Franchise(s):	Gatwick Express April 28, 1996 - June 22, 2008
Main Route(s):	London Victoria - Gatwick Airport
Other Route(s):	None
Fleet size:	8
Stations called at:	2
National Rail abbreviation:	GX
Parent company:	National Express Group
Web site:	www.gatwickexpress.com

Gatwick Express route map
London Victoria Gatwick Airport

Gatwick Express is the brand name of a National Express Group-operated railway service offering a frequent shuttle service between Victoria station in London and Gatwick Airport in South East England. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common London Victoria is a major London Underground, National Rail and Coach station in the City of Westminster. Gatwick Airport is London 's second largest Airport and the second busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow. National Express Group plc ( is a UK -based Transport group with headquarters in London that operates Bus, coach, rail London Victoria is a major London Underground, National Rail and Coach station in the City of Westminster. Gatwick Airport station is the railway station at Gatwick Airport that provides a direct rail connection to London 43 km (26¾ miles away National Express Group plc ( is a UK -based Transport group with headquarters in London that operates Bus, coach, rail London Victoria is a major London Underground, National Rail and Coach station in the City of Westminster. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Gatwick Airport is London 's second largest Airport and the second busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow. South East England is one of the nine official Regions of England.

Contents 1 Service 2 History 2.1 Future 3 Ticketing 4 Rolling stock 4.1 Current fleet 4.2 Past fleet 4.3 Future fleet 5 Performance 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

Service

The service is non-stop and runs every 15 minutes with an average journey time of 30 minutes. The firm operates eight Class 460 trains on dedicated services to the airport. The British Rail Class 460 (or 8Gat) Electrical multiple units were built by Alstom at Washwood Heath from 2000-01 Gatwick Express, unlike Heathrow Express, is part of the National Rail network. Heathrow Express is a Train service from Heathrow Airport to Paddington in Central London operated by the Heathrow Express Operating Authority National Rail is a brand name of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC

An Express Class (standard class) Single ticket costs £16. The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency 90 (as of January 2008). This price is higher than those of the Southern and First Capital Connect stopping services, reflecting the non-stop service that the Gatwick Express offers. Southern is a train operating company in England, running to south London, Surrey, and Sussex from Victoria and London First Capital Connect (FCC is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006 Passengers cannot travel on Gatwick Express using the Network Railcard discount. The Network Railcard is a discount card introduced in 1986 by British Rail, upon the creation of their Network SouthEast area around London, England

History

In 1975, the British Airports Authority airport director, John Mulkern, the chairman of British Caledonian Airways, Adam Thomson, and the regional manager of British Rail's Southern Region, Bob Read, formed the Gatwick Liaison Group to discuss matters of mutual interest. BAA Limited is the owner and operator of seven British Airports and the operator of several other airports worldwide making the company one of the largest transport British Caledonian came into being in November 1970 when the Scottish Charter airline Caledonian Airways, at the time Britain 's second-largest See also Rail transport in Great Britain, National Rail, Network Rail This article is about the defunct entity "British Railways" See also Southern (subnational entity to see other types As a subsidiary of this, the Gatwick Promotion Group, under the chairmanship of the airport public relations manager David Hurst, was formed to market the airport.

One of the first successes of the group was to persuade the board of British Rail to redevelop Gatwick station by building a raft over the platforms and this was opened by the BR chairman, Sir Peter Parker, in 1980. Sir Peter Parker KBE LVO (30 August 1924 &ndash 28 April 2002 was a British businessman best known as chairman of the British Railways Board Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar)

It was a long term aim of the group to have a non-stop service between the airport and central London in order to counter the perceived distance from the capital both to the UK market and more especially to the potential passengers at the overseas destinations.

The first success was to brand the then current service which stopped at East Croydon as the Rapid City Link. East Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 9 This name was used as Adam Thomson strongly maintained that US passengers equated ‘express’ with buses.

However in 1984 the non-stop Gatwick Express service was started with ten units of reconditioned rolling stock with extra luggage space. A 30-minute journey time was advertised although it was recognised that some journeys would take nearer 35 minutes, especially in rush hours.

The first unit was taken on a promotional tour of the UK introducing it to travel agents in various centres, thought to be the first time a Southern Region train had travelled north. A visit to Scotland was ruled out because of union objections.

