Govia Thameslink Railway is proud to be serving Pride as festival returns to Brighton & Hove next month

• The rail operator has announced it will be running extra services and longer trains across Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express to transport people safely to and from the event
• Preston Park station will be closed all weekend, with London Road (Brighton) closed all day Saturday
• Trains expected to be very busy, with those travelling by train being urged to plan their journey ahead of time

After a two-year hiatus, it’s almost time to dig out the sequins again as the countdown to Brighton & Hove Pride 2022 has officially begun; and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) – which operates services in and out of the city – has confirmed there will be an enhanced service plan to support visitors from Friday 5^th until Sunday 7^th August.

Alongside the event organisers, emergency services and the local council, GTR has been planning for Pride since the start of the year and will be running additional trains with extra carriages on many services. This will provide increased capacity to help people travel safely to and from events in the city.

As in previous years when a full Pride event has taken place, Preston Park station will be closed all weekend and London Road (Brighton) station will be closed all day Saturday. This is to help manage crowds safely.

Brightening up Brighton station will be the return of the successful rainbow queuing system. The colour-coded queues help passengers identify the correct route for them as they head out of the city after Saturday’s events. The green queue will lead to trains on the East Coastway for stations towards Lewes, Seaford and Eastbourne. The purple queue will be for West Coastway services for stations towards Shoreham-by-Sea, Worthing and Chichester, and the blue queue will be for trains on the Brighton Main Line heading up to Haywards Heath, Gatwick Airport and London.

Brighton & Hove Pride is one of the biggest and most colourful calendar events of the year for the city and GTR is proud to once again be part of the Pride Parade, with a float designed by the company’s LGBT+ Network and fronted by colleagues from across the business.

Angie Doll, Chief Operating Officer at Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “It’s really exciting that Brighton & Hove Pride can go ahead this year. These events are hugely important to the LGBT+ community and allies, and we are proud to play our part in making sure everyone can travel safely to and from the event.

“We know that visitors have waited a long time for the return of Pride weekend in the city and we will do all we can to support those travelling by rail, but please remember that trains are likely to be very busy throughout the weekend.

“We want everyone attending Brighton & Hove Pride to have a fantastic time, which is why we’ll have more trains running and extra staff on-hand, but please plan your journey and allow plenty of time to get home.”

Paul Kemp, Managing Director of Brighton & Hove Pride, said: “Pride is an important event for our city and with visitors coming in from across the UK & worldwide, we are really excited to be back with a full-scale Pride after a two-year break. We are heartened by the positive working partnership we have with Govia Thameslink Railway and the amazing enthusiasm of its LGBT+ network and all other colleagues."

Further details on trains, transport and travel can be found via: https://www.brighton-pride.org/travel/

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Notes to editors

• On the Brighton Main Line on Saturday 6 August, all Thameslink services between London Bridge and Brighton will be operated with 12 carriage trains
• This will be the same for all Gatwick Express services running between London Victoria and Brighton
• Additional trains will run late into Saturday evening from Brighton into London on the Brighton Main Line
• On the West Coastway, services that would normally run between Brighton, Portsmouth and Southampton will instead terminate at Chichester. The revised service helps to focus capacity on areas where demand will be greatest. Those wishing to travel to Southampton and Portsmouth will be able to board onwards connections at Chichester
• On the East Coastway, many services will be running with additional carriages throughout the day on Saturday to increase capacity in and out of Brighton
• On Saturday, Preston Park and London Road (Brighton) stations will be closed all day to help manage crowds
• On Sunday, with smaller crowds expected, there will be a regular timetable in place but trains will be running with extra carriages to increase capacity
• Preston Park station will remain closed on Sunday