Holiday shutdown for London trains

The  Gatwick Express  and the  Heathrow Express  will shut down for four days and 10 days respectively over the Christmas period – one of the busiest times of the year. 

Business Travel News'  editor-in-chief Malcolm Ginsberg has some sympathy for the railway companies.

“It is very easy to criticise the train operators but essentially they are focused on improving their services long-term. Sadly, this does mean pain in the meantime. Look at the improvements at Blackfriars and for the future London Bridge stations. 

"With the shutdown of Gatwick Express, many travellers will divert to Thameslink, which in many ways is a better (and cheaper) service, and with the Heathrow Express there is at least the Tube, again at a lesser cost, more frequency and the same time to T5 once you are at the Central Area."

Airport rail connections are a problem recognised by  The Independent  in a survey. Ginsberg points out that Luton is looking at a people-mover project from the Parkway station, while double-tracking the Liverpool Street line to Stansted must be a priority, a lifeline for the airport. 

Southend ought to be on the "good boys" list, vying with London City for the quickest railway transfer, with admittedly-slow stopping but frequent trains.

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