Sussex railway strikes: Everything you need to know about ASLEF industrial action

On Monday, April 8, no trains will run across the vast majority of Govia Thameslink Railway’s network, except for ‘very limited shuttle services in some areas’. This is due to national industrial action by the ASLEF union.

GTR – which operates Southern, Gatwick Express, Thameslink and Great Northern trains – said an amended timetable will be in place from Thursday (April 4) to Saturday (April 6) inclusive, and on Tuesday, April 9, due to a nationwide overtime ban.

A GTR spokesperson said: “These timetables have been designed to help passengers plan for their day, providing greater certainty of train times with fewer short-notice alterations.

“Gatwick Express will not be running for the entirety of the industrial action period (April 4-9), excluding Sunday, April 7. Customers wishing to travel by train to Gatwick Airport will be able to use the shuttle service from London Victoria on April 8, and use Southern or Thameslink trains on the other days.”

On Monday, April 8, there will be:

– A limited, non-stop, shuttle service between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport;

– A limited shuttle service calling at Luton, Luton Airport Parkway and St Pancras;

– A limited, non-stop, shuttle service between London King’s Cross and Cambridge.

A GTR spokesperson said: “The shuttle services have primarily been created to support customers who are travelling to airports and have no alternative option than to get the train.

"GTR is urging people to check journey planners, as the departure times and frequencies of these shuttle services will vary throughout the day.

“Passengers are also being warned that industrial action on GTR’s network on Monday, April 8 coincides with the London Underground strikes, so onward travel options across London will be limited. Please visit the TfL website for more information.”

The ‘usual limited non-stop shuttle service’ will be in operation – calling at Gatwick Airport and London Victoria only. However, there will be significantly fewer trains than usual, with services starting later in the morning and finishing earlier at night.

A spokesperson for London Gatwick said: “We strongly advise passengers travelling to and from Gatwick Airport to use other transport options on this day where possible and allow extra time to reach the airport. We also advise passengers to book alternative transport in advance, as taxi services at the airport will be extremely busy.

“Passengers should check the National Rail Enquiries website for the latest train times. Further information on alternative means of transport can be found on the Gatwick Airport website.”

Jenny Saunders, GTR’s customer services director, said the company is ‘really sorry’ for the disruption this strike action will have, ‘especially as it coincides with the Easter school holidays’.

She added: “I strongly urge customers to check every journey, every day, from Thursday, April 4 until Tuesday, April 9, so they aren’t caught out. No two days will be the same, so please plan all of your journeys carefully, including any connections with other operators, in advance at nationalrail.co.uk, and once again before you leave.”

“Services will be running on Sunday, April 6, but planned engineering works and industrial action on days either side will affect certain routes and services. Services on the East Coast Main Line to and from Peterborough are expected to be very busy and customers should check before they travel.

“Customers should check their travel plans for the entire period of industrial action.”