Gatwick Express will run four trains an hour between Victoria and Gatwick from Sunday 13 December, up from two, a first since 2019. Updated November 2026.
Gatwick Express will run four trains an hour between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport from Sunday 13 December, double the two an hour it runs now, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) announced on 9 November. GTR says it is the first time the service has run at that frequency since 2019, before the pandemic.
The change arrives with the December timetable, in time for the Christmas and New Year getaway. GTR, which runs Gatwick Express alongside Southern and Thameslink, calls it “a further improvement for customers delivered under public ownership, and another step forwards in the move to Great British Railways”. The announcement is in GTR’s press release.
What it means for Brighton travellers
The extra trains are on the Victoria to Gatwick section, where GTR puts the direct journey at 30 minutes. The release does not say whether any of them will run on to or from Brighton, so anyone flying from Gatwick out of the city should check their own train in a journey planner once the December timetable is loaded rather than assume a change.
Where it helps Brighton and Hove readers is on the way back from London: anyone spending a night in the capital before a flight, or meeting someone off a plane after a day in town, will have four Gatwick Express trains an hour from Victoria instead of two.
Over the holidays the pattern changes again. National Rail’s Christmas listings, which we set out in our Christmas and New Year trains page, show no Gatwick Express trains on Boxing Day and a half-hourly service on the other bank holidays, some days running to Brighton and some only to the airport. Check that page before travelling between 24 December and 4 January.
What GTR and Gatwick said
Louis Rambaud, GTR’s chief customer officer, said: “Whether it’s Christmas in the sun, or skiing in the Alps, we want to make getting away this winter as easy as possible. By doubling our Gatwick Express services, we’re giving customers more choice and flexibility when travelling to and from the airport.”
He added: “Returning to four trains per hour for the first time since the pandemic is a major milestone and follows other launches this year including discounted Fast Track Security and airport lounge access, all designed to improve the customer experience and make Gatwick Express the ideal choice when travelling to Gatwick Airport.”
Jonathan Pollard, chief commercial officer at London Gatwick, said the airport has “around 230 global destinations available” this winter. “The return of four Gatwick Express services per hour is great news for our passengers and reflects the importance of frequent, reliable rail links between London and the airport,” he said. “These additional services will provide passengers with even greater choice, flexibility and convenience when planning their journeys.”
GTR’s release also points to British Airways expanding its winter 2026 schedule from Gatwick, with new direct flights to Barbados and to Colombo in Sri Lanka, and more flights to Caribbean destinations.
The research behind the announcement
GTR paired the timetable news with research commissioned by Gatwick Express, which it says shows more than half of people in the UK considering a holiday abroad in December and January. The release does not say who carried out the survey or how many people took part. Its top five winter trips were:
- Winter sun, 44%
- Christmas markets or a festive city break, 38%
- A romantic or couples break, 26%
- A last-minute spontaneous trip, 24%
- A wellness or relaxing break, 24%
The answers split by age, according to GTR. Gen Z (39%) and millennials (46%) were most likely to pick a festive city break, while Gen X (51%) and baby boomers (59%) preferred winter sun.
Asked why they would take the train to the airport, people most often gave frequent, direct services (34%), followed by not having to worry about traffic (33%), not having to worry about car park charges (30%), discounted tickets or extras such as fast-track security (26%), and early and late-night services (23%).
Tickets
Tickets and the discounted lounge and Fast Track security add-ons, which GTR launched earlier this year, are on the Gatwick Express website. For trains into London from the city, see our Brighton to London train times.
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