London’s Gatwick Airport railway station is on track to receive a monumental upgrade, after the government agreed to invest £150 million ($187 million) in the infrastructure project on July 8.
Planning permission for the upgrade was awarded earlier this year. The redevelopment will double the size of the station concourse, widen two platforms, and add five new elevators as well as eight escalators, according to media outlets.
A new business park is also planned for construction alongside the airport at some point.
Gatwick is the second-largest airport in the United Kingdom and has direct rail links to more than 120 destinations. According to transport secretary Chris Grayling, the airport services around 46 million people every year, with 20 million arriving by train.
“The airport has expanded massively in recent years, the station is now full, and it desperately needs this expansion,” said Grayling. The number of people who use the station has grown by 6 million since 2010.
The revamp is intended to reduce train delays caused by congestion and overcrowding.
Construction will begin next spring and is expected to conclude in two years. During that time, trains are expected to run at slower speeds; however, the government said it aims to keep disruption “at an absolute minimum.”
