Gatwick Express is a high-frequency rail passenger service between London Victoria, Gatwick Airport, and Brighton in South East England.
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12 Facts About Gatwick Express
2.
In June 2008, Gatwick Express ceased to exist as a separate franchise, when it was merged into the Southern train operating company, although it continues to be maintained as a separate identity.
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3.
In May 1984, the non-stop Gatwick Express service began, using Class 73s with Mark 2 carriages.
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4.
Gatwick Express was the first portion of British Rail's InterCity sector to be converted into a separate train operating unit, ready for franchising as a private business with the assets transferred to Gatwick Express Limited in March 1994.
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5.
The Gatwick Express franchise was awarded by the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising to National Express with the franchise starting on 28 April 1996.
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6.
On 30 March 2020, all Gatwick Express services were suspended until further notice, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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7.
At peak times on weekdays, all Gatwick Express trains ran to Brighton every 15 minutes; additional stops were made during this time at Haywards Heath and Hassocks or Burgess Hill, Hassocks and Preston Park .
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8.
London – Gatwick Express is one of the few journeys on the UK National Rail network for which tickets restricting travel to certain brands of service are available in addition to the option of standard inter-available fares for immediate travel as on all flows shared by different National Rail operators .
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9.
Gatwick Express said that the train service sometimes "at times veers towards Third World conditions" and that it gives air passengers arriving in the United Kingdom a bad first impression of the UK, and called for major improvements.
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10.
Gatwick Express branded fleet is maintained at Lovers Walk Depot with stabling facilities provided at Stewarts Lane depot.
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11.
Franchise commitment by National Gatwick Express was the replacement of these with new stock, and eight Class 460 Junipers started to be delivered from January 1999.
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12.
Gatwick Express service received 17 refurbished Class 442 Wessex Electrics from South West Trains from December 2008, followed by a further seven through leases in 2009, after Southern retained the South Central franchise.
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