A new overnight train service connecting the west of England with Gatwick Airport is set to launch this summer.
Great Western Railway (GWR) announced that the trial service will start operating on 6 June, running between Reading and the airport via Redhill, Reigate, Dorking and Guildford.
The overnight trains will operate along the North Downs Line and will run for 12 weeks on a trial basis.
Services will include two trains from Reading to Gatwick and three return journeys every Saturday morning, alongside a reduced schedule on Mondays with one service from Reading and two from Gatwick.
Designed to address a gap in rail connectivity to the airport, the move aims to make travel easier for passengers catching early flights or arriving into Gatwick late at night.
Currently, GWR services run between the hours of 4.30am and 11.30pm, leaving passengers with early departures or late arrivals – without a rail option from the west.
The North Downs line has been closed on multiple occasions over the last few years for maintenance and upgrades, making the introduction of overnight services a notable development for the route.
Mark Hopwood, managing director at GWR, told BBC News: ‘This trial allows us to test demand for extended operating hours to Gatwick and gather real-world data on how passengers use these services.
Passengers travelling between the west of England and Gatwick Airport (pictured) will soon be able to board overnight trains for late-night arrivals and early departures
Great Western Railway will trial an overnight service that will run between Reading and Gatwick via Redhill, Reigate, Dorking and Guildford
‘Improving sustainable connectivity to airports is important to support the growth in air travel and we’re pleased to work with Gatwick Airport and Network Rail to explore what’s possible.’
Jonathan Pollard, chief commercial officer at London Gatwick, welcomed the news, noting that he was ‘delighted’ by the new service.
He added that the overnight trains would ‘make travelling to and from Gatwick even easier for passengers and staff working at the airport’.
The operator said it would monitor how popular the services prove to be before deciding whether to extend them on a permanent basis.
It comes after Gatwick was named the second-least reliable airport over Easter in a study.
By analysing Civil Aviation Authority data from March 2024 and April 2025 during two different Easter periods, researchers found clear differences in how airports cope with the seasonal surge in passengers.
Smaller regional hubs performed best overall, with Liverpool John Lennon Airport taking the lead with an average on-time performance of 86.85 per cent.
East Midlands Airport placed second at 85.20 per cent, followed by Glasgow Airport at 84.60 per cent.
Belfast International and George Best Belfast City also showed strong reliability, with 84.35 per cent and 84 per cent of flights departing on time.
In contrast, larger and more congested hubs were more prone to disruption.
Cardiff Airport recorded the lowest on-time performance at 76.05 per cent, while Gatwick Airport followed with a rate of 77.20 per cent.
Bournemouth and Southampton recorded similar figures of 77.50 per cent and 77.55 per cent, while Manchester Airport reached 78.25 per cent.
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New overnight trains set to launch at Gatwick Airport
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