Customers urged to check travel plans involving trains ahead of ASLEF industrial action this month

• Monday 8 April: no trains will run across the vast majority of GTR network, except for very limited shuttle services in some areas.
• Amended timetable in place from Thursday 4 April to Saturday 6 April inclusive, and on Tuesday 9 April, due to nationwide overtime ban.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which operates Southern, Gatwick Express, Thameslink and Great Northern, is warning customers that regrettably, there will be no trains on the vast majority of its network on Monday 8 April. This is because of national industrial action by the ASLEF union.

There will be limited shuttle services on Monday 8 April on the following routes:

• A limited, non-stop, shuttle service between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport.
• A limited shuttle service calling at Luton, Luton Airport Parkway and St Pancras.
• A limited, non-stop, shuttle service between London King’s Cross and Cambridge.

The shuttle services have primarily been created to support customers who are travelling to airports and have no alternative option than to get the train. GTR is urging people to check journey planners, as the departure times and frequencies of these shuttle services will vary throughout the day.

As well as strike action on 8 April, a nationwide overtime ban by ASLEF will be in place from Thursday 4 April to Saturday 6 April inclusive, and again on Tuesday 9 April, meaning there will be an amended timetable in place with fewer services overall. These timetables have been designed to help passengers plan for their day, providing greater certainty of train times with fewer short-notice alterations.

Gatwick Express will not be running for the entirety of the industrial action period (4-9 April), excluding Sunday 7 April. Customers wishing to travel by train to Gatwick Airport will be able to use the shuttle service from London Victoria on 8 April, and use Southern or Thameslink trains on the other days.

Jenny Saunders, GTR’s Customer Services Director, said: “We’re really sorry for the disruption this strike action will have on our customers, especially as it coincides with the Easter school holidays.

“I strongly urge customers to check every journey, every day, from Thursday 4 April until Tuesday 9 April, so they aren’t caught out. No two days will be the same, so please plan all of your journeys carefully, including any connections with other operators, in advance at nationalrail.co.uk, and once again before you leave.”

Services will be running on Sunday 7 April, but planned engineering works and industrial action on days either side will affect certain routes and services. Services on the East Coast Main Line to and from Peterborough are expected to be very busy and customers should check before they travel.

Customers should check their travel plans for the entire period of industrial action.

Ends

Notes to editors

• Industrial action is being taken at other train operators on different days. If a train journey involves using another train company, passengers must check with them for any changes to their services and ensure their onward connections are available on the day they are travelling.
• Sporting and leisure events will also be impacted during this period of industrial action. Customers should check online journey planners and football fans may need to find other ways to reach the games.
• Passengers should plan all their journeys carefully using www.nationalrail.co.uk