Getting to Gatwick is about to get noticeably easier. From 13 December, Gatwick Express will run four trains per hour between London Victoria and the airport, doubling its current frequency and restoring the full pre-pandemic timetable for the first time since 2019. In practical terms, that means a direct train every 15 minutes, with the airport-to-Victoria trip taking around 30 minutes.
The timing is no accident. Research commissioned by Gatwick Express suggests 51 per cent of Britons are weighing up a trip abroad over December and January — a mix of sunshine escapes and Alpine ski breaks, if the operator's own framing is anything to go by. Gatwick is a major departure point for both: winter routes cover the Canary Islands, the Alps and plenty of long-haul sun spots.
Louis Rambaud, chief customer officer at GTR, which runs the service, described the return to four trains an hour as a major milestone, pointing to other upgrades rolled out this year including Fast Track Security and airport lounge access bundled into the Gatwick Express offer. The pitch is simple: more trains mean shorter waits, more slack if your flight lands late, and less pressure to time your journey to the minute.
There's a second rail story worth flagging for anyone travelling through London later in the year. City Thameslink station will close from 17 May until late December 2027 while all ten of its escalators are replaced. The existing units have been in service for more than 35 years, and several were badly damaged by flooding in spring 2025. Trains themselves are unaffected — Thameslink services will keep running through the station — but anyone who uses the station's entrances will need to plan around the closure, potentially using nearby stations such as Blackfriars or Farringdon instead.
Why does this matter for travellers? If you're flying out of Gatwick this festive season, the doubled timetable removes one of the main annoyances of the route — long gaps between trains and crowded first services after a cancellation. A train every 15 minutes effectively means you can turn up at Victoria whenever suits you rather than building in a big buffer. Just be aware that Christmas and New Year engineering works can still disrupt services, so check before you travel on the day itself.
For regular Gatwick users, the return to full frequency is also a signal that the route is back to business after years of reduced post-pandemic schedules. And with winter flight demand up, the timing lines up neatly with the peak getaway period.
Full story first reported by The Independent Travel.
