Extreme heat: Travel advice for Chiltern Railways’ customers until Friday 26 June
Customers travelling with Chiltern Railways are advised to avoid travelling if they can from tomorrow (Tuesday 23 June) until Friday 26 June due to significant disruption expected as a result of extreme heat.
Temperatures are expected to reach significantly high temperatures on Tuesday 23, Wednesday 24, and Thursday 25 June. As a result, a heavily reduced service (fewer than 50 per cent of normal timetable) will be in operation and trains which are running may be subject to disruption.
Chiltern customers with tickets on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday can use them on Friday 26, Saturday 27, or Sunday 28 June instead. If customers no longer wish to travel, tickets dated Tuesday 23, Wednesday 24 or Thursday 25 June will be eligible for a full refund from where tickets were purchased. Refunds need to be claimed before 11.59pm on the day before they are dated.
Michael Stewart, Commercial and Customer Strategy Director at Chiltern Railways, said:
“We strongly advise you to avoid travelling over the next three days if possible. Trains are running at greatly reduced levels to ensure everyone's safety, which means you may experience significant delays and very busy conditions.
“If you do need to travel, please stay safe, check your journeys on the morning you travel as planners are still being updated and carry a bottle of water with you at all times.”
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
Meanwhile, Chiltern Railways plans to operate services to and from Wembley Stadium Station to support the Harry Styles concert on Tuesday 23 June.
More information on the level of service which is running on all three days can be viewed here.
Contact Information
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.