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Gatwick arrival: What time should we book a train?

We will be arriving Gatwick at 11:45 on a Friday on Iceland Air which uses the north terminal and heading to Portsmouth on the train. Trains leave hourly at 39 minutes past the hour. My question is how long should we allow to get to the train station? Would the 13:39 train be practical?

Posted by
4729 posts

Strongly suggest you wait until arrival to get tickets. You can save money buying in advance, but it is not at all unusual for arrivals from the states to be late. Then there is the matter of going through immigration which may go rapidly or slowly. If you can get an advanced purchase ticket for an amount you don't mind losing if you plane is late, then go ahead and do so. The 13:39 train might be cutting it close.

Posted by
1172 posts

I agree with TC.. save yourself the worry and just buy your tickets when you are ready to board.

Posted by
26 posts

I agree with the previous posts. I usually fly into Gatwick once a year and have experienced both short and long processing times (the time it takes to get through passport control and luggage collection). If there are several planes arriving at the same time, the line to get through passport control could be quite long.

Posted by
74 posts

Consider off-peak tickets which may need to be booked in advance (seems to depend on the route). More expensive that "advanced" tickets, but cheaper that "anytime" tickets. Off-peak have flexible train times if you look at the "Other services you can travel on".