Gatwick platform 7

[Surreyman]

Track laying has started at the southern end of new platform 7, also new tracks laid connecting this to the down line south of the station (none in use) the old disused brick pedestrian bridge south of the platforms has been demolished - just the side structures left.

 

[talldave]

It's looking ready to go - does anyone know when it comes into use?

 

[tsr]

It should be in use sometime early in February, I think. Some test/proving trains have been over the new trackwork already.

 

[talldave]

Excellent. February should be an interesting month for Gatwick - London travel with "the key" smartcard also due to start working for non-season ticket travel to London as well.

 

[tsr]

Excellent. February should be an interesting month for Gatwick - London travel with "the key" smartcard also due to start working for non-season ticket travel to London as well.

Yes, it's due to happen shortly, but I hear there have been a few doubts expressed by manglement about the proposed timings. Hopefully these prove to be incorrect. I'm not sure exactly what they concern - infrastructure on the ground in the Gatwick area, or systems elsewhere on the Southern key card / ITSO on Prestige network.

(Apologies that this is slightly off-topic!)

 

[cle]

So what will be using platform 7? Fast southbound trains? Passing trains?

Is there scope for a platform 8 on the other side of a future island? I seem to recall P7&8 was once a plan.

 

[tsr]

So what will be using platform 7? Fast southbound trains? Passing trains?

They should usually become the main option for "Gatwick Express"-branded services - to save crossing between the Up/Down Fasts and Platforms 1 & 2. These trains are known to start/terminate in Platform 6 from time to time, anyway.

Is there scope for a platform 8 on the other side of a future island? I seem to recall P7&8 was once a plan.

I can't actually remember if there's room, but I reckon it might be a bit tight. I don't even know if it would be needed all the time at the moment - though it could be useful to hold any faulty trains and deal with reversals during disruption.

 

[neilm]

From what I can see Platforms 5 & 6 will be Gatwick Express platforms, since this would mean there is no conflict with trains arrving and departing. 4 & 7 will be for Northbound and Southbound Southerns, the reason I say this is because there is no Northbound Signal on Platform 7 so trains cannot depart Northbound, there is also no points to get them on the northbound track as well.

 

[cle]

In which case, freeing up P1&2 will make a big difference! I guess it makes sense for those to be used for Redhill line slows - so some future Thameslink as well as Victoria slows.

 

[tsr]

Apologies, yes, I mean Pl. 5 & 6 should be come GatEx platforms, and 7 used for Southern. I got a bit confused there, but you do appear to be right.

 

[swt_passenger]

In which case, freeing up P1&2 will make a big difference! I guess it makes sense for those to be used for Redhill line slows - so some future Thameslink as well as Victoria slows.

Also earmarked for the extension of the second FGW Reading service, when rolling stock becomes available.

 

[radamfi]

Sending fast trains through platform 7 will presumably cause a slight delay as there is a speed reduction at the points where the line to platform 7 splits off.

Also, what happens to trains which currently wait in platform 6 to allow a fast train to pass on platform 5? For example, every half hour on Sundays, the trains from Bedford to Three Bridges wait on platform 6 for about 7 minutes while the train from Victoria stops on platform 5 and overtakes it.

 

[cle]

Maybe 6 could become a bi-di fast overtaking line, with 5 and 7 for north and southbound stopping trains?

 

[neilm]

I would assume that would be the plan, since there is not always 2 gatex in the platforms. They have also built a siding on the Southend of platforms 5 & 6 which might come into use.

 

[OxtedL]

GatEx turnarounds are typically about 20 minutes at Gatwick - there is still some margin to run things in between, although with risk.

However, even keeping 5 and 6 exclusively for GatEx is more useful than a loop on the fasts - the lack of GatEX crossing to the other side of the station keeps the timetable clean, and also allows you to put more over to the slow side if you need to, both because there are more platforms free and because there is less you need to plan around.

Realtime Trains is showing platforms from mid-February (eg).

I also picked a random Sunday in April and it shows FCC using only 4 and 7 after 10am, other than one up train an hour using 1 (which they can't normally do currently unless GatEx are running a reduced service), which allows a Southern up Brighton to scoot past. None of the dwell times look especially long.

 

[Weary Walker]

...the old disused brick pedestrian bridge south of the platforms has been demolished - just the side structures left.

The bridge at the south end was not disused but carried a public footpath across it.

 

[TEW]

One positive change that seems to have come about as a result is that FGW services will, generally, no longer have to shunt via the Carriage Sidings, instead sitting in a Platform for the 15 minute turnaround.

 

[SansPareil]

The bridge at the south end was not disused but carried a public footpath across it.

Presumably it is being replaced then?

 

[westcoaster]

Presumably it is being replaced then?

Already back up and in use.

 

[radamfi]

I just realised FCC don't actually get looped on Sunday according to the timetable. They did last Sunday but that was a one-off.

Having looked at the February platforms it looks like some fast trains will still go through platform 5 in the PM peak as the Gatwick Express uses platform 1 and 2 between 1735 and 1905, with the 1920 and 1935 using platform 4.

