A RAIL company is planning a major overhaul of services as part of multi-million pound redevelopment plans.

A two-year temporary timetable will see two fewer Gatwick Express trains per hour outside of peak times and there will be no off-peak Southern services between Brighton and London Victoria.

This comes during the £150 million “essential upgrade” of Gatwick Station, starting on May 17.

To counter this, the remaining Gatwick Express services “will be lengthened to compensate and, from the airport, there will still be six Southern trains every hour to Victoria and eight more Thameslink trains to London Bridge providing sufficient space,” a GTR spokesman said.

Passengers will also have access to an extra Thameslink services on Saturdays to ease congestion.

Gatwick Express services will stay the same during peak morning and evening hours.

Southern coastal services to Eastbourne, Hastings, Worthing and Littlehampton will double in length.

Angie Doll, managing director of Southern and Gatwick Express, said: “With more than 20 million passengers now using Gatwick station every year, this upgrade is essential to address overcrowding, improve accessibility and maintain a sustainable, reliable and punctual rail service for visitors and commuters along the route.

“This revised temporary timetable will create room for the work at the station while doubling the length of trains along the coast and retaining as many services as possible, supplemented by additional longer trains, ensuring we still have the services and capacity for our passengers.

“Gatwick supports the economy of the entire South East, bringing international travellers and trade to the region worth £2.7bn, supporting 70,000 jobs.”