Gatwick Express
Gatwick Express is an express rail passenger service between London Victoria, Gatwick Airport, and Brighton in South East England. It is the brand name used by the Govia Thameslink Railway train operating company on the Gatwick Express route of the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise.
Two Gatwick Express Class 387s at Gatwick Airport in 2018 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Franchise(s) | Gatwick Trains 28 April 1996 – 22 June 2008 Part of the South Central franchise 22 June 2008 - 25 July 2015 Part of the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise 26 July 2015 – 31 March 2025 |
| Main route(s) | London Victoria – Gatwick Airport |
| Other route(s) | Brighton |
| Fleet size |
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| Stations called at | 7 |
| Stations operated | 0 |
| Parent company | Govia Thameslink Railway |
| Reporting mark | GX |
| Technical | |
| Length | 43.3 kilometres (26.9 mi) |
| Other | |
| Website | www |
Gatwick Express route | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The service began in May 1984 with air-conditioned InterCity carriages operated by British Rail. When it was privatised in April 1996, National Express took over the franchise. In June 2008, Gatwick Express ceased to exist as a separate franchise, when it was merged into the Southern train operating company, although it continues to be maintained as a separate identity. In July 2015, Southern including the Gatwick Express service was merged into Govia Thameslink Railway.
The service was suspended on 30 March 2020, following the drop in passenger numbers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic resuming briefly in December 2021, but was suspended again shortly after following the impact of the Omicron variant. A reduced service, as a result of engineering work at Gatwick Airport Station resumed on 3 April 2022.