No trains to Brighton on Pride due to overtime ban

GTR said it would not be able to meet the needs of an extra 20,000 passengers

No trains will run to or from Brighton on the main day of the city's Pride celebrations.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) said the event required "significant extra capacity" and an overtime ban meant there were "far fewer services running than usual".

As a result, no trains will run to and from Brighton station on Saturday 5 August - the busiest day of one of the country's biggest LGBTQ+ celebrations.

Paul Kemp, managing director of Pride, said the decision was "truly devastating news for everyone".

"Many Pride visitors have already booked and paid for Saturday night accommodation locally," he added. "They will now have to change plans or find an alternative way to get into the city."

Chris Fowler, network operations and performance director at GTR, said the provider had an extremely long-standing relationship with Pride and was "bitterly disappointed to make this unbelievably difficult decision”.

"We know this will be incredibly frustrating and we’re really sorry to everyone who will be impacted, particularly in the LGBTQ+ community," Mr Fowler added.

But following discussions with the council, police and emergency services, "safety must come first," said GTR.

Pride celebrations in Brighton and Hove attract crowds of around 300,000 people.

GTR said it usually runs additional services on Pride, including extra late-night trains "to safely transport the huge number of people" that travel to and from Brighton and Hove.

The extra services are usually covered by drivers volunteering for overtime but the ban would mean "a clear risk of stranding tens of thousands of people overnight without accommodation," GTR said.

"GTR has very sadly concluded that it cannot safely run any services as it would be impossible to avoid severe overcrowding and present a considerable risk to passenger safety."

Trains will run as normal on Friday 4 August and Sunday 6 August.

Mr Kemp said that although Pride supports the right to protest, reducing cars on the roads should be a priority for the climate crisis.

He added: “We would like to be clear that we don’t agree with GTR’s decision, nor the reasons given for completely stopping train services and the potential of adverse knock-on effects."

Brighton city centre is currently facing traffic disruption due to the closure of the A259 outside The Albion hotel following a fire.

Bella Sankey, the leader of Brighton and Hove City Council said she was "incredibly concerned" by GTR's decision.

She said Pride was one of the biggest events in the city's calendar and it was "not acceptable for a train company to be unable to operate a service".

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