Industrial action

The information on this page is correct as of 31 January and is always subject to change so please check back before you travel.

Industrial action

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.

Train driver members of ASLEF will be on strike on Wednesday 1 and Friday 3 February.

There will be no Southern, Gatwick Express, Thameslink or Great Northern trains running on any of our routes on these dates.

ASLEF strike days – No trains

1 and 3 February - Journey planners are now correct

Day after strike day - Check before you travel

2 February - Journey planners are now correct
4 February - Journey planners are now correct

RMT strike days - Only travel if absolutely necessary

No future dates currently announced

As Industrial Action is affecting the whole country, we will be unable to provide alternatives such as taxis, additional replacement buses, and ticket acceptance with other local rail and bus operators on any strike day.

Travel advice on an ASLEF strike day

No trains will operate

Travel advice on a day after strike action

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.

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 on an RMT strike day

The National advice is to only travel if absolutely necessary and expect severe disruption.

The railway will operate limited opening hours with services starting later than normal and finishing in the late afternoon. Some stations will not be served on strike days. Please check your first and last trains carefully, as there will be no alternative travel outside of these services.

Please see the overview of services we plan to run on these days below. Click to expand each section.

Service map

Currently no map to show

Southern and Thameslink

Engineering works may mean the service we run is different from the below. An overview of engineering work will be shown above and if this affects you, check journey planners before you travel.

Services between London Bridge / London Victoria and the south coast

London Victoria and Brighton

Two trains per hour will run between London Victoria and Brighton, calling at London Victoria, Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport and Brighton only.

London Bridge and Brighton

Two trains per hour will run between London Bridge and Brighton, calling at London Bridge, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Three Bridges, Balcombe, Hayward’s Heath, Wivelsfield, Burgess Hill, Hassocks, Preston Park and Brighton only.

London Bridge and Gatwick Airport

Two trains per hour will run between London Bridge and Gatwick Airport, calling at London Bridge, Norwood Junction, East Croydon, Redhill, Earlswood, Salfords, Horley and Gatwick Airport only.

London Bridge and Three Bridges

Two trains per hour will run between London Bridge and Three Bridges, calling at London Bridge, Norwood Junction, East Croydon, Coulsdon South, Merstham, Redhill, Horley, Gatwick Airport and Three Bridges only.

Brighton and Hove

Two trains per hour will run between Brighton and Hove only.

Services between London Bridge / London Victoria and South London

London Victoria and Sutton

Two trains per hour will run between London Victoria and Sutton, calling at London Victoria, Clapham Junction, Balham, Mitcham Eastfields, Mitcham Junction, Hackbridge, Carshalton, and Sutton only.

London Victoria and Epsom Downs via Selhurst

Two trains per hour will run between London Victoria and Epsom Downs, calling at London Victoria, Battersea Park, Clapham Junction, Wandsworth Common, Balham, Streatham Common, Norbury, Thornton Heath, Selhurst, West Croydon, Waddon, Wallington, Carshalton Beeches, Sutton, Belmont, Banstead and Epsom Downs only.

London Victoria and West Croydon via Crystal Palace

Two trains per hour will run between London Victoria and West Croydon, calling at London Victoria, Battersea Park, Clapham Junction, Balham, Streatham Hill, West Norwood, Gipsy Hill, Crystal Palace, Norwood Junction and West Croydon only.

London Bridge and Tattenham Corner

Two trains per hour will run between London Bridge and Tattenham Corner, calling at London Bridge, East Croydon, South Croydon, Purley Oaks, Reedham, Coulsdon Town, Woodmansterne, Chipstead, Kingswood, Tadworth and Tattenham Corner only.

Thameslink and Great Northern

Engineering works may mean the service we run is different from the below. An overview of engineering work will be shown above and if this affects you, check journey planners before you travel.

