Plans submitted to transform Gatwick Airport station

Network Rail has submitted plans to transform Gatwick Airport station in preparation for forecasted rail growth up to 2036.Gatwick Airport is the sixth busiest UK station outside of London and serves 19 million passengers each year.This number has increased by 7.5 million over the last 20 years and with demand set to soar even further, Network Rail – along with Gatwick Airport, Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership and the Department for Transport – has submitted planning permission to Crawley Borough Council to accommodate future demand.Proposals aim to reduce overcrowding, improve passenger flow and provide better connections between the railway station, airport terminals and onward travel destinations.Gatwick Airport chief commercial officer Guy Stephenson said the project is a “fantastic example of the public and private sector working together to deliver a world class transport hub.”Project improvements include:Almost doubling the size of the station’s concourse;Eight new escalators, five new lifts and four new stairways;Widening platforms 5 and 6 to reduce overcrowding;Better connections to the south terminal with improved passenger information;An “attractive” new roof structure.