Banner image showing passengers disembarking train at London Gatwick train station Banner image showing passengers disembarking train at London Gatwick train station

Train

Travel to over 120 train stations directly from London Gatwick, offering unrivalled connectivity into London and the South East

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The UK's best connected airport

London Gatwick has the best ​train ​connections of any airport in Britain with a train departing on average every four minutes, connecting passengers directly to 120 train stations and over 700 within ​one ​change.

The ​train ​station ​can be found ​at the South Terminal, just a five minutes walk from both departures and arrivals. ​It​ is easily accessible from the North Terminal ​too with our​ free shuttle​ service taking two minutes​.

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A couple walking to London Gatwick terminals from the train station

Train services to and from London Gatwick

We are served by four train operators that provide direct services to over 120 stations, including 7 key stations across London and easy interchange to the Elizabeth Line, making your onward journey quick and easy.

  • Gatwick Express provides a non-stop service direct to London Victoria. Departing twice an hour, it takes just 30 minutes. You can save 10% if you book online in advance directly through the Gatwick Express Website.
  • Save 10% on the Gatwick Express

  • Southern provides services across London and the South-East, including London Victoria, Clapham Junction, Brighton, Horsham, Southampton, Eastbourne and Portsmouth, ​and​ many​ more​ local stations. 

  • Thameslink connects London Gatwick to the south coast at Brighton, as well as to several central London stations: London Bridge, London Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Farringdon and St Pancras International. Trains then continue to Bedford, Peterborough and Cambridge. Thameslink services also provide direct services to Luton Airport Parkway, with an easy interchange to the DART that takes you directly to the airport in four minutes.

  • Great Western Railway direct services run between London Gatwick and Reading every half hour, getting you to the airport station in around 90 minutes. Book early and save, on average, more than 50%. For more information visit the GWR website.

Image showing passengers checking train times board at the brand new London Gatwick train station
Purchasing train tickets at London Gatwick

There are so many ways to pay for your train tickets that travelling by train to and from London Gatwick couldn’t be easier:

  • Pay using your contactless payment card or Oyster card to travel to and from London by tapping in and out at the ticket barrier – you don’t even need to stop walking!*
  • Buy your tickets online in advance and scan the barcode at the ticket barriers.
  • If you prefer to buy your ticket on the day, there are plenty of ticket machines in the station in the South Terminal if you prefer to buy on the day.
  • If you need to buy an Oyster Card, you can purchase one at the Your Service Centre desk - operated by SkyBreak - located in South Terminal check-in zone.


To help save some money on your journey:

Passengers buying tickets in the ticket hall at the new London Gatwick train station

*Contactless payment is not valid for travel to stations south of Gatwick Airport or outside of London. If travelling south to destinations such as Crawley, Horsham and Brighton or outside London to destinations such as Reading and Cambridge you will need to purchase a ticket.

How long does it take to get to London Gatwick by train?

The below are the average times for direct train services to or from London Gatwick along the most popular routes. Please be aware however that times can fluctuate and so we would always recommend allowing additional time for your journey.

  • Bedford, 2 hours with Thameslink
  • Brighton, 30 minutes with Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express
  • Cambridge, 2 hours with Thameslink
  • Eastbourne, 1 hour with Southern
  • Guildford, 1 hour with GWR
  • London 30 to 45 minutes with Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express
  • Luton, 1 hour 30 minutes with Thameslink
  • Portsmouth, 1 hour 45 minutes with Southern
  • Reading, 1 hour 30 minutes with GWR
  • Reigate / Redhill, 15 minutes with GWR
Rail disruption
Like the rest of the country's network, occasionally rail services in and out of London Gatwick may be affected by strike action or planned engineering works. We recommend regularly checking this page to ensure you remain well informed of any potential disruption to your journey.

June 2025

There are no planned engineering works or disruptions anticipated.

July 2025

Sunday 13th July - Planned Engineering Works

There will be no train services running between Gatwick Airport and East Croydon on Sunday 13th July due to urgent engineering work being carried out by Network Rail on this line.

Customers travelling between London and Gatwick Airport are advised to use Southern services between London Victoria and East Grinstead, where frequent replacement buses will run to Gatwick Airport and Three Bridges. Direct Southern trains will also operate between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport via an alternative route, but this will take considerably longer than usual. Additional replacement buses will serve routes between East Croydon and Redhill / Tattenham Corner, and between Redhill and Tonbridge.

Please allow significantly more time for your journey and check with National Rail for more information.

Alternative transport methods

On days with disrupted rail services, you may find that alternative methods of transport to London Gatwick will be busier than usual and so it is always best to plan well ahead:

By bus and coach

Metrobus offer local bus services around the London Gatwick area, with single fares capped at £2. This includes services to Redhill, where you can catch TfL bus 405 to Croydon and connecting buses or trams to Wimbledon and the District Line. You can buy tickets on board and contactless payment is also widely available.

National Express and The Airline by the Oxford Bus Company offer coach services from both terminals to Oxford, London Victoria Coach Station, Brighton and other destinations across England and Wales. You can use either company’s services to reach London Heathrow T5, where you can catch the Piccadilly or Elizabeth Line into central London.

We highly recommend booking coach tickets in advance of days with disruption as services are likely to sell out quickly.

Find out more about local and national buses


By car

Pre-book your airport parking in advance as our car parks will be very busy, although we usually have additional capacity to cope with disruption to the surrounding rail network.

Pre-book Official London Gatwick Airport Parking


By taxi

Gatwick Cars Ltd is our official taxi provider and can be found outside both the North and South Terminals. Expect queues on days with sever rail disruption and pre-book your taxi in advance

to avoid long delays and disappointment

Pre-book a taxi online or Call +44 (0)1293 550000


Car hire

A range of car rental companies operate from both North and South Terminals.

Find out more about car hire here