Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) starts the phased introduction of their winter timetable from Sunday 12th December 2021.
Train services provided by Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink will run to the new winter timetable.
Between Sunday 12th of December and Tuesday 4th January 2022, passengers will see some enhanced services but also some brief reductions on some routes.
These changes allow for major engineering works to be carried out over Christmas and New Year whilst keeping the services reliable as can be, while dealing with Covid-19 and bank holidays. Passengers are advised to check before they travel.
Monday 13th December sees the return of the Gatwick Express as passengers numbers increase, after the service was stopped back in March 2020 due to the pandemic as passenger numbers fell quickly.
The return of the service will boost the local economy and assist the recovery of Gatwick Airport. Please note this service will also be affected by engineering work until 4th January 2022.
If you are travelling on the trains, please remember that face coverings must be worn unless you are exempt.
The winter timetables can be seen online on websites such as www.nationalrail.co.uk
Southern and Thameslink services are affected in the run up to Christmas.
Amendment to services between :
12th December and 18th December can be viewed online from 6th December.
19th December and 24th December can be viewed online from 13th December.
Work has been taking place at Gatwick Airport station to reduce congestion and to improve accessibility for all passengers.
GTR Interim Chief Operating Officer Angie Doll said: “We're changing our train times in phases from 12 December to support engineering work and ensure services are as reliable as possible given the ongoing impact of Covid-19.”
“We do strongly urge our customers, including those travelling to see friends and family over the festive period, to check before leaving home using live travel updates on our websites and at National Rail Enquiries where they can also sign-up for alerts.”
She added: “We're pleased to reinstate our seven-day-a-week non-stop Gatwick Express service. Gatwick Airport plays a vital part in driving economic growth in the South East and we're proud to support its recovery.”
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Then perhaps Great Northern and Great Western Railway can allow the Class 387/2s to be transferred back to Gatwick Express. And the Class 379 Electrostars to be cascaded from Greater Anglia to Great Northern and modified and upgraded to 110mph.