No train service this Saturday in Brighton or coastal routes – customers must consider alternative ways to travel

• GTR apologises for impact on customers this Saturday
• An amended timetable is currently in place due to a national overtime ban by Aslef
• This continues on Saturday, with no service in Brighton or coastal routes due to safety concerns for Brighton Pride
• Advice to passengers is check every journey and don’t wait for last trains of the evening

An amended timetable has been in place this week across Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) services due to an overtime ban by Aslef, and unfortunately this will continue on Saturday 5 August.

Regrettably, most of the GTR network south of London will only be operating between the hours of 7am and 10pm.

There will no service all day from Three Bridges to Brighton, as well as no service along the coastways from Southampton and Portsmouth, to Worthing, Seaford and Hastings.

To view open and closed routes for Saturday 5 August, please refer to this service map.

No services will run in and out of Brighton and along the coastways due to crowding and safety concerns relating to Brighton Pride. Sadly, with an overtime ban in place, there will not be enough capacity to safely transport passengers in and out of the city. For more information on this decision, please see this press release.

Chris Fowler, Network Operations and Performance Director at Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “We are very sorry to everyone that will be impacted by the service in place this Saturday. As with previous overtime bans, we can only run an amended timetable – and this means fewer services overall.

“Although there will be trains running in some areas, I’m sorry to say that there will be no trains in and out of Brighton station this Saturday, and no trains along the coastways. This was an extremely difficult decision to make, but because of the sheer numbers expected to travel to Brighton Pride, closing these stations was the safest thing to do to avoid leaving people stranded once the event finishes.”

Unfortunately, Aslef has announced a further ban on overtime from 7 – 12 August. Once again, GTR will be running an amended service with fewer trains overall. Customers should continue to check their journeys before setting off and leave as much time as possible to complete their trips.

Customers wishing to attend Brighton Pride can read more about the decision not to run trains in and out of Brighton here, along with FAQs.

Information on the impact of the national ban on overtime by the Aslef union can be found here.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• The non-stop Gatwick Express service from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport will not be running during the overtime ban period, but the airport will be served by Thameslink and Southern trains
• Journey planners are live now. To check your journey, visit: https://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search