The price of the ticket has nothing to do with the overall loads on the line. Sure, the Southern tickets are a bit cheaper but you try finding fast Southern services that stop at Gatwick in the evening rush hour.

I use the trains a lot, sometimes up from Brighton and sometimes from Gatwick for work trips into London. If I go from Brighton I zip through Gatwick station without stopping on often overcrowded trains. If the GEX slots were used for trains that start in Brighton/Haywards Heath/Three Bridges then it'd improve the capacity of the line.
Will it mean I get a seat more often? Realisitically probably not but at least there will be another train to choose from.

If I go from Gatwick I have to buy a GEX ticket as so few Southern services stop there on the way home. These changes should fix that.


Will the removal of the GEX service mean more people drive? Have you ever tried going up the M23 and then A23 into London? What it will mean is that there is no longer a seperation of tickets on the route. Southern tickets now aren't valid on the GEX and vice versa. If it all rolls into one, then the effective frequency of fast (35 minutes) trains (with 1 or 2 stops) will go from 4 per hour to 8 per hour off peak and to 11 per hour in the peak. That's just the fast trains to Victoria and excludes Thameslink, London Bridge and local services.

I wonder how it will all play out?
Jason