Trains to keep on running during strike action

SOUTHERN is planning to run a normal service on most of its routes during the RMT’s strike on Tuesday 3 October and Thursday 5 October, with a limited service on the West London Line, although the train operator is asking passengers to check before they travel for updates on the day.

Passenger Services Director Angie Doll said: “We are aiming for business as usual on most of our routes during the RMT strikes next week.

Southern and Gatwick Express run over 2,200 services on a non-RMT strike day and most services will operate to the normal timetable.

Gatwick Express will operate a full service between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport / Brighton. Thameslink will also run a full service between London Blackfriars / London Bridge and Brighton.

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Industrial action is affecting Southern train services

IN the run up to the Christmas and New Year holidays make sure to check your travel arrangements if travelling by Southern or Gatwick Express services as Southern members of the ASLEF and RMT unions have announced industrial action.

Strikes will affect Southern and Gatwick Express services on the following dates:

Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 December (ASLEF and RMT drivers' strike)
Friday 16 December (ASLEF and RMT drivers' strike)
Monday 19 to Tuesday 20 December (RMT conductors' strike) - changed date
Saturday 31 December to Monday 2 January (RMT conductors' strike)
Monday 9 to Saturday 14 January (ASLEF and RMT drivers' strike)

Southern announced on their website that services are expected to be particularly disrupted on the drivers' strike dates with no services on most routes.

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Xmas rail travel warning for Gatwick passengers

RAIL services run by Southern, Thameslink, and Gatwick Express between London and Gatwick Airport will be disrupted by ‘major improvement’ works from 10pm on December 24 to 04am on January 4, the airport has warned.

During this period there will be no trains between South Croydon and Redhill. The Gatwick Express will be suspended, but travel by train from London Victoria to Gatwick will be possible via Horsham, but this will take approximately 90 minutes, rather than the usual 30. Alternatively, passengers can travel by train to East Grinstead where replacement bus services will be operating. The journey will take approximately 90 minutes via East Grinstead.

Go Holiday editor David Kernek comments: No surprise there, then; if it’s a holiday period with thousands of people going to or coming from an airport, that’s exactly the right time to schedule ‘major improvement’ works.

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Contactless payments for Gatwick rail passengers

PASSENGERS travelling by rail between Gatwick and Central London will be able to use pay-as-you-go ticket technology next year.

Oyster card and contactless payments will be introduced as new methods of payment from January for journeys between the airport and London on Southern, Gatwick Express, and Thameslink services.

It is hoped the scheme will reduce overcrowding at stations – a problem at Gatwick at peak times – and offer better value for money.

The currently single journey paper peak-time ticket costs £15.40 from London to Gatwick, excluding the Gatwick Express. With pay as you go, a rush hour trip will cost £14 and £8 off-peak, says London mayor, Boris Johnson.

He said: ‘By providing a quick and easy way to pay, our Oyster and contactless ticketing has transformed the way people get around our capital. We’ve already extended this on a number of key routes outside London, and it makes perfect sense for Londoners, commuters, and passengers from around the world to benefit from this further link to Gatwick.’

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A Gatwick- London train … every 3 minutes

NEW Gatwick Express trains will enter service between the airport and London Victoria from early next year, with 108 new carriages designed specifically for airport passengers. Rail capacity through Gatwick will double, with a train leaving the airport for London every three minutes, according to the airport’s managers.

The improvements in services are being matched by a £120.5 million transformation of Gatwick Airport railway station by 2020.

Gatwick’s chief commercial officer, Guy Stephenson, said: ‘The new trains will be much more reliable and will be stacked with amenities suited to the needs of air travellers. Combined with robust new track and signalling systems, Gatwick’s passengers will experience a really pleasant and dependable service. Overall, the improvements to Gatwick’s rail service means that 15 million people will be brought within 60 minutes of Gatwick by rail – the best reach of any UK airport.’

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Picture Credit: 442412 at Victoria 4 by Panhard - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons