We are carefully monitoring all trains and stations for increased passenger numbers.
Sometimes issues on the railway can cause trains to be disrupted and therefore to become busy at other times. When this happens, we will do our best to keep you updated on our service updates page.
We are adding alerts to trains in Journey Planners where we expect trains to be busy. These trains will appear with a warning triangle within the journey planners 
We are also highlighting on our downloadable timetables services which are expected to be busy. If no services are highlighted, this means our data suggests there is plenty of room to social distance on them.
You can also subscribe to journey alerts through National Rail Messenger. Just visit Messenger to set up alerts for your journey, or use the journey planner and choose ‘Keep me updated’. With this tool you can set up alerts for regular or one-off journeys, it’ll keep you informed about any cancellations or delays as well as updating if the service is expected to be busy.
For more information about Messenger alerts you can visit National Rail Enquiries.
What do I do if the train is full?
We ask you to do everything possible to maintain social distancing. If the train is already busy when it arrives at the station, you should wait for the next service, and use your valid ticket. To help you plan, please check the journey planners before you travel to see if the train you want is busy.
What if the last train is full?
Please check the journey planners before you travel to see if the train you want is busy as alternatives are not always available. If you can’t board the last train, please speak to a member of station staff or contact us via the help point where our teams will look at the possibility of alternative transport.
Do I need to make a reservation to travel on a specific train?Reservations are not available on Great Northern, Southern or Thameslink trains.