London’s Gatwick Airport announced that it will improve high-frequency rail services to the city centre, making it quicker and easier for time-pressed travellers to get into the heart of London, as well as other major cities.

The new improvements will include doubled rail capacity over the next five years; trains leaving the airport for London Victoria and London Bridge every three minutes; and new state-of-the-art trains, along with new track and signalling systems.

New Gatwick Express trains will start service between the airport and London Victoria from early 2016, with 108 new carriages built by Bombardier being designed specifically for the airport passenger. The new trains will deliver more seats and mean that rail capacity throughout Gatwick will double and a train will leave the airport for London every three minutes.

The first new Thameslink trains serving Gatwick Airport are on track to begin service from Spring 2016 on the Brighton to Bedford line. From 2018, these new trains will also start operating two new direct services conntecting Gatwick to Peterborough and Cambridge, following the completion of the GBP6.5 billion Thameslink infrastructure upgrade programme.

The new high-frequency train service from Gatwick means that every hour, an indicative timetable would be:

• Four dedicated Gatwick Express trains to Victoria
• Six trains to Victoria – originating from East and West Coastway, Horsham/Littlehampton, and Three Bridges/Haywards Heath
• Four trains to Bedford via London Bridge – originating from Gatwick and Brighton
• Two trains to Cambridge via London Bridge – originating from Brighton
• Two trains to Peterborough via London Bridge – originating from Horsham
• Two trains to London Bridge – originating from Littlehampton/West Coastway, and Haywards Heath/Three Bridges

In total, Siemens is building 55 new 12-car trains and 60 new eight-car trains for the Thameslink fleet, with the first set to arrive this summer into the purpose-built Three Bridges depot in Crawley, one of two new depots being constructed by Siemens to maintain the new fleet.

The improvements will be matched by a GBP120.5 million redesign to transform Gatwick Airport railway station by 2020, more than doubling the size of the concourse area so it can comfortably meet the expected increase in passenger numbers.

“The new high-frequency service that will serve Gatwick will transform rail journeys for our passengers, with capacity doubling and a train to London every three minutes,” said Gatwick’s chief commercial officer, Guy Stephenson. “Crucially, the new trains will be much more reliable and will be stacked with amenities suited to the needs of air travellers. Combined with robust new track and signalling systems, Gatwick’s passengers will experience a really pleasant and dependable service.” www.gatwickairport.com