Abolishing the Gatwick Express and replacing it with trains to the South Coast would be an excellent idea as long as the new trains had dedicated spaces for luggage, as did the slam-door stock which has been decommissioned.
As it is, the aisles are often blocked with buggies and luggage from airport passengers who don't use the Gatwick Express.
The long-term answer is to re-deploy the new trains to the inner suburban services, for which they would be more suitable, and build proper, long-distance trains, similar to those on South West Trains' routes, with areas set aside for the large items which passengers quite reasonably expect to be able to bring with them.
In the meantime, the best thing would be to get rid of the Gatwick Express surcharge, provide extra stops at East Croydon and Clapham Junction and keep airport passengers travelling to London off the Sussex Coast trains altogether.
-Henry Law, Brighton
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