Industrial action

The information on this page is correct as of 22 September and is always subject to change so please check back before you travel.

If you have been affected by industrial action, we’re very sorry for any disruption to your plans. Please see our FAQs that explain what options may still be open to you including:

Applying for a refund and
For Delay Repay compensation, which you may qualify for even if you did not travel, as well as being able to claim if you travelled and your journey was delayed by 15 minutes or more

You can apply for these up to 28 days after your planned or completed date of travel (see dates below). These options are only available for strike dates, not for days after.

We are aware that the ASLEF union has announced that action will take place by its members on the following dates:

Saturday 30 September
Wednesday 04 October

There will also be a ban on overtime on Friday 29 September and between Monday 2 October until Friday 6 October (inclusive).

Please see below for travel advice and for when journey planners will be updated.

You should always check your journey, including details of first and last trains on strike days, at National Rail.

Other train companies may be running during different operating hours, so make sure you check your full journey at National Rail.

Travel Advice for Saturday 30 September & Wednesday 4 October

There will be NO Thameslink, Great Northern or Gatwick Express services operating for the whole day.

A limited Southern shuttle service will run, calling at Gatwick Airport and London Victoria only. These services will be extremely busy, a queueing system will be in place, and you may not be able to board your chosen service. If you are planning to travel on one of the last trains of the day, please be aware that, depending on the size of the queue, you may not be able to board a service at all, and no alternative transport options will be provided after the last train departs. Please plan ahead.

Due to industrial action affecting the vast majority of rail services across the country, onward travel options from London Victoria will be limited. Please plan ahead and check your whole journey before travelling.

Travel Advice for Sunday 1 October

The disruption from a strike day will have a knock-on effect which means that first services will begin much later than normal, with some routes having no services before 7am. This could be later depending on where you are travelling from, so make sure to check your journey.

Please note that journey planners for early morning services will not be updated until the day before travel. We expect first services to be extremely crowded and you may not be able to board your chosen service. You are advised to start your journey later on in the morning.

Travel Advice for Friday 29 September & Monday 02 October until Friday 06 October (inclusive)

An amended timetable with fewer services will run. Services will be busier than usual, especially in peak hours. It’s likely you will need to queue and you may not be able to board your chosen service. You should allow extra time for your journey.

On Thursday 5 October some routes will have no services before 7am due to the knock-on effect from the ASLEF strike day on Wednesday 4 October. This could be later depending on where you are travelling from, so make sure to check your journey.

We will not operate the usual non-stop Gatwick Express service between London Victoria, Gatwick Airport and Brighton. To help customers we have added extra stops at Clapham Junction and East Croydon, and as such these trains will be operating as Southern services. Gatwick Express tickets are valid on Southern and Thameslink at no additional cost.

Engineering works may also be taking place on parts of our network. For further details, please visit our engineering work page.

Please see below for a summary of the services we plan to run on these days:

Southern services

Services to / from London Victoria:

Brighton – two trains per hour
Eastbourne / Ore – one train per hour
Portsmouth / Bognor Regis – one train per hour
Littlehampton (via Hove) – one train per hour
East Grinstead – two trains per hour
Dorking – one train per hour
Horsham – one train per hour
West Croydon – two trains per hour
Epsom Downs – two trains per hour
London Bridge – two trains per hour

Services to / from London Bridge

Caterham – two trains per hour
East Croydon via Tulse Hill and Selhurst – two trains per hour
Beckenham Junction via Tulse Hill – two trains per hour during peak times only
London Victoria via Crystal Palace – two trains per hour
Uckfield – two trains per day (one in the morning peak, one in the evening peak)

Uckfield Line

London Bridge - Uckfield – two trains per day (one in the morning peak, one in the evening peak)
Oxted and Uckfield – one train per hour

East Coastway

Brighton and Eastbourne – one train per hour
Brighton and Seaford – two trains per hour
Eastbourne and Ashford International – one train per hour

