Costain has been given the green light for the £150m Gatwick train station revamp, after the Department for Transport announced a further £20m for the scheme.
The taxpayer will have to stump up two thirds of the cash to support Gatwick Airport's rail station and costs on the project have risen sharply since it was first announced.
The planned upgrade is now expected to cost around £150m, up from £120m, with DfT paying £100m - up from the previous £80m.
Alex Vaughan, Costain chief executive officer, said: 'Costain’s extensive capability to deliver complex programmes, using leading edge smart technology, will ensure travellers are kept moving at every stage of the works, minimising disruption during this capacity-critical redevelopment.'
The Department for Transport (DfT) announced an investment of £148.5m, although Gatwick Airport Ltd and the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership are stumping up £37m and £10m respectively for the scheme.
The plans, which were announced previously and costed at £120m, include doubling the size of the station concourse, adding five new lifts and eight escalators and widening two platforms.
Transport secretary Chris Grayling said: ‘With 46 million people now using Gatwick Airport every year and 20 million coming by train, it is vital that we make the station more accessible and customer friendly for those travelling through it.
‘The UK’s second largest airport has direct rail links to more than 120 destinations and is an important public transport hub. We want to see Gatwick Airport’s success continue to flourish and ensure that it is ready for even more passengers in the future.’
Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate said: ‘Gatwick has been transformed in recent years and the redesigned train station will take the airport’s redevelopment to the next level by providing a seamless transition between the airport and the station, more lifts, escalators and a doubling in the size of the concourse.
‘The project is a fantastic example of the public and private sector working together to deliver a world-class transport hub that will comfortably manage the expected growth in air passengers and also encourage people to switch to rail as part of our push to get more people to travel to the airport by public transport.’
The DfT said number of people using the station each year has grown by six million since 2010 but that the station is currently not designed for the high volume of daily passengers, often carrying bulky luggage.
The renovation will be managed by Network Rail, in partnership with the DfT.
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