Services between St Pancras International and Bedford

St Pancras International and Bedford

Two trains per hour will run between St Pancras International and Bedford, calling at St Pancras International, West Hampstead Thameslink, St Albans City, Harpenden, Luton Airport Parkway, Luton, Leagrave, Harlington, Flitwick and Bedford only.

St Pancras International and Luton

Two trains per hour will run between St Pancras International and Luton, calling at St Pancras International, Kentish Town, West Hampstead Thameslink, Cricklewood, Hendon, Mill Hill Broadway, Elstree & Borehamwood, Radlett, St Albans City, Harpenden, Luton Airport Parkway, Luton.

Services between King’s Cross and Peterborough / Cambridge / Ely

King’s Cross and Ely

One train per hour will run between King’s Cross and Ely, calling at King’s Cross, Finsbury Park, Potters Bar, Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City, Welwyn North, Knebworth, Stevenage, Hitchin, Letchworth Garden City, Baldock, Ashwell & Morden, Royston, Meldreth, Shepreth, Foxton, Cambridge, Cambridge North, Waterbeach, Ely only.

Cambridge and Ely

In addition to the above, one train per hour will run between Cambridge and Ely, calling at Cambridge, Cambridge North, Waterbeach and Ely only.

King’s Cross and Cambridge

One train per hour will run between King’s Cross and Cambridge, calling at King’s Cross, Finsbury Park, Stevenage, Hitchin, Letchworth Garden City, Baldock, Ashwell & Morden, Royston and Cambridge only.

King’s Cross and Peterborough

Two trains per hour will run between King’s Cross and Peterborough, calling at King’s Cross, Finsbury Park, Stevenage, Hitchin, Arlesey, Biggleswade, Sandy, St Neots, Huntingdon and Peterborough only.

King’s Cross and Welwyn Garden City

Two trains per hour will run between King’s Cross and Welwyn Garden City, calling at King’s Cross, Finsbury Park, Harringay, Hornsey, Alexandra Palace, New Southgate, Oakleigh Park, New Barnet, Hadley Wood, Potters Bar, Brookmans Park, Welham Green, Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City only.

King’s Cross and Stevenage via Hertford North

Two trains per hour will run between King’s Cross and Stevenage, calling at King’s Cross, Finsbury Park, Harringay, Hornsey, Alexandra Palace, Bowes Park, Palmers Green, Winchmore Hill, Grange Park, Enfield Chase, Gordon Hill, Crews Hill, Cuffley, Bayford, Hertford North, Watton-at-Stone and Stevenage only.

Gatwick Express

Gatwick Express services will not run.

Cancellation of strike action

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

Rail services are created and are dependent 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.

I no longer want to travel on an ASLEF strike day, what are my options?

If you have an Advance ticket, you can get a full fee-free refund if the train you intend to use is cancelled or delayed, or you no longer wish to travel on an ASLEF 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 intend to use is cancelled or delayed.

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

If you no longer wish to travel on the strike date 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 for the strike days on the 1 & 3 February.

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

Booked Passenger Assist? If you would like to cancel or rearrange your booking, please contact our Assisted Travel team.

I want to travel on a different day to the ASLEF strike day, 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:

1 February

If you have a ticket for Wednesday 1 February (ASLEF strike day) you can use it on Tuesday 31 January, or on any day between 2 and 7 February (inclusive).

3 February

If you have a ticket for Friday 3 February (ASLEF strike day) you can use it on Thursday 2 February, or on any day between 4 and 7 February (inclusive).

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 ASLEF strike day 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.

I still need to travel on an ASLEF strike day, what do I need to do?

There will be no trains on the ASLEF strike days so you will not be able to travel on our network.

Will there be replacement buses on an ASLEF strike day?

There will be no replacement buses or taxis on ASLEF strike days because there simply aren’t enough available to replace the train service.

Will my ticket be valid on another Operator’s services on an ASLEF strike day?

There will be no planned ticket acceptance on other train operator’s services.

However, on ASLEF strike dates you may use your paper ticket on TfL bus, Tube, tram or DLR services on any reasonable route to complete your journey.

