Update from GTR - Rail Travel on Remembrance Sunday Weekend

Free Travel

We are delighted that we can confirm that Train Operating Companies will be offering free travel for serving military personnel and veterans to and from Services of Remembrance across Great Britain.

For those travelling to attend the Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London, free travel on National Rail services will be available on either Saturday 12 or Sunday 13 November from a home station to any London Terminal station. It’s important to note that free return travel will be available on Sunday 13 November only.

For those travelling to attend a Service of Remembrance anywhere else in Great Britain, free travel on National Rail services from/to a home station to the closest rail station to the service will be available on Sunday 13 November.

Full details are available here - National Rail Enquiries - Remembrance Sunday

Engineering works 12-13 November - Midland Mainline

It is also important to note that there will unfortunately be some engineering work taking place on Remembrance weekend. Works on the development of the new station at Brent Cross; a new footbridge at St Albans and an upgrade of the overhead power lines south of Bedford require the railway to be closed to trains between Luton and London St Pancras on three forthcoming weekends including Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 November. The line will also close on 5-6 November and 10-11 December.

Rail replacement buses will run between Luton and West Hampstead Thameslink via Harpenden; between Luton Airport Parkway and Hitchin via Luton; and between Harpenden and Potters Bar via St Albans.

Thameslink will run limited rail services from Kentish Town and West Hampstead to London St Pancras.

The work on the weekend of Remembrance Sunday was originally postponed from 17-18 September to allow people to travel to London to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II. In rescheduling the work, the industry aimed to make sure that passengers would have alternative means to travel to London, albeit via a diversionary route. Whilst we understand and share the importance of Remembrance weekend, after discussion it was found that the weekend of 12 and 13 November is the only available weekend where significant work was not planned on alternative routes and is therefore the only weekend when this work can be completed.

Engineering works Saturday 12 November – Brighton Main Line

Work is taking place between Three Bridges and Brighton, and between Three Bridges and Lewes on Saturday 12 November so rail replacement buses will run between these stations.

Some Southern trains will still run directly between London Victoria and Brighton, diverted via Horsham and Littlehampton with extended journey times. Services on the London Victoria to Portsmouth Harbour / Southampton route will run to an amended timetable and they will split and join at Barnham instead of Horsham. Southern trains will run to an amended timetable between Brighton and Eastbourne/Ore. A reduced number of trains will run between Brighton and Hove.

Thameslink services will not run between Three Bridges and Brighton.

Gatwick Express will not run.

Engineering works Sunday 13 November – Arun Valley

Work is taking place between Pulborough, Horsham and Three Bridges on Sunday 13 November so rail replacement buses will run between these stations. The Southern service between London Victoria to Portsmouth Harbour will run to an amended timetable via Hove and the London to Horsham Thameslink service will terminate at Gatwick Airport.

Other works

As well as the three larger areas of work noted above, other local changes may affect journeys and we suggest that you check journey planners before booking tickets or putting together travel plans.

Check before you travel

Where journeys require a rail replacement bus, they will of course take longer than normal. For those travelling on the weekend of Remembrance Sunday the advice is for passengers to check their journey at www.nationalrail.co.uk, and to check again nearer the time for any further changes.

Best wishes,

The GTR stakeholder team