Due to a rare red warning of extreme heat, GWR are warning customers to only travel if essential on Wednesday and Thursday.
Extreme heat can cause rails to expand and buckle, so when temperatures reach certain thresholds, trains must run more slowly to keep services safe. This will mean fewer trains and slightly longer journey times during the warmest periods of each day.
Prolonged high temperatures can also affect equipment on older regional train fleet, including engines and cooling systems. As a result there may be some short-notice changes or cancellations, particularly during the hottest parts of the day.
Due to short notice changes, industry information systems will not show the correct train timetable until the day of travel.
To help customers, GWR will be easing ticket restrictions for those with tickets to travel on Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 June; tickets for Wednesday and Thursday can be used on Tuesday 23 June and up to and including Friday 26 June.
For customers in the Thames Valley, they have also made changes to local stopping services. This is to reduce the need to use points, which move trains between tracks, and reduce the risk of points failure. Services serving Slough, Maidenhead and Twyford will see alterations.
Core messaging:
- Only travel if necessary on Wednesday and Thursday: The Met Office says the high temperatures could lead to serious illness
- Check before you travel: Where possible, plan ahead and check journey times closer to the time of travel, particularly for the hottest part of the day.
- Allow extra time: Journeys are likely to take longer than usual, so build this into your plans, especially if you have a connection to make or need to be somewhere by a specific time.
- Bring water: Carry water with you, particularly if you expect to be travelling during the hottest periods or waiting on platforms.
- If you feel unwell, don’t board: If you are waiting for a train and feel unwell due to the heat, please speak to a member of staff, who will be able to help.
More information is available on the GWR website.