Passengers who are thinking of or who are travelling by train this week are being urged to check before they travel due to industrial action affecting services into the weekend. 

The strikes started on Monday (July 3) and will continue through to Saturday (July 8) with an amended timetable and fewer services. 

To help customers plan, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink’s amended timetable will give customers greater certainty on train times with fewer short-notice, on-the-day alterations. 

Trains throughout the industrial action will be busier than usual, especially in peak hours. 

It is likely passengers will need to queue and some may not be able to board the first service. 

Passengers should allow extra time to complete their journey. 

Gatwick Express will not operate on any of the affected. However, the airport will be well served by Thameslink and Southern trains. 

Network Operations Director at Govia Thameslink Railway, Chris Fowler, said: “We're really sorry for the disruption this industrial action by ASLEF will cause our customers. Regrettably, we’ll be running an amended timetable with fewer trains from Monday to Saturday, 3-8 July. 

“By reducing service levels, we’ll have fewer short-notice, on-the-day alterations, which provides greater certainty for customers planning their journeys. 

“Customers heading to the Wireless Festival at Finsbury Park will face long waits and extremely busy trains on a very limited service so they should find other ways to travel if possible. Overall, I strongly advise people to plan ahead, allow extra time and check trains before setting out for the station.”