Why is there a campaign to shut down the Gatwick Express?

"If you've ever flown from Gatwick, chances are you've hopped on the Gatwick Express, bitterly parted with over £20 and been on your merry way. But what if we told you that a lot of the time the fastest, cheapest way to get to the airport by rail isn't on the Express at all? That's the problem Neil Middleton from the independent campaigning organisation Rail Future wants to fix."

"There are only two Gatwick Express services per hour, and those journeys come with a hefty price tag. Whereas there are six Southern Services from Victoria station doing the same journey only two minutes slower and about £10 cheaper. Then there's also the Thameslink trains from London Bridge, which further adds to the confusion. What this means in practice is there are often empty carriages on the Gatwick Express as savvy customers choose the cheaper services, which are then overcrowded."

"With Gatwick Airport set to expand after the government just approved a second runway, much to many environmental groups' dismay, travelling to the terminal is about to get a lot busier. One condition the government set is that at least 54 per cent of journeys to the airport must be made by public transport. So, by the late 2030s, this could mean over 110,000 passengers on a day. Let's hope the frequent flight delays at the airport have been sorted out by then."

Neil Middleton of Rail Future calls for the Gatwick Express to be scrapped as a separate operator and merged into standard local services. The Gatwick Express runs only twice per hour and charges a premium fare. Six Southern services from Victoria cover the same route two minutes slower and about £10 cheaper, while Thameslink from London Bridge provides several fast options. Passengers often use cheaper trains, leaving empty Gatwick Express carriages and overcrowding other services. Gatwick's approved second runway will increase demand, and the government requires at least 54 per cent of airport journeys to use public transport, potentially exceeding 110,000 passengers per day by the late 2030s.

Read at Time Out London