It is almost a decade since I attended and welcomed the formal opening of the new Gatwick Airport Station Platform 7.
It is a sign of the constant need to improve our infrastructure that passengers alighting the very same platform last month – from the 05:48 from Beford to Brighton on 21st November to be precise – were the first to enjoy the benefits of the upgraded Gatwick Airport Station which has now fully reopened.
Space available for passengers at the station has been doubled with the completion of a second new concourse built above Platforms 5, 6 and 7.
This new concourse – which, to put into context, is the size of eight tennis courts – will be the new entrance for passengers accessing the airport terminal from the station, while the existing concourse will be for those exiting the airport into the station itself.
Furthermore, the existing station concourse, as well as station footbridges and the South Terminal linkspan, have been upgraded to ensure a seamless one-way system from train station to airport.
The addition of extra wide-aisle ticket gates will assist such journeys, as will the new open-plan ticket hall enabling passengers with luggage to move through the station more quickly.
Measures including moving station control rooms and staff accommodation to a new dedicated back of house building has led to the creation of some 1,640sq ft (500m²) of extra space.
Indeed, the existing concourse is bigger and better than before the project began with the addition of new customer information systems.
It will be possible to go to airport departures directly from train station platforms to the new concourse using new lifts, escalators and stairways now installed.
Boosting accessibility is key: with eight new escalators, four new lifts and stairways taking passengers directly from platforms up to the new concourse there is step-free access from train to plane for passengers.
A new lift has also been installed to get to Platforms 3 and 4 from the existing concourse and wheelchair user accessibility is enhanced through widening of Platforms 5 and 6.
New tactile signage including Braille has been integrated into the wayfinding signage strategy. This goes with 70 hearing loops at key touch points along the route including ticket retail and information points.
A new 24/7 special assistance point has also been established on the existing concourse to provide additional support.
Completion of this project strengthens the rail network: bolstering reliability on the Brighton Main Line, and as far as Cambridge and Milton Keynes.
Track remodelling around Gatwick will speed up Brighton Main Line travel by cutting journey times of up to 30 trains a day by five minutes: a further boost for rail passengers and our economy.
Henry Smith MP
