Sussex: No Thameslink or Southern trains in some places

Passengers have been warned to prepare for queues and plan ahead as train drivers refuse to work overtime.

Govia Thameslink Railway, which runs Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express, is gearing up for a weekend of disruption as the drivers' union Aslef has banned overtime.

Striking Aslef workers in London (Image: PA)

The train company has created a new timetable for the strike period which it said will "help customers plan their journey with more certainty and consistency, with fewer cancellations".

The disruption coincides with planned engineering works by Network Rail.

On Saturday, most trains south of London will only be running from 7am to 7pm with some stations receiving no service at all.

Stations on the Lewes to Haywards Heath Line, Horsham to Sutton and Eastbourne to Hastings line will not have any trains on Saturday.

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Jenny Saunders, customer services director at Govia Thameslink Railway, said: "We apologise for the huge inconvenience this period of industrial action will have on our customers. It’s important that people plan ahead as much as possible.

“To help minimise disruption during the Aslef overtime ban period we’re running an amended timetable up to and including May 20 to provide greater certainty for passengers.

"Services during this time will be busier than usual and customers may have to queue for peak time trains, such as early mornings. It’s essential that customers check before they travel during the entire period.”

Journey planners such as National Rail Enquiries have been updated to reflect the timetable changes.