A reduced Southeastern timetable will be introduced from Monday (March 23).
All stations will remain open to allow key workers to make essential journeys but people are being asked to only travel if the journey is absolutely essential
The national change is due to agreement with the government and means around half the usual number of trains will run. Enough capacity will be provided to allow passengers making essential journeys to follow the official guidance on social distancing.
Southeastern aim to make early morning and late evening services remain in timetables wherever possible so that key workers like nurses, police officers and firefighters can get to work.
The reduced service timetable balances the current significantly reduced levels of demand with the need to reduce the number of people required to run the network, which will help to ensure there are enough staff to keep services running over the coming weeks and months.
The amended timetable will be introduced from Monday 23 March until further notice, and will be available in online journey planners by Sunday 22 March. A map of the planned service frequency can be found here.
All stations will remain open but on some routes passengers may need to change trains to complete their journeys.
David Statham, managing director at Southeastern, said: “Like many of us, Southeastern train crew and station teams can’t work from home, and some of them are also dealing with personal or family issues related to coronavirus. We’re grateful to our passengers for their understanding as we take steps to ensure that vital train services for key workers can keep running. Please follow the official advice and only travel if your journey is absolutely essential”.
