GATWICK EXPRESS TO BE REPLACED BY SLOWER TRAINS

THE FIGHT by airport operator BAA and several major airlines to keep the non-stop Gatwick Express service going appears to have been lost.

According to a report in The Times newspaper the service, which operates every 15 minutes for much of the day, is to be replaced by slower stopping trains to reduce overcrowding on services to commuter towns near the airport.

The government believes that the express is taking up too much capacity on the Brighton main line, which carries 32,000 commuters a day, reports The Times. Many Gatwick Express trains run half-empty, even in peak periods, while commuters from Three Bridges, Haywards Heath and other Sussex towns often have to stand all the way to or from London, says the newspaper.

Journeys on the new service, which is expected to be introduced in June next year, are likely to take up to 55 minutes, compared with only 30 minutes on the present Gatwick Express.

Airlines using Gatwick are furious that their passengers will have to fight their way with heavy luggage on to already crowded trains stopping only briefly at the airport. At present, empty trains sit for several minutes at Gatwick station, allowing passengers plenty of time to board.

Bob Schumacher, UK director of Continental Airlines, said: “The proposal to do away with a dedicated, non-stop rail service is outrageous. If implemented, it would make Gatwick less attractive as a London gateway and would adversely affect local businesses, commuters and international visitors alike.”

The Times said that last month Gatwick Express was rated Britain’s top train company by the government-funded National Passenger Survey, with 93% of passengers saying they were satisfied.

** At Heathrow Airport, BAA owns and operates the Heathrow Express, which runs every 15 minutes beto and from Paddington station in west London. Airlines which are unable to use Heathrow, and have to use Gatwick instead, fear they will be put at a competitive disadvantage if the Gatwick Express is scrapped.

SOURCE RAILNEWS

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sout ... 676388.stm


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