Gatwick - London Trains By First Capital Connect
Alternative Airport Train To Central London To The Gatwick Express
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| First Capital Connect Gatwick Train |
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, though the Gatwick Express gets all the publicity and marketing it doesn't have a monopoly.
First Capital Connect Trains takes around 30-45 minutes to Central London.
The main difference of First Capital Connect to the Gatwick Express is the route. Trains branch off to London Bridge station and then make several stops through London to St Pancras. Unlike the Gatwick Express most of the passengers are not airport travellers, as a result the trains can get crowded at peak times.
Logistics of using First Capital
The journey time to Gatwick Airport from London Bridge, for most of the day, is around 30 minutes and around 45 minutes from St Pancras.
There are up to four First Capital Connect trains an hour between London and Gatwick Airport.
In Central London there are several stations in the centre (see map below).
First Capital Ticket Prices (Gatwick - London St Pancras)
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| London Transfers |
| Transfer Overview |
| Gatwick Express Train |
| First Capital Train |
| Local London Trains |
| National Express Bus |
| easyBus |
| Taxi / Private Car |
| Small / Large Groups |
| Inter Airport Transfers |
| Heathrow - Gatwick |
| Gatwick - Stansted |
| Gatwick - Luton |
| Cruise Port Transfers |
| Gatwick - Southampton |
| Gatwick - Dover |
| Gatwick - Harwich |
| UK Transfers |
| South East |
| South |
| South West & Wales |
| Midlands |
| North |
| Gatwick Airport Hotels |
| Gatwick Hotel Overview |
| Gatwick Bed & Breakfast |
| Gatwick Travel Lodges |
| Family Rooms |
| Day Rooms |
| Terminal Lounges |
| Airport Hotel Districts |
| Gatwick Airport Terminals |
| Horley |
| Crawley |
| Long Term Car Parking |
| Hotel + Parking Packages |
| Airport Car Parking |
| London Hotels / B&B |
| Best Buy Hotels |
| Bed & Breakfast |
| 2 & 3 Star Hotels |
| 4 Star Hotels |
| Family Rooms |
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| Adult Single Fare : £9.90 Adult Return Fare : £18.00 Children half fare |
Prices stated are 'Anytime' tickets. |
Gatwick Station
The station platforms are located directly below the airport's South Terminal, and the ticket office is adjacent to that terminal's concourse.
Although there are three major train companies that use Gatwick, ticketing is integrated and there is one large ticket hall at passenger terminal level.
| Overview Of Gatwick - Central London Transfers With Links To Detail Pages |
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| Public Transport | One Way | Return | Travel Time |
Promotional Tickets |
| Gatwick Express | £16.95* | £27.90* | 30 mins | 4 for 2, and 5 for price of 3 tickets |
| First Capital Trains | £9.90# | £18.00# | 45 mins | Common track closures at weekends. |
| Southern Trains | £13.50# | £27.00# | 40 mins | Some advance tickets £5.00-£10.00 |
| National Express Bus | £5.50/£8.00 | £11.00/£14.00 | 90 mins | Cheap fares are on-line. |
| easyBus | From £2 each way* | 70 mins | £10 each way buying ticket on day. | |
| * Online fare | # Standard travel anytime fare | |||
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Private Transfers |
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| Transfers by vehicle will be highly variable in time and is highly dependent on traffic congestion and destination in Central London. 60-90 minutes is typical |
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8,12,16 Seat + Bigger Buses
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Purchasing Train Tickets & Timetables
As a general rule of thumb for journeys of around an hour or so there is no financial advantage in pre purchasing, you may as well buy at the station on day of travel. For longer journeys, advance purchase fares offer great savings. The three types of tickets are broadly :
| Advance Purchase | Buy in advance, sold in limited numbers and subject to availability. These tickets are only valid on the date/train specified. |
| Off Peak | Buy any time, travel off-peak. 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. Anytime fares are fully flexible tickets, with no time restrictions on when you can travel. With an Anytimeticket you can also break your journey at stations along the route of travel. |
At train stations there are manned ticket offices and also ticket machines. All major credit cards are taken as well as cash.
For fares and timetables use 'The Trainline' web site.
You can purchase tickets at 'The Trainline' web site. Tickets are mailed to UK addresses only or you can opt to collect them from machines at main stations. You are sent a unique code which you enter into the machine which dispenses the tickets.
Note, most trains are only confirmed up to 3 months in advance. So if you search for a journey further ahead than 3 months you may well get an incomplete picture of available schedules and tickets.
If you want to purchase train tickets in advance, for the overseas visitor this can present problems as there are with few exceptions no true etickets delivered by email at present. One of the notable exceptions is the Gatwick Express.
Tickets can be sent to UK addresses only. You can however order tickets on-line and pick up the tickets from machines at Gatwick Airport, St Pancras, London Bridge and Blackfriars stations.
Left Luggage Facilities at Rail Stations
There are manned left luggage facilities at St Pancras Station in London and Gatwick Airport. Both are run by the Excess Baggage Company. For rates, exact location and opening hours go to the Excess Baggage Company web site.
Discounted Train Tickets - Central London to Gatwick Return
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Deep discounts and free tickets for children! There are strict conditions on these bargain tickets: |
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