West Coastway

Littlehampton and Portsmouth & Southsea – one train per hour
Brighton and Littlehampton – one train per hour
Brighton and Littlehampton / Southampton Central – one train per hour
Bognor Regis and Littlehampton – one train per hour
Bognor Regis and Barnham – one train per hour

Reigate and Tonbridge – one train per hour

Purley and Tattenham corner – one train per hour, with two trains per hour during peak times only

Clapham Junction and Watford Junction – one train per hour, with one morning and one evening service extended to Hemel Hempstead

Thameslink and Great Northern

Thameslink

Peterborough and Horsham – one train per hour
Cambridge and Three Bridges – one train per hour
Bedford and Brighton – two trains per hour
London Bridge and Three Bridges – one train per hour
Sutton and St Albans via Wimbledon – two trains per hour
Sutton and St Albans via Mitcham Eastfields – two trains per hour
Rainham and Luton – one train per hour
Sevenoaks and London Blackfriars – two trains per hour (one train in each peak will be extended to / from Welwyn Garden City)

Great Northern

London King’s Cross and King’s Lynn – one train per hour, with two trains per hour during peak times only
London King’s Cross and Peterborough – one train per hour during peak time only
Moorgate and Welwyn Garden City – two trains per hour
Moorgate and Stevenage – two trains per hour
London King’s Cross and Cambridge – one train per hour
London King’s Cross and Letchworth – one train per hour during peak time only

Journey planner updates

The list below will show the dates affected by Industrial Action followed by (in brackets) the date the journey planners will be up-to-date.  Please ensure you plan your entire journey at National Rail Enquiries before you travel.

Friday 29 September (To be confirmed)
Saturday 30 September (To be confirmed)
Sunday 1 October (live now, except for early morning services. Early morning services will be live from Saturday 30 September)
Monday 2 October (Wednesday 27 September)
Tuesday 3 October (Wednesday 27 September)
Wednesday 4 October (Wednesday 27 September)
Thursday 5 October (Friday 29 September)
Friday 6 October (Friday 29 September)

Cancellation of strike action

If strike action is cancelled or suspended at short notice, we will not be able to immediately restore our normal timetable.

Rail services are created and depend on complex and integrated systems. It therefore takes some time to get everything back into place. If this is the case, more details will be published here.

FAQs for:

RMT strike days 26 August and 2 September
ASLEF strike days 1 & 30 September and 4 October

Click to expand each section

Is there any Industrial Action planned in the future?

What services will be running on the strike days?

If I chose not to travel on a strike day in the past, or choose not to travel on a strike day in the future, what are my options?

If you have an Advance ticket, you can get a full fee-free refund if the train you intended to use was cancelled or delayed, or you choose not to travel on a strike day.

If you have an Anytime, Off-Peak or Super Off-Peak ticket you can get a full fee-free refund if the train you intended to use was cancelled or delayed.

If you didn’t buy your ticket from us, you will need to go back to the retailer you originally bought your ticket from.

If you choose not to travel on a strike day and you have a flexi season ticket or a monthly or longer duration season ticket, you can use our Delay Repay scheme to claim the value of one day's travel.

It's not available for the day after the strike days.

I want to travel on a different day to the strike days, what are my options?

Instead of you having to apply for a refund, there are some alternative travel date options for you. For the latest strike dates on:

30 September

If you have a ticket for Saturday 30 September (ASLEF strike day), you can use it on Friday 29 September, or up to and including Tuesday 3 October.

4 October

If you have a ticket for Wednesday 4 October (ASLEF strike day), you can use it on Tuesday 3 October, or up to and including Friday 6 October.

