Airport every year and 20m coming by train, it is vital that we make the station more accessible and customer friendly for those travelling through it.
“We want to see Gatwick Airport’s success continue to flourish and ensure that it is ready for even more passengers in the future. Through this £150m investment, we will deliver vital upgrades to boost the station’s capacity and provide better, seamless journeys for all.”
Gatwick boss Stewart Wingate said the redevelopment would come alongside improvements elsewhere, such as a new fleet of trains for the Gatwick Express between London Victoria, Gatwick Airport, and Brighton.
“The project is a fantastic example of the public and private sector working together to deliver a world-class transport hub that will comfortably manage the expected growth in air passengers and also encourage people to switch to rail as part of our push to get more people to travel to the airport by public transport,” he said.
The renovation will be managed by Network Rail and the Department for Transport (DfT). Gatwick Airport Ltd and Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership are co-funding the project with £37m and £10m respectively.
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Arthur Leathley, chair of transport watchdog London TravelWatch, said: “Passengers are being deterred from using public transport to get to the airport by poor and unreliable journeys so it is welcome that these latest plans look to reduce train delays from overcrowding and congestion.
“Around 20m people will benefit from the improvements to accessibility and easier connections across the south east. We also hope that these planned improvements can be complemented by more joined up working between operators to ensure getting to the airport by public transport is as seamless as possible.”