Our latest update: 19 April 2021
Check before you travel
In order to maintain social distancing on our trains and at stations, we are asking our customers to travel at quieter times whenever possible.
To help with this, our guide below shows when our major stations tend to get busy on weekdays, and the crowding levels on trains at the busiest times.
We’ve based our guide on the most recent data, including information from the previous week, and we will continue to update it regularly. Being based on recent data, this guide doesn’t take account of events like the weather which may impact how many people are travelling.
For live updates for your journey please visit nationalrail.co.uk where you can also subscribe to journey alerts through National Rail Messenger.
You can also set up alerts for your journey by visiting Messenger directly or via the National Rail journey planner.
Alerts can be set up for regular or one-off journeys, and these will keep you informed of any disruption to your journey including cancellations or delays, as well as information on crowding and busy services.
Changing travel patterns
The coronavirus pandemic has seen travel patterns alter slightly, and peak times have become earlier than before the pandemic. We’d ask that you take this into consideration when planning your journey.
The morning peak is currently between 7:00 AM and 8:30 AM.
The evening peak is currently between 4:00 PM and 6:30 PM.
Busiest parts of our network
The busiest parts of our network are in the London area. Trains to and from Waterloo will be busiest between Wimbledon/Putney and Waterloo.
Find out about:
Key:
- Busiest time (red): Maintaining a one-metre gap between travellers will be difficult at these times. Trains will have very little available space left - consider travelling earlier or later if you can.
- Busy (amber): "One-metre plus" social distancing will be possible. Trains will have limited space available - consider travelling on trains or at times marked in green if you can.
- Not busy (green): A two-metre gap between travellers will be possible. There will be plenty of room on these trains and at stations.
