11.06.20
More seats for passengers following platform extensions in East and West Sussex
In support of the £150m Gatwick Airport station upgrade, platforms have been extended at Cooksbridge, Lancing and Goring-By-Sea, which will also improve accessibility and reduce overcrowding and delays for commuters and leisure travellers across the South East.
To allow the Gatwick project works and provide greater capacity for passengers, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), the train company that operates Southern services, will increase the length of some trains operating along costal routes to Eastbourne, Hastings, Worthing and Littlehampton, to eight carriages.
Network Rail have successfully installed extension works at the following stations:
- Cooksbridge, platform 1 towards Lewes/London
- Lancing, platform 2 towards Littlehampton
- Goring-by-Sea, platform 1 towards Hove/London
These extensions will ensure longer trains can be accommodated on the platforms instead of blocking up level crossings.
Regional Investment Director for Network Rail, Paul Harwood, said: “These works support the vital Gatwick Airport station upgrade and the platform extensions will ensure we continue to provide a railway, which meets the needs of the communities and economies we serve in years to come.
“We look forward to passengers reaping the benefits of more spacious, more frequent and longer trains which will provide more people with opportunities to travel.”
Passenger Services Director for Southern and Gatwick Express, Chris Fowler, said: “We’ve doubled the length of trains serving routes between our south coast stations and Gatwick Airport to maintain capacity for our passengers during the airport station’s major upgrade.
“This successful platform extension programme by Network Rail will mean that the longer trains won’t cause hold-ups for road users at level crossings. Later this summer, our passengers will be able to use the extra space on the platforms as well as on the trains, making social distancing that much easier for their whole journey.”
Image: Network Rail