Extra trains to run over King’s Coronation weekend as hundreds of thousands flock to London

Early and additional services will be added to timetables with passengers warned trains will be “busy” and there could be potential “queuing systems”
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Extra train services will be running over the King’s coronation weekend as hundreds of thousands of well-wishers are expected to travel to the capital on the day of the ceremony.

Around 10,000 people are expected to attend the coronation concert at Windsor Castle on the following day.

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Great Western Railway said it will run some “very early” additional services to London Paddington from major stations in south Wales, south-west England and the Thames Valley area on 6 May.

It will also operate an “enhanced service” between Windsor and Slough on 7 May and the early hours of 8 May for concertgoers.

South Western Railway said it will run its usual timetable on the day of the coronation service, but there will be additional trains between London Waterloo and Windsor for the concert.

Extra train services will run over the King’s Coronation weekend. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)  Extra train services will run over the King’s Coronation weekend. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)
Extra train services will run over the King’s Coronation weekend. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)

On 6 May, Southeastern will run additional trains between Dartford and London Charing Cross, and longer trains on the Maidstone East Line and between London Victoria and Gillingham.

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Govia Thameslink Railway, which operates Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink, said some of its services will have more carriages than normal.

Meanwhile, Transport for London warned its services may be “very busy” at “key transport interchanges” such as Tube stations around Westminster and those with connections to mainline trains. But there is no planned engineering work affecting lines serving London on 6 May.

Many train companies are not planning to enhance their operations for the weekend as much of the additional passenger demand is expected to come from within the South East. This means the transport operation will not match what happened for the late Queen’s funeral in September last year.

Around 250 extra train services ran for the funeral, including some overnight to provide shelter for mourners waiting for trains home.

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National Rail has advised those travelling at any point during the Coronation Weekend to check travel information and plan journey’s in advance.

On its website the firm said: “Train companies are working hard to keep journeys running smoothly, including running additional services where possible, but trains are expected to be busy and queueing systems may be in place in some areas.

“Passengers should dress appropriately for the predicted weather conditions, as you may need to queue outside at certain points”.

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