Extreme heat: Customers urged to travel only if essential on Thursday 13 August
Chiltern Railways is urging customers to travel only if essential on Thursday 13 August, as extreme temperatures are expected to cause significant disruption across the network.
Temperatures are expected to hit highs of 38°C across parts of the Chiltern network on Thursday. To help ensure the most reliable service possible during the hottest part of the day, a reduced timetable will operate between 11am and 8pm.
A reduced timetable will help maintain fleet reliability and keep services running safely and comfortably for customers.
During the reduced timetable period, the following will apply:
- Off-peak services between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street will operate hourly
- Some services between London Marylebone and Oxford will be cancelled
- No Chiltern Railways services will operate from Birmingham Snow Hill from 10.15am until the end of the day
- Leamington Spa to Birmingham Moor Street shuttle services will not run after 11am
- A small number of peak-time services on other routes will be cancelled
Chiltern customers with tickets for Thursday 13 August can use them on Wednesday 12, Friday 14 or Saturday 15 August instead. If customers no longer wish to travel, tickets dated Thursday 13 August will be eligible for a full fee-free refund from where they were purchased.
Michael Stewart, Commercial and Customer Strategy Director at Chiltern Railways, said:
"We are asking customers to travel only if essential on Thursday because of the exceptionally high temperatures forecast across our network.
"By operating a reduced timetable during the hottest part of the day, we can provide a more reliable and comfortable service for customers.
"If you do need to travel, please check your journey before setting out, allow extra time and carry water with you to stay hydrated."
Advice for customers who do travel during extreme heat:
- Carry water with you - stay hydrated at all times
- Help make space for everyone onboard, use the overhead racks to stow bags
- Don’t board a train if you feel unwell. If you become ill onboard, it is more difficult for us to provide support and this could also delay hundreds of other people
- If you do feel unwell onboard, get off at the next staffed station and seek assistance from staff or 24-hour help points
- In non-emergency situations, avoid using the passenger emergency alarm between stations, as help can be more easily provided to you at a staffed station
- Close train doors behind you – this helps the air cooling to work more effectively
More information on travel advice during the extreme heat can be viewed here.
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Notes to editors
- Chiltern Railways is part of the Arriva group, one of the leading providers of passenger transport in Europe, employing around 35,670 people and delivering around 1.5 billion passenger journeys across 11 European countries.
- Chiltern operates commuter/regional rail passenger services from its Central London terminus at London Marylebone along the M40 corridor to destinations in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, as well as long-distance services to the West Midlands along two routes. Services on the Chiltern Main Line run from London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford, with some peak-hour services to Stourbridge Junction.
- Chiltern also runs trains on the London to Aylesbury Line to Aylesbury (with some trains terminating at Aylesbury Vale Parkway instead), between Princes Risborough and Aylesbury and between Oxford and Bicester.