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Gatwick - London Trains By First Capital Connect

Alternative Airport Train Link To Central London With Stations In The City Of London

If you follow the flow at Gatwick you will probably end up on the Gatwick Express train. The Gatwick Express is a dedicated rail express link into Central London's Victoria station. London in 30 minutes, every 15 minutes is what's on offer.

However, there are alternatives to the Gatwick Express to get you into London. The destination of the Gatwick Express is London Victoria, a great central entry point to London, really close to the attractions and a major hotel district too.

Southern trains operate cheaper commuter style trains between Gatwick and London Victoria also, we have a separate Southern Trains Gatwick - London Victoria web page.

First Capital Connect Trains are the other alternative to the Gatwick Express and Southern Trains and use a completely different track into Central London.

Trains branch off to London Bridge station and then make several stops through London to St Pancras continuing out the other side of London to Luton and Bedford.

The line travels through the City of London, the business area of London. This is not an area that leisure visitors normally have their accommodation, most of the attractions being the other side of Central London further west.

London Bridge and St Pancras are the key stations in Central London serviced by First Capital Connect, both are major Underground and railway hubs. St Pancras is also a major budget hotel area and is where the Eurostar trains to Paris depart from in London.

Logistics of using First Capital Connect

At Gatwick Airport the train station is integrated into the South Terminal of the airport. From exiting customs into Gatwick Station is about 100 yards

If you are flying into the North Terminal a free monorail link shuttles between the North and South terminals every few minutes and is free of charge. At the South Terminal its terminus is adjacent to the train station.

At Gatwick Airport station there are lifts and escalators down to the platforms.

As no First Capital train starts at Gatwick Airport, nearly all start from Brighton on the coast you will have to wait for the next train to London and check the departure boards for which of Gatwick's 5 platforms it will arrive on.

There are no seat reservations on any train from Gatwick. Your ticket is for the journey between Gatwick and London on a schedule of your choice. Ticket types are quite complex, (see below) and any discounted tickets will probably have restrictions on the times of day you can use them.

At Gatwick when a train arrives you just a grab a seat that is available on a first come first serve basis. Luggage is limited to what you can carry, don't expect any assistance. There may be no dedicated luggage racks and only a small parcel shelf above the seats.

If you have luggage you may well be the last one aboard as many passengers will not have luggage and much of the train will already be occupied on arrival. As First Capital serves the business area of London, carriages are routinely very crowded at commute times. Travelling at 8 a.m. on a weekday morning is not a pleasant experience, especially on the back of a long flight.

Typical journey times into London from Gatwick are 35-45 minutes.

First Capital Ticketing Fares & Timetables

You can buy tickets on the day at the ticket offices at both Gatwick and the railway stations in London. All major credit cards are taken.

However if you buy on-line not only do you avoid any queues but you have a much better chance of getting a cheaper fare.

The British rail fare structure is notoriously complex. In recent years some attempt has been made to simplify the tickets available along the lines of the categories in the table below

The only effective way of finding the best fare for you is to go onto the web site, link right. Enter your travel details and the system will tell you timetables convenient around your travel times and all the fares available around this time.

The three types of tickets are outlined below. At weekends there is a good chance that an off-peak or super off-peak fare will be available, during the week in all probability only the anytime fares. It is rare that an advance purchase ticket is made available on this run.

• Advance Purchase: Buy in advance, sold in limited numbers and subject to availability. These tickets will have restrictions specified when purchasing.

• Off Peak: Buy any time, travel off-peak. The definition of off peak can vary from ticket to ticket. These tickets may require you to travel at specific times of day, days of the week or on a specific route. Where there is more than one Off-Peak fare for a journey, the cheaper fare with more restrictions will be called Super Off-Peak.

• Anytime: Buy any time, travel any time. (the standard ticket). Anytime fares are fully flexible tickets, with no time restrictions on when you can travel. You can make the return journey within one month of the outward journey.

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London - Gatwick Airport Comparison of Fares
Service	Standard Adult Fare*
	One-Way	Return
easyBus To West Brompton	£2-£10	£4-£20
National Express Bus To Victoria	£6.50†	£13.00†
Southern Train To Victoria	£7.50/£14.40~	£15.00/£28.80~
First Capital Train To St Pancras	£10.00	£19.00
Gatwick Express Train (Advance on-line)	£17.75	£31.05
Gatwick Express Train (Purchased at station)	£19.90	£34.90
Saloon/Sedan Car (2 People)	£84	£168
Small Bus (12 People)	£230	£460
* Standard adult ticket. Other promotional fares may appear from time to time. † On-line fare. £1 Booking Fee. ~ Cheapest Off Peak or Advance Purchase Fare/Anytime fares

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