The original services were formed with Class 73 rolling stock and Mk2 coaching stock with specially modified GLV (Goods Luggage Vans) to carry passenger luggage. The British Rail Class 73 Electro-diesel locomotives are very unusual in that they can operate from a 750 V DC third-rail supply but also have a diesel The British Rail Class 489 (or GLV) is a type of Electrical multiple unit, specially converted for use on Gatwick Express trains from

In 2006, following the introduction of the modern fleet, the final Class 73 service ran an evening service from London Victoria and back to mark the end of the era for these trains. The British Rail Class 73 Electro-diesel locomotives are very unusual in that they can operate from a 750 V DC third-rail supply but also have a diesel Two examples of the Mk2 coaching stock previously used on the Gatwick Express service can be found at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre in Ruddington and a full length Gatwick Express at the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway. Not to be confused with the modern day train operating company Grand Central Railway see Great Central Main Line for full route of original railway Ruddington is an English village (twinned with Grenay France) situated five miles South of Nottingham in the Borough of Rushcliffe The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is a Heritage railway in Derbyshire, with operations based at Wirksworth station The latter train is hauled by a Class 31 Diesel Locomotive, painted in Gatwick Express livery.

From the end of 2004 to 2006 there was controversy surrounding the service with some rail groups believing that Gatwick Express trains, which often run half-full (compared to the severe overcrowding on other services), made poor use of the limited capacity on some of the busiest train lines in the country. The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) made proposals in the Brighton Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy for the Gatwick Express service to be incorporated into existing London to Brighton mainline services operated by Southern in an attempt to relieve commuter congestion. In existence from from 2001 to 2006 the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom set up under the Transport Act 2000 London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Brighton ( is a town on the south coast of England and with its neighbour Hove, forms the city of Brighton and Hove. Southern is a train operating company in England, running to south London, Surrey, and Sussex from Victoria and London This idea was hotly disputed by the train operator as well as BAA, who feared that airport users would have to fight for space on the trains with commuters.

In 2005 a pair of Class 458 units, 458001 and 458002, transferred from South West Trains for use as a spare train if a 460 unit is out of action. The South West Trains Class 458 (or 4JOP) Electrical multiple units were built by Alstom at Washwood Heath between 1998 and 2000 South West Trains ( SWT) is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom, providing Train services to the south-west of London chiefly They remained in South West Trains livery but with Gatwick Express branding. Their seating was modified from high density 3+2 seating configuration to 2+2 configuration, some seating was removed and replaced with luggage racks. However, these units were never called into service and have returned to operations with South West Trains.

Future

On 3 February 2006, the Department for Transport Rail Group (DfT), which took over the responsibilities of the SRA in summer 2005, announced that the service would be axed to free up space on the Brighton Main Line!^[1] Gatwick airport owner BAA has been campaigning to retain the dedicated airport link^[2] saying that 80% of respondents to an online poll favoured retaining the service, with backing from many airlines using the airport. Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport (or DfT) ( Welsh: Adran am Drafnidiaeth) is the government department Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Brighton Main Line is a major British railway line running from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. BAA Limited is the owner and operator of seven British Airports and the operator of several other airports worldwide making the company one of the largest transport ^[3] Towards the end of 2006 the DfT embarked on a consultation exercise to examine the situation, offering four possible options - three of which would allow for some form of modified express service to be retained. ^[4] A decision was made to keep the Gatwick Express and to expand the service to Brighton at peak times from December 2008. The current Gatwick Express franchise will end on June 22, 2008, when the service will be taken over by Southern. Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Southern is a train operating company in England, running to south London, Surrey, and Sussex from Victoria and London ^[5] Initially, services will continue unchanged. In December 2008, it will be extended during peak times to terminate at Brighton, which will double the number of London-Brighton express trains. Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The extra capacity will be provided by leasing a number of Class 442 units that are not in use. The British Rail Class 442 Wessex Electric (or 5WES) Electrical multiple units were introduced in 1988 on the South Western Main The combined Southern/Gatwick Express franchise will end in September 2009, to allow the new franchise holder time to implement the major timetable changes planned for December 2009. ^[6] The Gatwick Express will retain its separate branding as part of the new franchise, similar to that of the Stansted Express within the Greater Anglia franchise. Stansted Express is a sub-brand of National Express East Anglia. National Express East Anglia is a Train operating company and brand name of London Eastern Railway Ltd in the United Kingdom.

