Gatwick Airport: passengers to see dramatic changes within weeks after £250m revamp - what will be different?

Gatwick Airport is set to dramatically change within weeks when its £250 million redevelopment is officially opened. It follows three years of construction work by Network Rail and will boost the UK’s second largest airport in West Sussex.

The existing concourse has been expanded and a brand new one, the size of eight tennis courts, has been created. There's brand new information screens, eight new escalators and five new lifts all designed to reduce hold ups and delays.

Four in ten airport passengers who travel through the station will soon be using a one-way system so people won't be bumping into each other as much, and journey times between Brighton and London have also been cut by five minutes because the tracks have been reconfigured.

The new look is set to be open to passengers from Tuesday 21 November and will double the space for passengers. Jonathan Pollard, Chief Commercial Officer, London Gatwick, told ITV News that the “bigger, better and brighter new station concourse will dramatically improve the experience for our passengers.” He added: “The number of passengers getting to the airport by rail is growing steadily and now over 40% use the train. This fantastic new, fully accessible station concourse will encourage even more passengers to come to the airport using sustainable public transport."

The upgrade to Gatwick Airport began in 2020 to deliver significant benefits for millions of rail users, commuters and airport passengers. Work was carried out through the Covid-19 pandemic with extra safety steps introduced adding an additional logistical challenge to the project. The project also had to take place while the station remained opened to passengers.

It comes as trains between Guildford and Gatwick Airport are to be replaced by buses for a seven-day period to allow for “essential” works as part of its near £1 million investment to upgrade the railway. Disruption is expected from Saturday (11 November) to Friday (17 November). Network Rail claimed the investment will extend the life expectancy of the line, reduce the need for speed restrictions, and mean services will be more reliable. Engineers will renew parts of the track on the North Downs Line that links Reading and Guildford to Redhill and Gatwick Airport.

Listed are the improvements and changes that have been made to the airport.

•  A second bigger concourse has been built as a new entrance into the Airport. This has doubled the amount of space for passengers and supports movement around the station.

• The existing station entrance and concourse have been refurbished with new flooring, new wayfinding, new wide gatelines, a modern open plan ticket area and an additional 500m² of space creating a much better experience for passengers. 

• Eight new escalators, five new lifts and four new stairways have been installed across the station.

• Platforms 6 has been widened.

• Wider platforms, new escalators, lifts and stairways.

• Remodelled track in the Gatwick area to speed up journeys for passengers travelling on the Brighton Main Line.

• New customer information screens.

• A much bigger self-service ticket vending machine area with 17 machines.

• New bright, energy efficient LED lighting.

• A new special assistance point.