London Marathon 2022: will rail strikes affect travelling from Newcastle to the London Marathon?

The latest round of industrial action by rail service unions is set to take place October 1 2022, leaving Newcastle residents attending the London Marathon 2022 looking at alternative forms of travel.

The rail strikes were delayed in September after the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, but ASLEF confirmed that they would be striking on October 1 and October 5 2022.

Industrial action will only impact Northern Rail on Saturday October 1 although Cross Country, Great Western Railway, Avanti and c2c will be impacted on other days.

The TSSA has also confirmed new dates for industrial action in a continuation of the ongoing dispute over pay, job security and conditions, which will occur also on October 1 2022.

The continued industrial action this weekend from the TSSA will affect Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, LNER, Network Rail, South Eastern Railway, South Western Railway, Transpennine Express and West Midlands Trains.

What trains have been cancelled from Newcastle to London?

According to Trainline’s journey planner, there are no trains available to travel from Newcastle Train Station to London Kings Cross on Saturday October 1.

The last train to run from Newcastle to London Kings Cross before industrial action takes place is the 10:45pm train, with a change of train in York and then an eight hour wait until the train from York continues to London Kings Cross with an arrival time of 10:47am on Saturday.

What are my other options to travel to the London Marathon this weekend?

By train on Sunday October 2 2022

Once again, according to Trainline, all trains travelling from Newcastle to London Kings Cross on Sunday October 2 have sold out. Many of these services would arrive after the London Marathon 2022 has started also.

All trains departing Newcastle to London Kings Cross have also sold out on Friday 30 September.

By coach

Coach services will continue over the weekend, with both National Express and MegaBus providing alternative transport for Newcastle based London Marathon 2022 entrants.

National Express will continue to run their Newcastle St. James Boulevard route to London Victoria Coach Station on Saturday October 1 at 7:25am, 12:30pm and 1:40pm, with a travelling time of around eight hours.

The earliest service National Express offers on Sunday October 2 is the 5:20am direct to London Victoria Coach Station, but will arrive at 1:10pm and road closures in London may cause traffic congestion.

MegaBus are offering coach journeys on October 1 at 4:30am, 12:25pm, 2pm and 10:15pm from Newcastle to London, with the earliest travel option on the day of the TCS 2022 London Marathon from 6:05am

How can I book coach tickets to travel to London this weekend?

Bookings through the National Express can be made through their website or through Trainline, who are providing alternative travel information during the industrial action.

You can book a seat on MegaBus by visiting their official website.

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