Gatwick terminals to the station, coach stops and taxis

Gatwick has one railway station and it is part of the South Terminal, about a five-minute walk from both South Terminal arrivals and departures. If you land at the North Terminal, take the free inter-terminal shuttle: the ride is about two minutes and it runs 24 hours a day. Coaches and taxis serve both terminals, so the shuttle is only needed for the train. Everything here was checked on 2026-09-27; layouts, stops and airline terminals can change.

South Terminal: from arrivals to the platform

The station’s postal address is the South Terminal itself, and the airport puts it about five minutes on foot from the arrivals hall. The ticket gates are on the main concourse, next to the ticket machines and the staffed counters, which include a low-level counter with an induction loop. Station staff are on duty 24 hours a day, every day.

There are seven platforms, all below the level of the main entrance. National Rail rates the station step-free to every platform. It lists two lifts: Lift 1 for platforms 3 and 4, and Lift 6 for platforms 5 and 6, both through lifts with doors wider than 1.1 metres and spoken announcements. We could not confirm the lift arrangements for platforms 1, 2 and 7, so if you depend on a lift, check the lift alerts on the National Rail station page before you travel.

Two practical points catch people out. Luggage trolleys are not allowed on the platforms, so leave yours on the concourse and be ready to move your bags down yourself. And check the departure screens for your platform rather than following the crowd. The station toilets, including an accessible one, are on platforms 1 and 2.

If you are paying by contactless for a London-bound journey, tap at the gate here and again at the other end with the same card or phone. For Brighton and other stations south of the airport, tapping a bank card is not accepted, so buy a ticket before the gates.

North Terminal: the shuttle

The inter-terminal shuttle is free, takes about two minutes and runs around the clock. Gatwick says only that it leaves every few minutes; it does not publish an exact interval. At the North Terminal you board it from the upper level, and both terminals have signs to it. National Rail describes the North Terminal link as a short walk and a monorail ride.

The shuttle takes luggage trolleys, every kind of bag, electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters. There is no published end-to-end time from North Terminal arrivals to the platforms. The TfL journey planner budgets nine minutes from the North Terminal bus station to the railway station; treat that as a floor, not a promise, because it does not include the time to leave the arrivals hall or any wait for the next shuttle. The leave-by calculator asks for your terminal, so add this margin there.

Going the other way, trains stop only at the South Terminal. If your flight leaves from the North Terminal, take the shuttle across after you leave the station.

Coach stops

At the South Terminal, National Express coaches leave from the lower forecourt, reached by escalators, lifts, ramps and travelators. Gatwick and National Express’s airport page give stops 1 to 5; one National Express route page names stops 4 and 5 outside International Arrivals instead. At the North Terminal the stops are on the lower level outside International Arrivals, which Gatwick numbers 4 and 5. Because the sources disagree, check the stop printed on your ticket.

National Express desks are in the International Arrivals hall at both terminals, and there is a second desk on the South Terminal lower forecourt. Some coach and bus stops are a five to ten minute walk from the terminal building, especially at the North Terminal, and the stops have help points for calling assistance.

Taxis and pick-ups

Airport Cars Gatwick, the airport’s official taxi and private-hire firm, has booking desks in both terminals, with signs to them once you arrive. The airport does not publish where the taxi ranks sit on each forecourt, and we have not confirmed them, so ask at the desk. A pre-booked private-hire driver meets you wherever that firm says; the meeting point varies by operator.

If someone is collecting you by car, Gatwick’s express pick-up bays are in North Terminal Car Park 6 on Level 4 and South Terminal Car Park 3 on the ground floor (Level 0), charged at Short Stay rates. The terminal forecourts are for drop-off and cost £10 for up to 10 minutes.

Help with mobility

The station’s assistance meeting point is the desk on the main concourse; if it is unstaffed, ask at the gates or the ticket office. How far ahead to book rail assistance and the airport’s own Assisted Travel service is covered in the step-free guide.

Which terminal does your airline use?

Terminal assignments change, and Gatwick itself tells passengers to confirm with their airline. Check the terminal on your booking confirmation or boarding pass before relying on this table.

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This is not a ranking. Gatwick publishes passenger numbers only for its largest airline, easyJet, which flies from the North Terminal. TUI is the one airline in the list that uses both terminals, split by flight number.

For the journey onwards, see the route pages for Victoria, London Bridge, St Pancras, Brighton, Croydon and Heathrow. Checked on 2026-09-27; confirm with the airport or operator before travelling.