When Gatwick Airport first opened back in the 1930s it was probably the first airport in the world to be properly integrated into the national rail network (or Southern Railways if you prefer) with a covered walkway to another first, the circular terminal building (now the headquarters of GB Airways) affectionately christened ”The Beehive” by some RAF wag.
In truth there has not been much progress since that time. Yes you can walk directly into the current terminal building (the south terminal) but what we have today is a grim relic of 20th century railway architecture and so-called cost saving by one and all. With non-stop train services to central London, train services to Olympia (but largely unknown), and reasonably efficient local connections, what could be a prestige gateway to the UK is not far removed from being a disgrace. Gatwick has often been paralleled with New York-Newark Liberty International, in that it could be a great airport, but isn”t. At least Newark (or rather Continental Airlines) has a nice new terminal and a modern integrated railway connection.
The case for a proper Gatwick station has been a discussion point for as long as anyone can remember. What you have today is a dog”s dinner of a station with escalators on the so-called prestige platforms and stairs for the rest. For those with suitcases, or the disabled, providing you know they exist, there are lifts at the other end of the platform.
What makes the chance of a sensible solution even more unlikely is the latest in political quangos, the Strategic Rail Authority, created in 2001 to provide leadership in Britain”s railways (the SRA”s words not ours). Amongst the latest ideas it is considering is to stop the Gatwick Express (well not stop ” retain the name and reputation) and use the train slots for a Brighton ” Victoria service calling at Gatwick ” East Croydon ” Clapham Junction. As things stand, with possibly two trains waiting in the station, it does mean that a pair of lines is not available for any other services. However one thing the dedicated Victoria train does supply is somewhere for passengers to wait until departure times, and for luggage to be stored. If passengers had to wait on the platform the crush could become horrendous. The quicker the SRA drops this idea the better.
Another problem with the Gatwick Express is that it has to change tracks before it comes into the station, blocking the line. An easy, and relatively inexpensive, way around that problem is to build a train flyover. The Gatwick platforms are too narrow to support any more escalators but there is space to widen them. Another practical improvement at minimum cost.
BAA is charged with attempting to bring 40% of passengers into Gatwick Airport by public transport. A proper station will help. It also wants to attract more airlines in and stop the rot. Malev left last week for Stansted. Gatwick is far better off than Heathrow, which has only the Underground and the Express service to Paddington. All Stansted has is a branch line from Bishops Stortford. BAA also says that it is going to spend one billion pounds over the next 10 years with Gatwick improvements. ABTN says divert some of that sum into rebuilding the station and turning it into a world class exhibition of the best of British engineering and design, a worthy gateway into the UK. Get SRA to make a major contribution. We, the airlines and the passengers, have been waiting too long.