Holidaymakers travelling to Gatwick and Luton airports this summer by train are being urged to travel safely, as thousands more passengers head away on their summer breaks.
Greater Thameslink Railway (GTR), which operates Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink services to both airports, is reminding customers to allow extra time for their journeys and to take extra care when travelling with luggage.
The advice forms part of the operator's rail safety campaign fronted by comedian and actress Diane Morgan, which highlights the simple steps passengers can take to avoid injury while travelling.
According to GTR, so far this year there have been 93 reports of people falling as they are trying to board a train, which is an increase of 43% compared to 2025.
The operator is releasing new CCTV footage demonstrating this behaviour in action, highlighting how easily someone could get stuck, or end up on train tracks.
Attempting to board a train as the doors as closing – along with running for trains and taking pushchairs and luggage on escalators – are amongst the most common causes for train station accidents. These are all completely preventable behaviours that GTR is encouraging passengers to steer clear of.
GTR has revealed that overall figures for slips, trips and falls are down 5% year-on-year following the launch of its ‘Travel Safe with Diane Morgan’ campaign earlier this year. However, with Gatwick and Luton airports traditionally experiencing their busiest footfall in August, there will be an uplift in people travelling to these destinations by train, which is why the operator is utilising CCTV footage to act as a warning to take extra care when travelling.
Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for GTR, said: “It’s fantastic that the reach of our network enables people to travel to both Gatwick and Luton airports by rail. Travelling by train alleviates the stress of traffic and means your holiday can get started even earlier, but not if you end up injuring yourself on the journey.
“With lots of people travelling this summer who may not be familiar with our trains or our stations, we are taking the opportunity to share essential travel advice so that people take extra care. It’s positive to see an overall reduction in accidents across our network, but we really want to see a reduction in those attempting to jump on a train as the doors are closing as it results in completely avoidable injury. If your summer trip involves the train, please plan your journey and leave extra time for travelling so you don’t feel the need to rush.”
GTR connects passengers to Gatwick Airport with a non-stop service from London Victoria via Gatwick Express. There are also options to get to Gatwick from other parts of the network using Southern and Thameslink trains. For those heading to Luton Airport this summer, Thameslink provides direct services from London St Pancras in as little as 22 minutes.
