How to get to Brighton Pride from London after trains were cancelled

Members of the LGBTQ+ community have been left disappointed after a number of trains running between Brighton Pride and the capital have been cancelled.

Trains will not be running in and out of Brighton on Saturday, August 5 – the main day of arguably the UK’s biggest Pride event.

Train drivers who are members of the Aslef union are taking part in a week-long overtime ban as part of ongoing industrial action over pay and working conditions.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) said it was with a ‘heavy heart’ that Brighton services will not be running, because they cannot provide extra trains to get people to and from London.

They added there would not be enough capacity to safely transport the thousands of expected visitors to Brighton, or to get people home on extra late-night trains, which would risk leaving people stranded overnight.

But Aslef said GTR only has itself to blame for not employing enough train drivers.

General secretary Mick Whelan said: ‘GTR has known the date of Brighton Pride and about its failure to employ enough drivers to deliver the services it should for a very long time.

‘Yet they are only running trains to Three Bridges, just three-quarters of the way down the line, in a deliberate and malicious attempt to disrupt the LGBT+ day and then to blame Aslef for its own manifest failings.’

Paul Kemp, the managing director of Brighton Pride, described the decision as ‘truly devastating news for everyone’.

He added: ‘Many Pride visitors have already booked and paid for Saturday night accommodation locally. 

‘They will now have to change plans or find an alternative way to get into the city.’

Sadly some people may simply choose not to attend Brighton Pride this year.

There are no direct trains into Brighton on Saturday – however it is possible to get there on a number of different rail and bus combinations.

For those who still want to attempt the journey, here are some alternative routes via public transport.

Southeastern and Regency 29

One option is to catch a Southeastern train from London Bridge and get off at Tunbridge Wells about 45 minutes later.

These trains run approximately every half an hour throughout the day – you can see the timetable here.

From there, outside the railway station you can then catch the Brighton and Hove Buses Regency 29 route, which will get you to Brighton in around 90 minutes.

These buses depart Tunbridge Wells (Central Station Stop T) approximately every half an hour – you can see the timetable here.

To get back to London, the latest 29 bus leaves Churchill Square in Brighton at 8.45pm, arriving at Tunbridge Wells railway station just before 10.30pm. From there you can catch the 10.34pm or 11.04pm train back to London Bridge.

National Express

It’s possible to get a National Express bus from London Victoria coach station to Hove Station – as Brighton bus station is closed due to the Pride event.

The 025 service leaves on the hour and takes around three hours to get to Hove.

The full timetable is here – but some journeys are already sold out.

The latest return bus leaves Hove at 10.45pm and arrives in London Victoria at 1.50am.

Thameslink, Southern and MetroBus

You could also catch a Southern train to Crawley before hopping on a MetroBus to Brighton.

First, catch either a Thameslink train from London Bridge, or a Southern train from London Victoria, to Three Bridges. Then, change at Three Bridges and catch a Southern train to Crawley. More information can be found on Southern’s website.

After that, hop across to Crawley bus station and catch a 273 bus to Brighton, which will take about an hour to get you to Old Steine.

The full timetable is here – but be aware that the last bus back to Crawley leaves fairly early, at 6.50pm.

Southern and Stagecoach

Another option is to catch a train to Horsham, before hopping on a Stagecoach bus.

First, catch a Southern train from London Victoria to Three Bridges, then change trains and take another Southern Train to Horsham. More information can be found here.

Then, you can catch a Stagecoach 17 bus from outside the railway station which will take you to Brighton town centre.

Those buses run around once an hour – the timetable is here – but again the last bus back to Horsham is fairly early, at 6.45pm.

Have we missed any other ways to get to Brighton by public transport on Saturday? Get in touch at katie.boyden@metro.co.uk.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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