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Gatwick Airport Station
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You could improve Gatwick quickly and easily by simplifying the vast confusing array of ticketing options facing tourists who arrive at the airport. This confusion leads to 20 of the 25 ticket machines being held up by bewildered tourists who have absolutely no comprehension of the ludicrous options offered along that stretch of line and just want "a ticket to London". This is what leads to a queue taking up half of the concourse, the front of it being aggressively barked at by security people directing them to machines at the far end of the bank, which are never being used, because they are a different machine, and no-one's entirely sure if they do the same thing.
It is a terrible welcome to the country, and someone - probably the DfT - should be working towards a solution to it. A single "umbrella" ticket to Central London should be offered, especially now all the routes are provided by the same operator.
Gatwick Express clearly isn't really a premium product. It reflects badly on both the country and the industry that everyone is entirely happy to carry on pretending it is, just to screw over a few naive and unaware tourists. Offering it as such is just the British equivalent of a dodgy taxi driver standing outside the arrivals hall touting for business but then overcharges you before you're familiar enough with the country to realise you've been screwed over. Apologies, I've strayed off topic. It really angers me!
It is a terrible welcome to the country, and someone - probably the DfT - should be working towards a solution to it. A single "umbrella" ticket to Central London should be offered, especially now all the routes are provided by the same operator.
Gatwick Express clearly isn't really a premium product. It reflects badly on both the country and the industry that everyone is entirely happy to carry on pretending it is, just to screw over a few naive and unaware tourists. Offering it as such is just the British equivalent of a dodgy taxi driver standing outside the arrivals hall touting for business but then overcharges you before you're familiar enough with the country to realise you've been screwed over. Apologies, I've strayed off topic. It really angers me!
Not that had problem myself but then I've been using my mobile more likely to take a photo and generally it might be off the station or works, rather than trains.
On a related off topic note, I was got told off for taking photos at a concert when in the tour program for said band, Status Quo, was a request for fans to submit photos they had taken of the band in concert! Clearly people working for the band were encouraging fans to break the regulations on their tickets! Or as others like myself might see it, the concert venues were being heavy handed. Technically though the ticket did state no photos.
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The way it is split between arriving and departing passengers doesn't really work. If you want to use a lift (and it's an airport, so there's lots of baggage), you have to leave the departure concourse and head over to the arrival concourse. Unless your train is on platform 7, which is only accessible from the departure concourse. If you're changing trains and using platform 7 (say travelling Reading - Brighton) and want to use the lifts then you've got to go up to the arrivals concourse and get through two sets of barriers to get to the platform 7 lift.
They also need more space for selling tickets.
That's very true. Last time exiting the airport, we joined a long queue, thinking it was for the entrance, when it was actually for the ticket office. Luckily, as we already had tickets, a dive under the rope saw us back on the trail of the actual trains!
I did wonder how many pax wasted their time in this fashion.
Never mind the station in the impression, what about the train? Looks like a RENFE Cercanias/local unit to me. That is some planned change for GatEx - new platform entrance, new wider Iberian gauge track and a suitably wider train.
my bold
In theory I would welcome your suggestion. In practice given that every "simplification" thus far has cost the passengers money I have to oppose it. You just know that what would happen is that everyone, regardless of which London station they are actually going to, would be stiffed with paying the stupid GatEx "premium" fare (and that in itself would introduce lots of other anomalies)...
I mean, lots of airports have that "premium service" outside of the UK. Some better than others, I'll agree. Anyone who's been to Stockholm, will see the "Arlanda Express" very well signposted, where the local Pendeltog (S-Bahn) service isn't even mentioned, despite the fact it's not much slower and notably cheaper (by about 200 SEK - £20 I think). I don't think it's a huge issue for the GatEx to exist and be a "premium" service, although its use of valuable paths on the BML is notably questionable, I don't think its business model is particularly reprehensible. Making it more distinct, with signage etc, at least shows that they want to reduce the confusion, rather than increase it.
I feel that tourists will still be confused at Gatwick, simply because of the range of possible destinations within London. In terms of "London Terminals", trains are available - at present - to Victoria, Blackfriars, St Pancras and London Bridge. Surely no-one actually wants a "ticket to London", because "London" is distributed. I'd suggest on arrival, they'll have an idea of where they want to go, although the TL only tickets probably throw people, but that's also not dissimilar to large parts of continental Europe, with the S,R,RE,IC,ICE etc. We've just chosen to divided differently.
I feel that tourists will still be confused at Gatwick, simply because of the range of possible destinations within London. In terms of "London Terminals", trains are available - at present - to Victoria, Blackfriars, St Pancras and London Bridge. Surely no-one actually wants a "ticket to London", because "London" is distributed. I'd suggest on arrival, they'll have an idea of where they want to go, although the TL only tickets probably throw people, but that's also not dissimilar to large parts of continental Europe, with the S,R,RE,IC,ICE etc. We've just chosen to divided differently.
It's fine to sign post people to the right platform but in other countries do trians daily depart from other platforms other than the most common ones?
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I do take Wolfie's point that a "general London" ticket would likely take the value of the current most expensive - we've kind of seen that with Oyster to Gatwick already, although without completely segregated GX platforms there's not an awful lot that can be done with the technology at the moment.