Will there be First Class seats available on ASLEF strike days?

There will be no trains on the ASLEF strike days so you will not be able to travel on our network.

Can I use my car park season ticket in another car park on ASLEF strike days?

There will be no trains on the ASLEF strike days so you will not be able to travel on our network. Therefore, there will be no car park season ticket acceptance between car parks.

Will I be able to take my bike on your trains on ASLEF strike days?

There will be no trains on the ASLEF strike days so you will not be able to travel on our network.

Can I still buy Advance tickets?

Advance tickets are no longer available to buy for any ASLEF strike dates. If your journey involves another operator, please check with them. The latest information on the availability of Advance fares can be found on this National Rail Enquiries website.

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

There will be no trains on the ASLEF strike days so you will not be able to travel on our network.

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

There will be no trains on the ASLEF strike days so you will not be able to travel on our network.

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

There will be no trains on the ASLEF strike days so you will not be able to travel on our network.

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

There will be no trains on the ASLEF strike days so you will not be able to travel on our network. If you need to change your booking to another day or time, please contact our Assisted Travel team.

Will you be arranging alternative accessible transport on an ASLEF strike day?

We won’t be able to provide alternative accessible transport on an ASLEF strike day as we’re not able to provide any service.

As a Season Ticket holder, if I do not travel on an ASLEF strike day, or did not travel on the strike days 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 January, can I claim compensation?

For monthly and longer Season Ticket holders

If you were unable to travel or followed our advice and chose not to travel on a strike date, 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 is only available for 1 & 3 February and the previous strike days 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 January.

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 the 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 date (not on 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 the compensation.

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

This is only available for 1 & 3 February and previous strike days 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 January.

If I travelled on any of the strike days 3, 4, 6, 7 January 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 is 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 will operate.

As you are not providing a service on an ASLEF strike day can I claim compensation?

The only compensation available is for Flexi Season and monthly and longer Season Ticket holders as detailed above.

Can I get a refund if I no longer want to travel on an ASLEF strike day, or did not travel on the strike days 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 January?

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 have begun 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 will not be 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 were planning to use the return portion of an Anytime, Off-Peak, or Super Off-Peak ticket on a strike day and haven't used the outward portion yet as the train you intended to use is cancelled or delayed.

You can also get a full refund of your ticket without paying an admin fee.

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 visiting one of our ticket offices (for paper or smartcard refunds).

If you bought your ticket on or before 30 November 2022 please visit our Book with confidence web page for further details. Please note you can only change the date on your ticket once.

If you bought your ticket from someone else, then you’ll need to go back to the original retailer of your ticket.

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

Please do not date your carnet ticket until you know for certain that you are going to travel, as it is not possible to amend the date of travel with these tickets once dated.

We can only refund your Carnet tickets, subject to a £10 admin fee if they are:

Within 28 days from the expiry date of the tickets
A complete unused book of tickets

Rover Tickets

A full refund is available before the period of validity starts subject to a £10 admin fee. Tickets cannot be refunded once the period of validity has started.

DaySave Tickets

These tickets are not refundable. Please only purchase them if you are certain you will travel.

Carpark Tickets

If you will not be using your car park season ticket for some time, you can request a refund by following the normal refund process through APCOA:

Great Northern

Southern

Thameslink

Oyster Tickets

Please contact Transport for London for any refunds for tickets purchased on Oyster.

How do I get a refund?

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

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

For smartcard refunds please use our online refund form.

Alternatively, please 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.

FAQ – Previous strike days

If you have been directly impacted by a strike day within the last 28 days, the above FAQs regarding compensation will still apply.

Additionally, if you didn’t travel on a strike day (or the alternative dates your ticket was valid for), the following applies:

• If you bought your ticket on or before 30 November 2022 please visit our Book with Confidence web page for further details. Please note you can only change the date on your ticket once.

• If you bought your ticket on or after 1 December 2022 the refunds FAQs above for current strike days applies

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.

Industrial action