Southern Rail plans to operate only 75 per cent of its weekday services on Thursday and Friday this week.

This comes after drivers belonging to the union ASLEF were instructed to begin an overtime ban on Thursday (June 29).

The rail company advised people to expect a reduced service on certain routes and to allow extra time for their journeys.

Southern's passenger services director Angie Doll said: “This action is going to be very inconvenient to our passengers and communities but by putting in this revised timetable we will be able to run a more reliable and consistent service.

“We've been safely running our trains with drivers closing the doors on additional routes since January and have had six months of sustained improvement in service levels and positive passenger feedback.

“We urge ASLEF to put an end to their industrial action and allow passengers to get on with their lives.”

Passenger numbers have doubled in 12 years on Southern routes into London making the Southern network the most congested in the country. Southern says it has to transform and modernise the way it does things to manage capacity and keep people moving.

Thameslink services are not directly affected by the industrial action, although these services are expected to be extremely busy.

Key alterations include:

  • No off-peak Gatwick Express service between Gatwick Airport and Brighton (but a limited peak service will operate)
  • Gatwick Express services will operate to an amended timetable between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport
  • No Southern service to/from Beckenham Junction
  • No service between East Croydon and Milton Keynes Central via Kensington Olympia (a limited peak service will operate between Clapham Junction and Watford Junction)
  • No direct service between London and either Portsmouth or Southampton (a change of trains will be required)
  • Very limited peak services between Tulse Hill, Peckham Rye and London Bridge
  • No Southern peak-only service to/from Guildford
  • No Southern peak-only service to/from Wimbledon
  • An hourly service will operate between Seaford and Brighton
  • A reduced peak service between Ashford International and Hastings