Ticketing

London - Gatwick is one of few journeys on the UK National Rail network for which passengers are required to choose between different operators when buying tickets — on all other flows shared by different National Rail operators tickets for immediate travel are inter-available, although some restrictions may apply on cheaper tickets. National Rail is a brand name of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC National Rail is a brand name of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC Through tickets for which the London-Gatwick line is part of a permitted route are valid on the Gatwick Express, provided they are not endorsed "NOT GATWICK EXPRESS. " Tickets from London to stations south of Gatwick generally bear this restriction. Passengers cannot travel on Gatwick Express using the Network Railcard discount for South East England. The Network Railcard is a discount card introduced in 1986 by British Rail, upon the creation of their Network SouthEast area around London, England England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

Rolling stock

Current fleet

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Routes operated	Built
			mph	km/h
Class 73		electro-diesel locomotive	90	145	1	Thunderbird Locomotive	1984
Class 460 (8Gat) Juniper		electrical multiple units	100	160	8	London Victoria - Gatwick Airport	2000 - 2001

Past fleet

Class	Image	Type	Built	Withdrawn
Class 73		electro-diesel locomotive	1962	2005
Class 458		electric multiple unit	1998	2005
Class 488		Converted Mark 2 coaches	1983 - 1984	2005
Class 489 (GLV)		electric multiple unit	1983 - 1984	2005

Future fleet

Class	Image	Type	Built	Number	Introduced	Notes
Class 442 (5Wes) Wessex Electric		Electric multiple unit	1988-1989	17	June 2008	Currently stored at Alstoms Eastleigh Works with SWT. The British Rail Class 73 Electro-diesel locomotives are very unusual in that they can operate from a 750 V DC third-rail supply but also have a diesel An Electro-diesel locomotive (commonly referred to as dual-mode locomotive) is a special type of Locomotive that can be powered either from an electricity supply (like The British Rail Class 460 (or 8Gat) Electrical multiple units were built by Alstom at Washwood Heath from 2000-01 An electric multiple unit or EMU is a Multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using Electricity as the motive power London Victoria is a major London Underground, National Rail and Coach station in the City of Westminster. Gatwick Airport is London 's second largest Airport and the second busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow. The British Rail Class 73 Electro-diesel locomotives are very unusual in that they can operate from a 750 V DC third-rail supply but also have a diesel An Electro-diesel locomotive (commonly referred to as dual-mode locomotive) is a special type of Locomotive that can be powered either from an electricity supply (like The South West Trains Class 458 (or 4JOP) Electrical multiple units were built by Alstom at Washwood Heath between 1998 and 2000 An electric multiple unit or EMU is a Multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using Electricity as the motive power The British Rail Class 488 are unpowered trailer sets converted from Mark 2F coaches for the Gatwick Express service from London Victoria to The British Rail Class 489 (or GLV) is a type of Electrical multiple unit, specially converted for use on Gatwick Express trains from An electric multiple unit or EMU is a Multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using Electricity as the motive power The British Rail Class 442 Wessex Electric (or 5WES) Electrical multiple units were introduced in 1988 on the South Western Main An electric multiple unit or EMU is a Multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using Electricity as the motive power South West Trains ( SWT) is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom, providing Train services to the south-west of London chiefly Moving to Southern in 2008

Performance

The latest performance figures for Gatwick Express services to be released by the ORR as of the third quarter of the financial year 2007/8 are 89. Southern is a train operating company in England, running to south London, Surrey, and Sussex from Victoria and London 6% PPM and 90. 8% MAA. ^[7] These figures are slightly up on those of the same periods last year.

See also

• Heathrow Express
• Stansted Express
• Airport rail link
• Train-to-the-plane

References

External links

• Gatwick Express

Preceded by InterCity As part of British Rail

Operator of Gatwick Express franchise 1997 — present

Incumbent

InterCity (or in the earliest days the hyphenated Inter-City was introduced by British Rail in 1966 as a brand-name for its long-haul express passenger services See also Rail transport in Great Britain, National Rail, Network Rail This article is about the defunct entity "British Railways"

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