Worried about trip to London during train strikes.

[Whatwouldnanado]

Country mouse taking DD to a university tour next week. If trains are cancelled from Kings Cross to Highfield on Friday what alternative would be best? Really don't want to hire a car. Thank you

Are there other options for the open day? Otherwise I really wouldn't consider going next week. I'm not sure where Highfield is but if there isn't a bus service then your only option is really to drive ( although you said you would have to hire a car) to the end of a tube line and get the tube into London.

Quite frankly it will be chaos - if you take even one link out the whole chain collapses. I would tell your daughter to check with the university - I can’t believe they wouldn’t offer another day.

Where is Highfield? Is it Southhampton Uni?

If so, I just wouldn't go if you don't want to hire a car.

I am sure the university will be offering another day. If not, does not make them look good as a potential place to go to.

Sorry for the typo. Hatfield for Hertfordshire university, Dd second choice. We are supposed to be on a tour. We couldn't make the formal open day because of Covid. Thank you for the replies.

If it’s an actual strike day then there probably won’t be any trains, so you’d unfortunately need to hire a car. Have you called the uni? You won’t be the only people with this problem so they might reschedule.

I’m usually super laid back and “hope for the best” about stuff like this.
Id rearrange. I imagine it’ll be chaos. And also have a huge knock on effect in traffic

My DD went to Hatfield Uni, she used to get a coach into London sometimes as it was so much cheaper.

Is it thameslink? They are not striking but have still said only use for essential travel and it will still be a reduced service.

Can you put the trip off for a week?

The strikes are planned for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Not Friday. Although apparently there might be knock-on effects the day after each strike, but I presume in the earlier part of the morning. What time do you need to travel?

We need to be there for noon. Really don't want to cancel, we are just flying in for two nights.

The strikes days are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. They won't just throw a random Friday in there at the last minute.

Oops
Sorry didn't notice a PP had said the days.

Friday isn't a strike day
You should be fine

Trains should be back to normal by mid-morning on the Friday. Thameslink are every half hour from King's Cross and take about 30 minutes to Hatfield, then bus or taxi to the campus.

If you look on Google Maps and use the Directions To/From function it shows there's a bus from Edgeware to Hatfield (614 The Comet) which takes about 30 minutes.

But if it were me, I'd take the train.

A lot of trains are running a Sunday service on the days in between so I would check whatever the line you are using is doing.

might be different but certainly on tube strikes the days in between often aren’t back to normal ( as trains all in the wrong places). I know the line I use is advising to avoid the in between days if at all possible ( doesn’t sound as if it is possible for you so all you can do really is check the timetable, be prepared for busy trains and leave lots of time!).

one plus is the Friday morning of all the i between days most likely to be the least busy I suspect.

Plan to arrive a lot earlier than midday - most train operators are saying that services won't resume to normal until mid-to-late afternoon so give yourself plenty of time.

Is there an option to do online open days? To be honest, I would be thinking universities will be cancelling any open days next week due to the strikes and the fact their own staff (and a lot of students) will have issues travelling to campus.

Even though the Friday isn’t a strike day, I’d be wary. Round here (north west), Northern rail are telling us not to bother travelling by train all week because trains won’t be in the right places, hence chaos.

Thameslink website says that on Wed and Fri (not strike days) they will will run an amended Sunday service and they anticipate journey planners for those days will be updated on Saturday 18 June.

www.thameslinkrailway.com/travel-information/plan-your-journey/industrial-action

Thank you so much for your responses. I'm normally a 'wait and see don't worry' type but this all seems a bit different. Would it be best to book train ahead online? First solo trip with dd, three years since we have been to London and really looking forward to it.

A lot of train companies have said that they expect significant disruption on non strike days due to work that needs to be done the day/night before to prepare for services not happening

I don't know if you can book seats on Thameslink trains. It's a relatively short distance service.

They have said there will be big knock on effects on the non strike days.

Some trains have been cancelled for that whole week.

Call the uni and see if they can offer an alternative day

Absolutely book. If they are running a 'Sunday service' as pp has said on s Friday it will be absolute chaos.