04.12.14
Gatwick Airport station to get £120.5m upgrade
Gatwick Airport train station is to get a major upgrade with a £120.5m redesign transforming the station and passenger experience.
In the chancellor's Autumn Statement, the government announced it would "take forward a package of measures to improve surface access to Gatwick Airport".
In December 2013, the government said it would provide £50m, subject to funding from the airport.
It has now been announced that Gatwick will contribute £30m and Network Rail a further £30m toward the deal, with the final funding aspects still to be arranged.
Work is scheduled to start in 2017 and complete in 2020. Improvements and new features include a doubling in size of the concourse area to reduce congestion and improve the passenger experience and more escalators and lifts to improve access to all platforms.
The improvements will see the help station manage the expected growth in air passengers using the single runway airport, with demand at the station set to increase by 5 million to 20 million rail passengers a year by 2025.
Guy Stephenson, Gatwick’s chief commercial officer said: “This agreement is a great example of the private sector and government working together in partnership to deliver a game changing and affordable project for the future. This new station builds on the ongoing transformation of Gatwick Airport and will deliver a first-class gateway for visitors, air passengers and the 1 million rail commuters who use Gatwick station every year.”
The station upgrade will be delivered alongside a series of other improvements to rail links to the airport. These include new Gatwick Express trains by 2016 and new Thameslink trains by 2018. The airport will also be tied in to Crossrail through a connection at Farringdon in 2019. By 2025 the airport will have a train to central London every 2.5 minutes and have quicker journey times to the West End and City, than from Heathrow.
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