Reminder: disruption to rail services on Saturday 22 July

• Due to a combination of industrial action and late-notice engineering work, disruption and cancellations are expected across GTR services tomorrow.
• Essential engineering work will close the route between Haywards Heath and Brighton at around 8pm. Customers wishing to travel in this area should complete their journeys by the early evening.
• Trains will only be running between 7am and 7pm on the majority of the Thameslink and Great Northern network.
• With disruption expected throughout the day on Saturday, customers must check before they travel to avoid being caught out.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is reminding its Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express customers to check their journeys ahead of tomorrow. National strike action will mean a limited service will run and there may be short notice cancellations through the day.

Limited operating hours of 7am until 7pm will be in place for the majority of Thameslink and Great Northern services, with some Southern routes also affected. Check this map for details. There will be some services south of London that can run later into the night, but with disruption expected throughout the day – customers should check their journey before they start travelling, allow extra time and travel earlier rather than waiting for the last trains in the evening if possible.

Late-notice engineering work to fix points in the Preston Park area means Network Rail need to close the route between Haywards Heath and Brighton on Saturday evening. From 8pm, customers travelling south bound will only be able to travel as far as Haywards Heath. Those wishing to travel from Brighton up to London, or the other way around, must have completed their journeys well in advance of 8pm.

As with previous strike action, the Gatwick Express will not be running its usual non-stop service between London and Gatwick Airport – but customers will be able to use Southern and Thameslink trains to get to the airport*.

Chris Fowler, Director of Network Operations & Performance at Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “We’re reminding customers about industrial action taking place this Saturday because sadly, it has a big impact on the service we can run. I’m sorry to say that there will be disruption throughout the day, so it’s incredibly important that people check before they travel and factor in extra time to their journeys.

“Also on Saturday, urgent engineering work is being carried out to repair points in the Preston Park area. This means there will be an early shut down of the network, with no trains between Haywards Heath and Brighton from 8pm onwards, so customers should plan to complete their journeys earlier than this. We apologise for the disruption this will cause to people’s weekends.”

Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail’s Sussex route director, said: “We’re sorry to any passengers planning to travel between Haywards Heath and Brighton on Saturday evening as we need to close this stretch of railway to replace a vital set of points – the sections of track that allow trains to move from one track to another – in the Preston Park area.

“There’s never a good time to close the railway but we’ve chosen to do this work when there are fewer trains and passengers due to the industrial action to minimise disruption.

“We know how important the Brighton main line is to our passengers and this repair will ensure GTR services are able to run safely and reliably. We’re grateful to passengers for their patience and understanding during this time.”

*The usual non-stop Gatwick Express service between London Victoria, Gatwick Airport and Brighton will not be running during this period of industrial action. Gatwick Express trains will be in service operating under the Southern brand and will make additional stops at Clapham Junction and East Croydon. Gatwick Express tickets are valid on Southern and Thameslink at no additional cost.

ENDS