Please note for all the above dates:

If your ticket is for a through fare that includes the London Underground, it will not be valid on London Underground services on an alternative date
If you’re travelling on a different day and have an Advance Ticket, where possible, please try to travel on the same time as your original booked train
If you have a seat reservation and choose to travel on a different day, you will not be able to use your original reservation, so please visit one of our Ticket Offices and we can try to reserve you a seat on the new travel date
If your journey includes travel with a long-distance operator, particularly where seat reservations are required, you may wish to obtain a refund and rebook onto an alternative service. Trains running on days either side of strike days are likely to be extremely busy and a seat cannot be guaranteed
If you travel and your train is delayed, you will be entitled to Delay Repay, as usual. Note that delays will be calculated against the strike day timetable
Booked Passenger Assist? If you need to change your booking to another day or time, please contact our Assisted Travel team

I want to travel on a different day to the strike days that isn't one of the dates mentioned above, what are my options?

You can apply for a refund of your current ticket and purchase a new ticket for your intended date of travel. Please note we expect all services during this period to be extremely busy.

You can also change the time and / or date of travel at any of our Ticket Offices, this may be subject to a £10 change of journey fee (and any difference between the price you’ve already paid and the price of the best available ticket for your new travel date).

For further details on refund terms and conditions for each ticket type please refer to our refund FAQs below.

Booked Passenger Assist? If you need to change your booking to another day or time, please contact our Assisted Travel team.

How are you supporting disabled customers to travel on strike days?

On strike days we expect stations and services to be very busy, as we will be unable to run our normal timetable. At all stations served by trains on strike days our station and onboard staff will be able to provide you with the assistance you need. If the train is too busy, we’ll work with you to find the best solution for you. If you’re unable to board the train, we may arrange alternative transport for you.

Onboard our trains our disabled customers have priority in the accessible carriages. We also have priority seats available for those that need them.

Can I book Assisted Travel if it takes place on a strike day?

On strike days, can I get assistance for my journey without having to book it?

On strike days 'Turn up and go’ assistance will continue to be supported on our services, in line with the strike day timetable in place.

Upon arrival at the station please make yourself known to a member of staff, or contact us via a Help Point by using the Emergency button.

Please check before you travel as close as possible to your intended departure time on National Rail Enquiries, as your whole journey may include travel with other operators who are impacted by a strike.

I have Assisted Travel booked for a strike day, will my booking go ahead?

If you have booked assistance through us and your journey is affected by any strike day, then, once strike day timetables are confirmed, we'll attempt to contact you to discuss your options. If you have any concerns, then please contact our Assisted Travel team. We strongly recommend you check before you travel as close as possible to your intended departure time on National Rail Enquiries.

Will you be arranging alternative accessible transport on strike days?

On strike days, alternative accessible transport may be arranged, as per our Accessible Travel Policy, from stations which are unstaffed, or inaccessible due to a physical feature (such as steps to platforms) that have services stopping at them under our amended strike day timetables.

However, due to the high demand expected, it may take us longer to book suitable alternative transport than usual. If you have any concerns, please contact our Assisted Travel team.

As a Season Ticket holder, if I do not travel on a strike day, can I claim compensation?

For monthly and longer Season Ticket holders

If you are unable to travel or choose not to travel on a strike day, you can claim compensation through our Delay Repay scheme by claiming a delay of 120+ minutes which will provide you with the value of one day’s travel.

This only applies to monthly and longer season ticket holders and not for weekly season tickets.

On this occasion, you do not need to have travelled or have been delayed to claim compensation.

You need to apply for compensation online within 28 days of the strike date.

For Flexi Season Ticket holders

In order to claim compensation, you must activate a Day Pass on the strike day (not on the days before or after). Once you’ve activated your Day Pass you can claim compensation through our Delay Repay scheme by claiming a delay of 120+ minutes which will provide you with the value of one day’s travel.

On this occasion, you do not need to have travelled or have been delayed to claim compensation.

You need to apply for compensation online within 28 days of the strike date.

If I travelled on the RMT or ASLEF strike days 26 August, 1 or 2 September, or if I travel on 30 September or 4 October, can I claim compensation?

