Customers advised "Do Not Travel" – Friday 18 February
High winds forecasted across the GTR Network
As you may be aware, the United Kingdom is expecting high winds across the whole country on Friday 18 February, which may cause damage and obstructions on the railway. The Met Office has issued a national weather alert and we are therefore advising that customers Do Not Travel on Great Northern, Thameslink or Southern train services tomorrow.
As a result of the weather, 50mph speed restrictions will be in place across most of the network during the day, and we will therefore be operating a severely reduced timetable. Where trains are able to run, it is very likely some trains will be delayed or cancelled at short notice. We will also not be offering rail replacement buses as alternatives.
Other transport operators will also be substantially disrupted, and many others will be advising customers not to travel.
Our customer information says that customers should consider if their journey is really necessary and avoid travelling if they don’t need to. Tickets for Friday will be valid for today and on Saturday 19 February.
We are directing people who have to travel tomorrow to the service updates page on our websites for a full list of service alterations, alternative routes, and ticket acceptance. The alterations are not currently shown in the National Rail Enquiries real-time Journey Planner, but these are expected to be showing correct from late afternoon, Thursday 17 February.
We are really sorry for the disruption caused to customers because of the storm, and we are working closely with Network Rail to monitor any impact to the railway itself as a result. More information on the Red alert issued by the Met Office can be found here: http://metoffice.gov.uk.
Service changes on Brighton Mainline – Saturday 19 February to Sunday 27 February
We’d also like to provide a reminder that from Saturday 19 February to Sunday 27 February 2022 the railway will be closed between Three Bridges and Brighton while major works take place. Network Rail engineers will rebuild Copyhold Junction near Haywards Heath and replace track at Burgess Hill, Preston Park and in the Clayton tunnel.
We are still expecting this work to start on Saturday despite tomorrow’s weather.
During the work, there will be no trains between Three Bridges and Brighton, with buses running instead and calling at all intermediate stations. More information on the work and travel alternatives are available here.
Christopher Penn
Stakeholder Manager
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR)
www.thameslinkrailway.comwww.greatnorthernrail.com www.southernrailway.com