Network Rail upgrades to affect GWR services to Gatwick on three weekends
Great Western Railway services to and from Gatwick Airport will be affected on several weekends in January as Network Rail carries out essential signalling and track upgrades.
The work is being carried out to improve the reliability of the railway serving the airport, including the busy North Downs line. Services will be amended on the weekends of 10–11, 17–18, and 24–25 January.
On 10–11 January, replacement road transport will operate between Reigate and Gatwick Airport, while trains will continue to run between Reading and Reigate. For the weekends of 17–18 and 24–25 January, replacement transport will operate between Guildford and Gatwick Airport, with trains running between Reading and Guildford. Other Gatwick Airport services will also be impacted by ongoing track upgrade work on the Brighton main line during these periods.
Southern will run a limited service between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport via Clapham Junction using an alternative route. However, there will be no Gatwick Express services and no Thameslink trains between East Croydon and Gatwick Airport on these dates.
Andrew Gallaugher, GWR Station Manager for the North Downs line, said:
“This is a really important investment in the long-term reliability of the rail infrastructure serving Gatwick Airport, including the North Downs line. We apologise for any inconvenience that this engineering work may cause customers looking to travel to and from the airport on these dates. Customers should note there will be no trains for Gatwick Airport running from Farringdon, and only a limited service from London Victoria. Where trains are not running, replacement transport will be provided, but please allow extra time as journeys by road take longer than the train.”
Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail Sussex route director, added:
“The busy Brighton main line is among the most complex and congested routes in the country, with the infrastructure being some of the oldest and most intensively used. Because of this, we need to carry out this work to try to prevent delays to passenger journeys. We know that closing the railway at any time of the year causes inconvenience, but with the Brighton main line being a key route for the leisure and tourism industry on the south coast, we are using this typically quieter time on the railway to carry out these vital works, in an attempt to avoid having to close the railway during busier times of the year. I’d like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding while our teams work hard to improve the railway on this critical stretch of infrastructure.”
Image: Great Western Railway