Southern has taken over the day-to-day management of the railway station at Gatwick Airport.

The transfer of management from Network Rail to Southern took place on Sunday 29 January.

Southern Director, David Scorey said: “We already manage 156 stations and it’s that station management experience, which includes provision of excellent levels of customer service and train dispatch, which is at the core of our business. It was the obvious thing to do, especially as the station is set for major redevelopment, and I know that airline passengers and commuters alike will benefit tremendously from this move.”

Gatwick Express has unveiled its timetable for the Christmas and New Year period.

Christmas Eve
For Christmas Eve, a normal service will operate, however, watch out as the last trains will depart earlier than usual:

• Victoria – last train will leave London Victoria at 20:30
• Gatwick Airport – last train departs at 21:20

Christmas Day
No trains – a special coach service will operate half hourly.

• Victoria – coaches start at 06:30 until 16:30, last service will depart 16:45
• Gatwick Airport – coach services start at 06:30 operating every 30 minutes until 16:30

Boxing Day – 26th December 2011
A half-hourly service will operate

27 – 30 December 2011
A normal timetable will operate with the exception of the following trains:

• 03:30 and 04:30 from London
• 04:35 and 05:20 from Gatwick

New Year’s Eve
A half-hourly service will operate on 31 December 2011

New Year’s Day
A half-hourly service will operate on 1 January 2012

From today, 12 December 2011, passengers wishing to travel on the Gatwick Express service will be unable to purchase tickets onboard trains.

The ticket changes coincide with the testing of new ticket gates, which have been installed at Gatwick Airport station and London Victoria station.

The ticket gates will be manned by Gatwick Express Customer Service Hosts, who will also sell tickets – tickets can also be purchased online, or at ticket offices or ticket machines. An additional eight ticket machines have been installed at both Gatwick and Victoria stations.

The new ticket gates will be fully operational by 31 December 2012.

Work to upgrade the safety barriers on a 2.2-mile section of the M23 between the M25 and Gatwick Airport gets underway today, 26 September 2011.

During the works, lane 3 of the will be motorway closed in both directions and three narrow lanes with a 50mph speed limit will be available to traffic – vehicles will be directed to use the hard shoulder.

Peter Phillips, Highways Agency route manager for West Sussex, said: “This section of cable barrier has reached the end of its maintainable life. Concrete barriers are immensely strong, and significantly reduce the risk of a vehicle crossing over from one carriageway to the other, improving safety and reducing the duration of incident-related congestion. They are also virtually maintenance free and will last twice as long as normal metal barriers.”

Gatwick Express staff who are members of the rail union RMT are to be balloted for strike action.

The response from the union is due to increased automation at the gate line at Victoria and Gatwick stations that, according to the union, will have a detrimental impact on services and threaten jobs.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: “Yet again this trade union is forced to ballot our members for action because a train operating company is threatening jobs in order to fatten up profits.

“Go-Ahead – which co-owns the Southern franchise – recorded an increase in rail profits of nearly 30% earlier this month raking off £48 million from the railways. They will also be looking forward to a whacking great increase in fares in January while slashing customer service by threatening to dump on-train staff through these automation proposals.

“With this week’s shocking rise in the unemployment figures, of course we will be doing all that we can within our power to defend our members jobs on Gatwick Express.”

There’s no reported disruption to Gatwick train services this morning as service return to normal following Monday’s burst water main near South Croydon Station.

Two day’s of chaos were caused by the burst water main which led to water and tons of sand and silt being deposited on the rail lines.

There is still severe disruption to train services to and from Gatwick Airport.

Due to yesterday’s burst water main and landslip, the following rail operators have reported reduced services:

Gatwick Express
A reduced service is operating through the South Croydon area and trains are operating half-hourly – on the hour and 30 minutes past from London Victoria, and at 20 and 50 minutes past from Gatwick.

More information check here: www.gatwickexpress.com/en/your-journey/timetable/live-running-information

Southern
Southern is also reporting severe disruption to services. For more information on their reduced timetable click here: www.southernrailway.com/

First Capital Connect
Reduced services today with approximately two trains per hour each way – more information here: www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/plan-your-journey/live-train-updates/#12ca6db6597bb1c3f78a748094770f87

Gatwick Airport is advising passengers to allow extra time for their journey.

A new partnership between Ryanair and Gatwick Express is offering passengers 10% on their Gatwick Express tickets.

Savings of up to £5.50 per passenger can be made when Ryanair customers book and print off their Gatwick Express tickets through ryanair.com.

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said: “We are pleased to announce a new partnership with the Gatwick Express which will deliver even more savings for Ryanair passengers. Now Ryanair passengers can conveniently purchase and print off discounted Gatwick Express tickets from home and then sit back and enjoy this fantastic and convenient 30 minute express transfer to/from the heart of London.”

Gatwick Express’ Chris White said: “This partnership offers great value and convenience to Ryanair customers who want to travel on our non-stop, comfortable, Gatwick Express services to/from London Victoria. Our partnership will allow Ryanair passengers to save time and money with the lowest online fares for the fastest connections to London now available on Ryanair.com.”

Horley-based taxi company Road Runners has been unveiled as the new official taxi provider at Gatwick Airport.

The company, which has agreed to take on all 252 drivers from the previous official taxi provider, will operate under the name Airport Cars – Gatwick.

Commenting on the contract award, Jeremy Bennett, External Business Development Manager at Gatwick Airport said: “ Each year, around 14% of our 32 million passengers use a taxi service to get to and from the airport. With our £1 billion investment programme, we are working hard to improve the overall airport experience for passengers, and that includes their travel options. That is why we have brought in a new on-airport taxi service provider and built into the contract a customer-service standard agreement that aligns with our own commitments to excellent customer-service.

“We’re delighted to have Airport Cars – Gatwick on board and welcome its commitment to delivering excellent customer service.”

Official Gatwick taxi services were previously provided by Checker Cars.

Gatwick Express has teamed up with No.1 Traveller to offer passengers who purchase a First Class Return ticket online a free entry into the No.1 lounges at Gatwick Airport’s South and North Terminals.

The promotion, which applies to First Class tickets only, starts tomorrow, 1 June 2011, and is designed to encourage customers to book their Gatwick Express tickets online.

Customers will need to show their Email Booking Confirmation with their unique reference number upon arrival at the airport lounge.

Access to the lounge normally costs £25.