Gatwick Express - Gatwick Express Rolling Stock - H

Gatwick Express - H

Gatwick Express Rolling Stock

Govia Thameslink Railway operates a fleet of Gatwick Express branded Class 387/2s which it received during 2016. GTR placed a £145.2 million order with Bombardier for 27 sets of the type in November 2014 to replace the existing Class 442 Wessex Electrics.

The type underwent testing in July 2015, and began to enter passenger service in February 2016. The new trains have 12 carriages compared with 10 for the Class 442, and also feature additional luggage space, wireless internet connectivity and passenger service updates.

In April 2016, drivers belonging to the ASLEF trade union refused to pick up passengers on the new Class 387 trains. The trains are fitted with "Driver-Only Operation" (DOO) capability, meaning that the driver closes the doors using CCTV and decides that it is safe to move off, rather than a guard.

DOO had been used on the previous 10-car Class 442, but the union claimed that extending this to 12-car trains put too much pressure on the driver and was unsafe. In response, GTR took legal action, and the union ultimately dropped the claim.

The Gatwick Express branded fleet is maintained at Lovers Walk Depot with stabling facilities provided at Stewarts Lane depot. Some classified overhaul work has also been undertaken at Hornsey EMU Depot taking advantage of the unit's dual voltage capability.

Gatwick Express Current Fleet

387/2 Electrostar

Gatwick Express Past Fleet

Until 1984 the service was operated by Class 423 slam-door stock, coded 4-VEG (G for Gatwick).

From May 1984 Mark 2F stock released from Midland Main Line duties coupled to a Class 489 Gatwick Luggage Van took over the services, hauled by Class 73 locomotives.

A franchise commitment by National Express was the replacement of these with new stock, and eight Class 460 Junipers started to be delivered from January 1999. Because of reliability problems, some of the old stock remained in service until 2005.

To replace the last of the old stock, a pair of Class 458 Junipers were transferred from South West Trains for use as spares. They remained in their existing livery but with Gatwick Express branding. Their seating was modified from high density 3+2 seating configuration to 2+2 configuration, some seating being replaced with luggage racks.

However, these units never entered service and returned to South West Trains. The Class 460s were withdrawn from service in September 2012 to be merged with the mechanically similar Class 458 units used by South West Trains in order to provide more stock at peak times.

The 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. The additional rolling stock allowed Southern to provide extra capacity on the Gatwick Express services extended to Brighton. The stock were replaced during 2016 by newly built Class 387/2s.

488/2
488/3
460 (8GAT)
442 (5WES)
73

Gatwick Express Overview

Gatwick Express Franchise(s):

Gatwick Trains

28 April 1996 – 22 June 2008

Part of the South Central franchise

22 June 2008 - 25 July 2015

Part of the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise

26 July 2015 – 31 March 2025

Gatwick Express Main Route(s): London Victoria – Gatwick Airport

Gatwick Express Other Route(s): Brighton

Gatwick Express Fleet Size:

18 Class 387

Gatwick Express Stations Called At: 7

Gatwick Express Stations Operated: 0

Gatwick Express Parent Company: Govia Thameslink Railway

Gatwick Express Reporting Mark: GX

Gatwick Express Technical Length: 43.3 kilometres (26.9 mi)

Gatwick Express Route

London Victoria

Gatwick Airport

Haywards Heath

Burgess Hill

Hassocks

Preston Park

Brighton

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