PASSENGERS travelling on the South Western Railway over Christmas are being warned to plan ahead due to a strike timetable.
During the Christmas holidays, a number of rail improvement projects will be taking place across the Wessex route — which includes parts of Berkshire.
CrossCountry trains from Newcastle will only go as far as Reading.
Great Western Railway (GWR) services between Reading and Gatwick Airport will run between Reading and Ash only, with buses replacing services between North Camp and Guildford/Gatwick Airport.
Mark Killick, route director for Wessex said: “Our passengers want and deserve a more reliable railway, so that’s why thousands of workers will be working during the festive period to help make this happen.
“Significantly fewer people travel over Christmas, which is why we do work at this time of year. But we know some of our passengers will have important plans, so please check with your train operator or through the national rail enquiries website before you travel.”
A South Western Railway (SWR) spokesperson said: “We encourage customers to check before they travel over the Christmas period as there is an amended timetable in place for the duration of the RMT strike action.
“Last services will depart from Waterloo earlier than usual and the station will close by early evening on Christmas Eve. We would also like to thank customers for their patience as Network Rail carries out these essential engineering works.”
SWR will upload detailed timetables to their website as soon as they become available and they recommend customers check before they travel, using southwesternrailway.com/strike and @SW_Help for all of the latest information, including alternative travel arrangements.
