How do I check which trains are busy?

We are carefully monitoring all trains and stations for increased passenger numbers.

Most trains have plenty of space to allow you to socially distance. We have added highlighting to our timetables so you can see which trains are usually quiet.

This information is based on travel patterns from the past two weeks and is reviewed regularly. The information is currently only available for Mondays to Fridays, however weekends tend to be quieter so usually have space to allow social distancing. We’re working to add more information in as quickly as we can as well as including for details of services at weekends.

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.

Please see our timetable 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 a yellow warning triangle

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.

A screenshot of the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner and Messenger Alert Service.

For more information about Messenger alerts you can visit National Rail Enquiries.

What do I do if the train is full?

We ask customers to do everything possible to maintain social distancing. If the train is already busy when it arrives at the station, they should wait for the next service. To aid your planning, please do check the journey planners before you travel to see if the train you want is busy.

What if the last train is full?

Please do check the journey planners before you travel to see if the train you want is busy as alternatives are not also 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.