THE rail minister Claire Perry has given a formal launch to the new fleet of trains for Gatwick Express.
Speaking at London Victoria, she told Railnews she welcomed the arrival of more Derby-built Class 387 units in addition to those which have been running on Thameslink since early last year.
She said: "I am really pleased to see the new trains in operation, replacing 30-year old rolling stock."
The fleet for Gatwick Express, built by Bombardier, has been given a distinctive red livery complemented by red covers on the 2+2 seating inside the trains. The interiors have been configured with airport traffic in mind, with additional luggage space. The fleet also offers WiFi and new real-time passenger service updates, which come directly from the rail operations centre at Three Bridges and are displayed in each vehicle.
The new batch of 27 four-car 387s -- technically forming Class 387/2 -- have already been introduced to Thameslink passengers, because some of the units have been running in trial service over the past few weeks between Bedford and Brighton, while the first fully branded set began running between Victoria and Gatwick on 29 February.
Gatwick Express is part of the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise, which began in September 2014 and whose contract included the replacement of the existing Class 442 fleet, dating from the 1980s.
Stewart Wingate, the CEO of London Gatwick Airport, also welcomed the new trains. "This fleet has been designed with the air passenger in mind and heralds the start of a step change in ral services at Gatwick. In just two years, the new Gatwick Express trains will be complemented by a start of the art Thameslink fleet, which together will serve Gatwick with tube-like frequency."
The station at the airport is to be rebuilt, which Stewart Wingate said will be necessary 'so that we can comfortably meet the expected increase in passenger numbers'.