Gatwick Express: London Victoria - Brighton on May 12th 2022

1st time back on the Brighton Main Line in over 3 years for real starting with a early morning journey on a Gatwick Express service from London Victoria to Brighton.

Our train is a pair of 4 car Class 387s which before reinstatement of Gatwick Express had been used on other Southern routes as well as for a period from May 2021 to December 2021 some were sent on hire to Great Western Railway as well as being used on Great Northern routes to Cambridge, Ely and Kings Lynn.

We start at London Victoria the terminus of Brighton Main Line, Chatham Main Line as well as interchange for Victoria Coach Station and London Underground Circle, District and Victoria Lines.

Gatwick Express services was unofficially reinstated back on April 3rd 2 years after the Pandemic began in March 2020.

GX services depart either Platform 13 or 14 however at the time of filming it was running half hourly instead of 1 train alternating every 15 minutes due to the rebuilding work going on at Gatwick Airport station itself.

Southern themselves were still running a must reduced timetable in the process.

Our train leaves from Platform 13 on the 0730 Gatwick Express service to Brighton with only one stop being Gatwick Airport itself.

Climbing out of London Victoria our line crosses over the River Thames before passing through Battersea Park which can be used by London Overground East London Line if the line to Clapham Junction is closed and also provides walking distance to both Queenstown Road (Battersea) on the South Western Main Line and also the recent addition of the Northern Line terminus at Battersea Power Station.

After Battersea Park the Brighton Mainline crosses over the South Western Main Line and then runs alongside until Clapham Junction which our train passes through and then diverge to the left passing through Wandsworth Common and Balham

After Selhurst is the main depot on Southern with other depots such as Eastbourne, Stewards Lane near London Victoria and also Lovers Walk Depot near Brighton.

Passing East Croydon we join up with Thameslink services via Norwood Junction as well as services to Caterham and Tottenham Corner which leave after Purley.

The slow lines pass under the fast lines after Coulsdon South then enter Quarry Tunnel being 1 mile long before passing the M25 Motorway. The slow lines serve Merstham and Redhill

We pass through Redhill Tunnel which the line to Tonbridge crosses over before our line re-emerges alongside in 4 track formation which passing through Earlswood, Salfords, Horley before arriving into Platform 7 at Gatwick Airport.

Platforms 5 and 6 were out of action due to major rebuilding at Gatwick Airport station itself which was originally on June 9th 1958. Thameslink stoppers from Bedford terminate here as well as hourly Great Western Railway services from Reading via Guildford.

Passing Three Bridges the lines via Horsham diverge to the right whilst passing Thameslink's depot before the 4 tracks become 2 for the rest of the journey before passing through Balcombe Tunnel.

After passing Balcombe the line crosses over the largest viaduct on the Brighton Mainline the Ouse Valley Viaduct before passing Haywards Heath.

South of Wivelsfield services to Eastbourne and Ore via Lewes diverge to the left

After passing through Burgess Hill and Hassocks we pass through the longest tunnel on the Brighton Mainline being Clayton Tunnel being over 1 mile long.

Then the line passes under the junction for the A23 / A27 interchange before passing through the final tunnel which is Patcham Tunnel and then passing Preston Park.

After passing Preston Park services towards Littlehampton via Hove diverge to the right passing through Cliftonville Tunnel

On final approach to Brighton Station we pass Lovers Walk Depot before we get the clearance into Platform 6 at Brighton which is also the terminus for East Coastway Line to Hastings via Eastbourne, Seaford Branch Line services to Seaford via Newhaven and also West Coastway Line services to Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Southampton Central and Portsmouth Harbour via West Worthing.

At the time Great Western Railway ran 2 services a day to and from Brighton however ceased operations the following evening due to costs by DFT.

Thameslink services terminate originate from either Bedford via Luton or Cambridge via Finsbury Park although nowadays majority of their Brighton Services are formed of 12 car Class 700 Desiro Citys which are maintained at Three Bridges, Hornsey and Cricklewood.

The Class 313s days on Southern are numbered still operate East and West Coastway routes which includes a BR Liveried 313201 which at present is being preserved which when it has retired from service will be preserved by the National Railway Museum in York.

Music used:
JJD - Adventure
Music provided by NCS

Video link:
NoCopyrightSounds
   • JJD - Adventure | Glitch Hop | NCS - Copyr...  

Filmed on Thursday May 12th 2022 on iPhone 12 Pro and edited on iMovie

#class387 #alstom #brighton