Passengers advised to check their journeys due to industrial action 3-8 July

• Amended timetable with fewer services
• Gatwick Express suspended but airport still well served by other trains
• Finsbury Park Wireless Festivalgoers should expect long delays and crowds, and are encouraged to consider all travel options available

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) strongly urges customers to plan ahead, allow extra time and check trains before setting out for the station from Monday to Saturday, 3-8 July inclusive.

Train companies, including GTR, have been notified of a nationwide ban on overtime by the ASLEF union in this period.

To help customers plan, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink will run an amended timetable with fewer services. This will give customers greater certainty on train times with fewer short-notice, on-the-day alterations.

Trains throughout the week will be busier than usual, especially in the peak hours. It is likely passengers will need to queue, and some may not be able to board the first service. Passengers should allow extra time to complete their journey. Online journey planners such as nationalrail.co.uk will be updated from Friday 30 June for trains on Monday to Friday 3-7 July and by 1 July for Saturday 8 July.

The non-stop Gatwick Express service between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport will not operate. To help customers, extra stops will be added at Clapham Junction and East Croydon, and as such these trains will be operating as Southern services.

Wireless Festival, Finsbury Park

Trains that will be running on Saturday will be extremely busy and passengers will need to queue. People attending the festival should plan ahead and leave extra time for their journey, or consider using alternative travel options.

Network Operations Director at Govia Thameslink Railway, Chris Fowler, said: “We're really sorry for the disruption this industrial action by ASLEF will cause our customers. Regrettably, we’ll be running an amended timetable with fewer trains from Monday to Saturday, 3-8 July.

“By reducing service levels, we’ll have fewer short-notice, on-the-day alterations, which provides greater certainty for customers planning their journeys.

“Customers heading to the Wireless Festival at Finsbury Park will face long waits and extremely busy trains on a very limited service so they should find other ways to travel if possible. Overall, I strongly advise people to plan ahead, allow extra time and check trains before setting out for the station.”

ends

Editors’ notes

• ASLEF, the drivers’ union, has called a ban on non-contractual overtime at 16 train companies across the UK, from 3-8 July.
• GTR is amending its timetables to provide greater certainty to customers about train times and frequencies with the aim of avoiding last minute cancellations.
• Later in the month, on Thursday 20 July, Saturday 22 July and Saturday 29 July, due to strike action by the RMT union, services will be limited across the network, with a later start up, an early shut down and no service in some locations.
• On Friday 21 July, Sunday 23 July and Sunday 30 July, there will be knock-on disruption from the previous day’s strike with a late start to services: first trains are likely to be very busy and passengers may not be able to board.
• On all dates during this period of industrial action, passengers are advised to plan their journeys carefully at nationalrail.co.uk, expect longer waiting times and busier trains.