Platform 7 at Gatwick Airport reopens, two more close

Gatwick Airport station is undergoing a £150 million upgrade.

Construction work has started on the huge new concourse for Gatwick Airport station, 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.

Platform 7 at the station has already been rebuilt as part of the £150 million project. As the first train used the newly rebuilt platform, Network Rail engineers were already working on Platforms 5 and 6, which have been taken out of service but will reopen in their newer, brighter, wider and more accessible form in May 2022.

Demolition work will also soon commence on the footbridge – all part of the creation of a much bigger, brighter and better station with much improved accessibility for passengers. The work is planned to be complete by 2023.

Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said: “I am pleased to see this project reach another important milestone, which will transform this vital transport hub as people return to our railways.

“Once completed, the expanded modern station will be an impressive gateway to Global Britain, improving accessibility and enhancing the passenger experience to and from Gatwick.”

Henry Smith MP (Conservative Member of Parliament for Crawley) visited the construction site 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 investment director for the Southern region, Paul Harwood, added: “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.”