Gatwick gains in rail reshuffle

Improved train services between Gatwick and East Anglia are a major part of what is being called the biggest timetable shake-up in UK rail history starting this month from Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR).

The UK’s largest rail franchise says it will affect almost 1m rail journeys a day in the southern half of the UK. The new schedule will operate from 02:00 on Sunday 20 May across the GTR network comprising Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express.

Key elements on Thameslink include a new half-hourly cross-London service from Gatwick Airport via Redhill to London Bridge, Blackfriars, Farringdon, City Thameslink, St Pancras International and beyond to St Albans, Luton Airport Parkway, Luton and Bedford.

On Great Northern, direct Thameslink services from Cambridge and local Great Northern stations to Brighton via London Bridge and Gatwick Airport will offer new destinations and travel opportunities.

Eventually, passengers from all 140 Thameslink stations will be able to travel directly to Elizabeth Line services (Crossrail) at Farringdon, which begin in December. GTR says international travel from many stations will also improve, with quicker rail journeys to Gatwick, Luton and Heathrow airports and St Pancras International.

GTR chief executive Charles Horton said: “A huge number of passengers will notice the benefits, with new journeys, better intervals between trains, improved reliability and more capacity across a wide region.”

www.southernrailway.com   www.thameslinkrailway.com

www.gatwickexpress.com    www.greatnorthernrail.com

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OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum

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Richard Higgins,

The third paragraph is misleading. There is already a four trains per hour service between Gatwick and Bedford, the new timetable maintains a half hourly service all through the night, providing 24hr access to Central London. The new timetable also introduces half hourly daytime services between Gatwick and Peterborough and Gatwick and Cambridge

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