Train services strengthened for Pride weekend

Anyone using rail services to get to and from the city for the celebrations is advised to book train tickets ahead of travel

Train services that operate in and out of Brighton station will be enhanced over the weekend to help people enjoy the city's Pride celebrations.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which operates Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services to and from Brighton, said "stations and trains will be extremely busy".

Anyone using rail services to attend Brighton Pride is advised to book their tickets ahead of travel and allow extra time for their journey.

Last year, no train services served Brighton over Pride weekend due to industrial action and Storm Antoni.

A queuing system will be in place at Brighton station

Over the weekend, there will be more trains and extra carriages added to services to help people get to and from the city safely.

There will also be a queuing system in place at Brighton station, colour coded depending on the route people need to take:

• Green: Services on the East Coastway route to Lewes, Seaford and Eastbourne.

• Blue: Services on the Brighton Main Line to Haywards Heath, Gatwick Airport and London.

• Purple: Services on the West Coastway route to Shoreham-by-Sea, Worthing and Chichester.

GTR added that there is a limited service on the East and West Coastway routes late at night, so passengers should check the time of their last train and leave themselves plenty of time.

Preston Park and London Road (Brighton) stations will also be closed for the entire weekend.

Paul Kemp, managing director of Brighton & Hove Pride, said: "We welcome the news of strengthened train services and the resilience planning.

"Train services into our city are essential for tourism all year round, as well as for the future success of Pride."

Chris Fowler, head of network operations at GTR, added: "With so many fantastic things to see and do across Pride weekend, we’re really looking forward to bringing people to and from the city to celebrate Pride."

Road closures will in place across the weekend

Brighton Pride organisers are advising people to use public transport to get to and from the city.

They said there will be "significant road closures for part of the day of Pride".

No parking will be available at Preston Park and its surroundings on the day and parking is also restricted on a large section of Madeira Drive.

They added that "parking in the centre of Brighton can be both limited and expensive".

Roads will be closed around the Pride Village Party, including St James’s Street and Madeira Place.

There will also be road closures for the festival in Preston Park, including Preston Road between New England Road to Stanford Avenue and Stanford Avenue between Preston Road and Beaconsfield Road.

Roads may also close during the weekend where the police decide it is required for public safety.

Some bus services will have their timetable revised

From 1 August until 5 August, there will also be some bus diversions and changes to timetables in place.

Over Pride weekend, Brighton & Hove Buses will be operating a shuttle service (route 500 and route 600) to and from Preston Park from the Old Steine and the Waterhall Campsite.