 

[OxtedL]

The GatEx peak pattern is made more complicated by the Brighton extensions, so that some trains run through and others start from the sidings. I'm a little confused by the way they're currently shown to decamp to 1 and 2 in the PM peak, as you notice, though. Nothing is in 6 for that whole period, whilst 5 is being used as an extra down platform. We'll see if they change again before/at the actual time.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I revise my opinion, I'm not confused - the 1 and 2 starters come up empty from Three Bridges on the slow, so it makes sense to start them there.

 

[davetheguard]

Apologies, yes, I mean Pl. 5 & 6 should be come GatEx platforms, and 7 used for Southern. I got a bit confused there, but you do appear to be right.

An important feature of the Gatwick Express operation has always been that if you just miss one train, the next train will be on the other side of the same island platform - no need to go upstairs and down again to another platform. This is very welcome when you've got heavy luggage.

Using 5 & 6 (instead of 1 & 2 used previously) is great because it will allow that aspect of the service to continue. By using platform 7 this benefit would have been lost.

 

[andy19_64]

Monday 3rd February is the official opening of Platform 7 with the first trains set to use it from Monday 10th Feb

 

[sarahj]

TBH, and its only from what I can see from platform 6 is platform 7 is a cheap, not fit for use platform. Its narrow at the ends, has a small roofed section (and it can get windy at Gatwick). Seems to only have one escalator and one set of stairs as well. I'm also guessing one lift. So I'm looking forward to crushes, passengers trying to get past others coming the other way, slow dispatch due to passengers walking abreast the narrow platform. Then when punters get up into the main station area they will have to walk past the incoming barriers to exit the gate line.
Of course I could be missing something, but all I could think was cheap and nasty.

 

[tsr]

An important feature of the Gatwick Express operation has always been that if you just miss one train, the next train will be on the other side of the same island platform - no need to go upstairs and down again to another platform. This is very welcome when you've got heavy luggage.

Using 5 & 6 (instead of 1 & 2 used previously) is great because it will allow that aspect of the service to continue. By using platform 7 this benefit would have been lost.

You are, of course, correct. However, if GatEx services use Platform 6 at Gatwick now, that benefit can still be lost, so it is not always maintained. As you can see, I did mention the wrong platform numbers, because I was sort of getting confused with the current layouts and jumbled them up!

TBH, and its only from what I can see from platform 6 is platform 7 is a cheap, not fit for use platform. Its narrow at the ends, has a small roofed section (and it can get windy at Gatwick). Seems to only have one escalator and one set of stairs as well. I'm also guessing one lift. So I'm looking forward to crushes, passengers trying to get past others coming the other way, slow dispatch due to passengers walking abreast the narrow platform. Then when punters get up into the main station area they will have to walk past the incoming barriers to exit the gate line.
Of course I could be missing something, but all I could think was cheap and nasty.

Due to the position of the TVM queue in the main concourse, I can imagine part of the exit gateline changing position anyway. And the station overbridge's split gateline (to/from the South Terminal) should be fine as it is, bar the necessarily narrow corridor between the two segments.

I am told the maximum use of space was made for the new platform, but I don't know of the exact constraints they found. The width of the entry/exit points was also the maximum possible and I understand it was a fine line to ensure everything fitted.

 

[LBSCR Times]

I also picked a random Sunday in April and it shows FCC using only 4 and 7 after 10am, other than one up train an hour using 1 (which they can't normally do currently unless GatEx are running a reduced service), which allows a Southern up Brighton to scoot past. None of the dwell times look especially long.

Sundays are meaningless, as NR usually have the Fast lines blocked at various times for track patrolling, and then there are also alterations for engineering works, especially as Southern haven't put in a lot of their alterations that far in advance.

 

[talldave]

Due to the position of the TVM queue in the main concourse, I can imagine part of the exit gateline changing position anyway. And the station overbridge's split gateline (to/from the South Terminal) should be fine as it is, bar the necessarily narrow corridor between the two segments.

Shhhh, we don't want anyone else finding out about the two hardly used ticket machines in the other entrance!! Before the collection only machines were installed in the main ticket hall, those other two machines were the only way of collecting tickets without joining long queues.

 

[OxtedL]

Sundays are meaningless, as NR usually have the Fast lines blocked at various times for track patrolling, and then there are also alterations for engineering works, especially as Southern haven't put in a lot of their alterations that far in advance.

Indeed - it was in response to a specific post and was far enough in the future to currently only display WTT times, which was what I was looking for. Trying to find something that looked like the current Sunday WTT amongst current Sundays to compare it with was basically impossible, I agree.

 

[swt_passenger]

Is it open from today then - and is that a bit earlier than expected?

NR PR department seem to think it's been 'opened': http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...n-s-53m-new-platform-and-facilities-1fbd.aspx

 

[Y186520]

Rail Minister Baroness Kramer opens new £53m train platform at Gatwick Airport Station with CEO Stewart Wingate

Dept for transport twittered it earlier with a picture of them on a 442


See @transportgovuk