Passengers using Gatwick and Heathrow over the festive period face travel disruption, with rail services to and from the airports being closed or disrupted due to engineering works.
The Heathrow Express will be closed from 2025 on December 24, and will not reopen until December 29, to allow for Crossrail improvement works to take place.
The slower Heathrow Connect service will also be closed over the same period, but London Underground’s Piccadilly line will operate as normal to and from Heathrow’s terminals, and additional bus and coach services will also be in operation.
Meanwhile the Gatwick Express service from London Victoria will be shut for a total of ten days, from 2200 on Christmas Eve, until 0400 on Monday January 4.
The disruption is being caused by engineering works at East Croydon and Redhill stations, with line closures meaning that there will be a revised rail and replacement bus service on the Southern line between London and Gatwick.
Passengers are advised to allow an extra 60 minutes for their rail journey to and from the airport.
Regional airline Flybe says that the disruption at Gatwick and Heathrow is driving demand for its services from London City airport, with customers “seeking alternative options of travelling via Flybe’s London City services from Aberdeen, Belfast City, Edinburgh and Exeter or direct into London Gatwick from Cornwall Airport Newquay to ensure making their longer haul connections”.
For more information on changes to rail services to and from Gatwick and Heathrow over the festive period, click on the links below.
Mark Caswell