If you travelled and your train was delayed, you will be entitled to Delay Repay as usual. Note that delays will be calculated against the strike date timetable. Please do not claim Delay Repay compensation if the train you'd normally take was not listed in the revised timetable - compensation is only payable against an actual delay of fifteen minutes or more against the limited train service that ran.

Can I get a refund if I did not travel on the strike days?

If your ticket is for a strike day and the alternative dates do not work for you then you can apply for a refund, although this may be subject to a £10 admin fee.

If you purchased your ticket (excluding season tickets) and you decide not to travel or you begin your journey but decide not to complete it because the service/s you originally intended to travel on are cancelled or delayed or rescheduled, or your reservation was not honoured, you can get a full fee-free refund.

If you have a ticket on departure booking and you have not collected your ticket, please apply for a refund via the online refund form.

The following information is based on the different ticket types in place, if you hold a paper ticket and you’re not sure what type of ticket you have, please check the information printed on the orange stripe in the top left corner of the ticket for one of the following.

If you bought your ticket from us, then we can arrange a refund for you. If you bought your ticket from someone else, then you’ll need to go back to the original retailer of your ticket to arrange a refund.

Anytime, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets

If you have an Anytime, Off-Peak or Super Off-Peak ticket you can get a full fee-free refund if the train you intend to use is cancelled or delayed.

If you haven’t used your outward portion and still plan to use the return portion of your return ticket, you will need to get a full refund of your ticket without paying an admin fee and then purchase a new ticket for the journey you make. This is because we can’t refund the outward portion of your ticket, if you’ve used the return portion.

If you have already used the outward portion of the ticket, and no longer want to use the return portion, as the train you intended to use is cancelled or delayed, your refund will be calculated based on the travel you've already made, and you won't be charged an admin fee.

If you choose not to travel, you can apply for a refund on your ticket but this will be subject to a £10 admin charge.

You can obtain a refund via our online refund form (for all ticket types) or visiting one of our ticket offices (for paper or smartcard refunds).

If you bought your ticket from another retailer or train company, you will need to contact them to request your refund.

Advance Tickets

If you have an Advance ticket for a train that is scheduled for a strike day and you purchased your ticket from us you can get a full fee-free refund or change of journey.

This includes, if you have two Advance tickets which you intended to use as a return journey and;

If one (either) of the legs is on a strike day and the train is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled, you can apply for a fee-free refund or change of journey for any unused legs/tickets
If one (either) of the legs is on a strike day, and you choose not to travel because of the disruption, you can apply for a fee-free refund or change of journey for any unused legs/tickets

You can obtain a refund via our online refund form (for all ticket types) or by visiting one of our ticket offices (for paper or smartcard refunds).

If you bought your ticket from another retailer or train company, you will need to contact them to request your refund.

Season and Flexi Season tickets

Unexpired Season tickets and Flexi Season tickets can be refunded at any time prior to the expiry of the ticket.

We will calculate how much is refunded based on the value left on your ticket on the day you submit your Season ticket less a £10 admin fee for refund.

You can find out how much refund you are due by using this calculator: Season ticket refund calculator.

Please see our refunds process for tickets here, for full details.

For more information see the Season Ticket Conditions page.

Carnet Tickets

Rover Tickets

DaySave Tickets

Carpark Tickets

Oyster Tickets

How do I get a refund?

If you bought your ticket from us, we can process your refund.

For paper and eTickets and smartcards, please use our online refund form.

Alternatively, for paper tickets and smartcards you can also visit one of our Ticket Offices for assistance.

If you bought your ticket from another retailer or train company, you will need to contact them to request your refund.

Industrial action

Travel Advice for Saturday 30 September & Wednesday 4 October

Travel Advice for Sunday 1 October

Travel Advice for Friday 29 September & Monday 02 October until Friday 06 October (inclusive)

Journey planner updates

Cancellation of strike action

FAQs for:

Assisted travel

Compensation

For monthly and longer Season Ticket holders

For Flexi Season Ticket holders

Refunds

How do I get a refund?