Extra Southern and Thameslink services to be added to timetable in September

Extra Southern and Thameslink rail services are set to be added from next month.
A Southern train serviceA Southern train service
A Southern train service

Rail operator Govia Thameslink Railway is making changes to its weekday timetable from Monday September 6 to provide additional trains and a service that better meeds the needs of passengers overall as the impact of the pandemic recedes.

Almost 1,000 trains per week will be reinstated with changes across the network.

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The new timetable is designed to meet the needs of customers across the network and support schools, colleges and those returning to the office.

Govia Thameslink Railway will continue to adapt the timetable as it receives further feedback and monitors the return of customers and their new travel patterns.

Train times at www.nationalrail.co.uk will be updated from the weekend of Saturday August 28, from when passengers are urged to check and plan ahead.

Meanwhile, a summary of changes will be listed on the websites of Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink and can be found, below, in the editor’s notes.

There are no changes to weekend services.

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Steve White, GTR’s chief operating officer, said: “In anticipation of the return of schools and more passengers returning to the office, much of our service will be expanded from 6 September.

“Like many other businesses our staffing levels continue to be affected by the pandemic but the new timetable has been planned to make better use of the drivers we have available, providing more trains, more reliably.

“The Covid third wave this summer has been the most challenging throughout the pandemic to balance the availability of our resources with the needs of our customers. We apologise if you have been affected.

“These changes will ensure we provide you with an increase in trains and provide a more reliable service as we steadily work to overcome the legacy of the pandemic. As people come back to using the railway, we will continue to adapt our services to match demand.”

Customers can check how busy their trains are likely to be using the ‘Find a quieter train’ pages on the Southern and Thameslink websites.