But presumably DfT have the power to fix the ticket prices to ensure that a general London ticket is not the current most expensive option. Neither should it be the cheapest. Just a fair, reasonable price.
I'm often one of the irritating buggers blocking the standing space on Southern trains to Victoria with my bags to save a few quid... It would be in everyone's best interests, including the Southern passengers, if I was on the GX train two minutes earlier.
I've not been on the Arlanda Express recently but take the point that it is certainly comparable. What makes the GX stand out for me as "not really a premium product" is that the frequency is no different, the trains aren't really different, the speed isn't different enough to offer a distinct advantage, so there are basically a large proportion of Southern passengers being put at a disadvantage by having penny-pinching luggage-bearing people like me on the train, all so GX can make an extra few quid by screwing over the unaware who assume they're paying for a premium service that isn't.
Sorry, I think I'm repeating myself!
But presumably DfT have the power to fix the ticket prices to ensure that a general London ticket is not the current most expensive option. Neither should it be the cheapest. Just a fair, reasonable price.
I'm often one of the irritating buggers blocking the standing space on Southern trains to Victoria with my bags to save a few quid... It would be in everyone's best interests, including the Southern passengers, if I was on the GX train two minutes earlier.
I've not been on the Arlanda Express recently but take the point that it is certainly comparable. What makes the GX stand out for me as "not really a premium product" is that the frequency is no different, the trains aren't really different, the speed isn't different enough to offer a distinct advantage, so there are basically a large proportion of Southern passengers being put at a disadvantage by having penny-pinching luggage-bearing people like me on the train, all so GX can make an extra few quid by screwing over the unaware who assume they're paying for a premium service that isn't.
Sorry, I think I'm repeating myself!
But it's not really Gatwick Express making an extra few quid, but the DfT (management contract or not). I doubt that they wish to deprive the exchequer of its share of that extra few quid.
The GatEx is a normal train with a different livery and seat colours, so I think it would make more sense to charge no more for it.
It would merely be a way to remove passenger from busy Southern trains, and at times you'd also have combined services to make best use of limited paths.
The Southern and Thameslink fares have to combine sooner or later, so why not the lot?
Oh, the loss of revenue. That's why.
It would merely be a way to remove passenger from busy Southern trains, and at times you'd also have combined services to make best use of limited paths.
The Southern and Thameslink fares have to combine sooner or later, so why not the lot?
Oh, the loss of revenue. That's why.
But plenty of us still wouldn't be on GatEx as we want to change at East Croydon or Clapham Jn (or in 18 months lot more of Thameslink users via London Bridge.)
Stopping the GatEx at East Croydon post rebuild in the early 2020s and not charge a premium might start to have an effect.
I'm actually quite surprised tourists don't have their train ticketing and the like pre booked before their holiday, a bit like when I go to Orlando I would already have things like theme park tickets before I even left the UK, although presumably some just assume as soon as they exit the airport they'll be stood in Central London 
I do remember now someone coming up to me with a pocket Underground map and started pointing and talking to me in a foreign language, luckily someone else who spoke his language quickly assisted!
I do remember now someone coming up to me with a pocket Underground map and started pointing and talking to me in a foreign language, luckily someone else who spoke his language quickly assisted!
I was at Gatwick Airport today and I noticed that the audio announcements for delayed trains didn't match what was on the CIS. I assume they are fed from different sources.
The audio said the 9.14 Brighton service would be in 9.19 and the CIS said 9.21. The Ore and Littlehampton service was due in 9.23 according to the audio and 9.24 according to the CIS. As it is those times are slipping due to disruption between Redhill and East Croydon. Not that either her of those trains go via Redhill as far as I'm aware.
The audio said the 9.14 Brighton service would be in 9.19 and the CIS said 9.21. The Ore and Littlehampton service was due in 9.23 according to the audio and 9.24 according to the CIS. As it is those times are slipping due to disruption between Redhill and East Croydon. Not that either her of those trains go via Redhill as far as I'm aware.
The Gibb Report has been published https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...le/619795/chris-gibb-report-southern-rail.pdf
The Government response is at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gibb-report-on-southern-rail-network-government-response
On page 11, it recommends that National Rail sell the station at Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport Ltd. Page 75 recommends that tickets should be sold for any train in 2018-2019 to increase usage of the Gatwick Express trains which are under used at the moment.
The Government response is at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gibb-report-on-southern-rail-network-government-response
On page 11, it recommends that National Rail sell the station at Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport Ltd. Page 75 recommends that tickets should be sold for any train in 2018-2019 to increase usage of the Gatwick Express trains which are under used at the moment.
Deepgreen
Established Member
Who is "National Rail"?
Platform seven is three years old right ?
Strange then the flooring around the escalator area is bubbling up in multiple locations with hazard tape placed rightly as a precaution ?
The 'bubbling' also applies to the red wallpaper around the express lounge !
Strange then the flooring around the escalator area is bubbling up in multiple locations with hazard tape placed rightly as a precaution ?
The 'bubbling' also applies to the red wallpaper around the express lounge !
everything done on the cheap. no long term vision.
Dr Hoo
Established Member
The seventh platform was quoted as costing a mere £53 million when it was opened by a government minister. Even at that time it was apparently envisaged that another £50 million was needed to be spent at the station.
Quality doesn't come cheap, does it?
Quality doesn't come cheap, does it?
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