Industrial action on the railways will cause disruption between Brighton and London for arguably the biggest Pride event in the UK this weekend. Trains will not be running between London and Brighton on Saturday (August 5) as train drivers are taking part in ongoing industrial action over pay and working conditions.
Members of the Aslef union are taking part in an overtime ban this week with things set to come to a head on Saturday when there will not be enough staff to run trains from London to Brighton for Pride. Govia Thameslink Railway has said that there will be no service between Brighton and the capital city on Southern Rail.
In a statement, they said: "It is with a heavy heart that we announce that due to serious safety concerns, there will be no trains to or from Brighton station on Saturday 5 August." Commenting on GTR's decision not to run any trains into Brighton station on Saturday 5 August, Paul Kemp, managing director of Pride, said: "We are deeply disappointed GTR has announced no trains will run to Brighton on the Saturday of Pride weekend cutting off Brighton & Hove from the rest of the UK rail network on such an important weekend for our city."
In a statement posted to the Brighton Pride site, he added: "Pride always supports the right to protest. Reducing cars on the roads and getting people back on the trains should be a priority to tackle the climate crisis. But we would like to be clear that we don't agree with GTR's decision, nor the reasons given for completely stopping train services and the potential of adverse knock-on effects."
Alternative transport options are available for those attending Pride in Brighton including coaches via National Express. The company has said they have seen a surge in bookings in the last 24 hours. Whilst customers are opting for coaches, coaches will not be calling at any stops in Brighton due to road closures in the city, with customers instead advised to choose Hove as their destination.
A spokeswoman for National Express said: "We are busier than normal on rail disruption days and have seen a 32 per cent increase in bookings for travel to Brighton over Pride weekend so far. Due to road closures and diversions, National Express coaches will serve Hove Station this weekend as we are unable to serve Brighton stops.
"We are working hard to increase the availability of our services where possible. Customers are advised to keep checking our website for the latest availability and we recommend booking as soon as possible to guarantee a seat for travel.
"We also ask that customers plan in advance and allow additional time for travel to allow for any unexpected delays on the road network and to be patient with our staff. We wish everyone celebrating in Brighton this weekend a very happy Pride."
Here are your options if travelling from London to Brighton on Saturday:
National Express
Coaches will not be calling at any stops in Brighton due to road closures in the city, with customers instead advised to choose Hove as their destination. The coach service you need is number 025, which can be boarded from Victoria Coach Station or any of its later stops such as Hammersmith Bus Station, Heathrow Airport (Central Bus Station or Terminal 5), or if you want to get there faster you can go from Gatwick, after catching a Southern train to the airport's South Terminal. Pick up the coach from either the North or South Terminals. Book online here.
Southern and Metrobus
If there are no seats left on a National Express coach, another option is to get the Sothern train to Crawley then pick up a Metrobus 270 from there to Brighton, stopping at Old Steine. The bus can take an hour and 25 minutes or up to 2 hours depending what time you catch the bus.
To first get to Crawley you'll need to board the Southern service from London Bridge to Three Bridges then change to get to Crawley. It should take around 45 minutes including the change so you're looking at a total journey time of at least 2 hours and 10 minutes.
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