Rail passengers heading to Reading Festival or Notting Hill Carnival are being warned to expect busy stations and allow extra time for their journeys over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Thousands of people are expected to travel through Reading and London Paddington stations as crowds head to Reading Festival, which runs from Thursday, 27 August to Sunday, 30 August, and Notting Hill Carnival, taking place in west London on Sunday, 30 August and Bank Holiday Monday.
Extra station staff will be on hand at Reading to help festivalgoers find their way from the station to the festival site.
The festival site is around a 20-minute walk from Reading station, while a dedicated shuttle bus will also operate from the station’s Northern exit.
Monday is expected to be particularly busy at Reading station as festivalgoers make their way home. A queuing system will be introduced to help passengers board trains safely.
GWR is advising those travelling to the festival to buy a return ticket in advance and allow additional time for queues and navigating the station.
Passengers travelling to Notting Hill Carnival should also expect London Paddington to be busier than usual. The station is within walking distance of the carnival, with signposted routes available to help visitors make their way towards the event.
Bernadette Sachse, Network Rail’s station manager for Reading station, said thousands of additional passengers were expected over the Bank Holiday weekend.
“We’re expecting to see thousands of extra passengers passing through Reading station this bank holiday weekend on their way to the music festival,” she said.
“With Notting Hill Carnival also taking place, passengers should plan for both Reading and London Paddington to be busier than usual.”
She said additional customer support would be available to help passengers navigate the stations safely.
“It’s important that people get to where they need to be safely, and to support the high volumes of passengers we will have extra customer support services in action throughout the Bank Holiday weekend to make sure our stations are a welcoming environment for all who visit.”
Passengers are also being advised to check their journey before setting off, particularly as services may be busier than normal.
Sachse added: “We hope everyone has a fantastic weekend at both events and remind passengers to stay safe when travelling. If you have luggage with you, please use the lifts and make sure to stand back from the platform edge.”
Anyone travelling over the weekend is being urged to take care around platforms, tracks and station concourses, both on the way to the events and when making the journey home.
