Next stage of £150m Gatwick station transformation launched
A new concourse is being built to improve journeys
Last updated 3rd Nov 2020
Building work is underway on a huge new concourse at Gatwick Airport railway station.
The work, which began on Sunday, is the latest stage in a massive £150 million regeneration project of the site at the West Sussex airport.
It'a already seen many changes this year, including the closure of platform 7 - which has now been rebuilt and which has welcomed its first train since reopening.
Demolition work will soon begin on the footbridge and platforms 5 and 6, which are now out of service.
All this is working towards the creation of a much bigger, brighter and better station, with much improved accessibility for passengers, which is planned to open in 2023.
MP for Crawley Henry Smith visited the construction site on Monday and said:
“During such dark days for airports and fewer people currently travelling by train due to Covid-19 it may seem strange to celebrate upgrading Gatwick’s rail station but now is the moment to build back better ensuring that as our economy recovers it does so with the infrastructure to support people and businesses.
"Investing to expand platform capacity and enhance the passenger experience at Gatwick is timely and I welcome this commitment."
Network Rail Southern region’s investment director Paul Harwood said:
"We know that fewer passengers are travelling by train or plane, but we are continuing to invest for the future.
"By 2023 passengers arriving at Gatwick will see wider platforms, with more space for them, more lifts and escalators and the crowning achievement – a new concourse over some of our tracks.
“Today marks a big step towards that aim and passengers will see more big changes as the days go by.”
Platforms 5 and 6 have now been taken out of use and will be demolished and rebuilt to give passengers more room. They will reopen in their newer, brighter, wider and more accessible state in May 2022.
In the meantime work has begun on building the new concourse, which will sit over platforms 5, 6 and 7 and act as a new link for passengers changing trains at the station. The existing concourse will remain but will be substantially remodelled over the next three years.
The next milestone will come this Christmas period, when only two platforms will be in use and an amended train service will be in operation. Timetable information will be available nearer the time.