Passengers have been warned there will be eight days of disruption on the railway due to more strike action.

On Saturday, September 30 and Wednesday, October 4 there will be no trains across the vast majority of the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) network, which operates Southern, Gatwick Express, Thameslink and Great Northern, owing to national industrial action by the ASLEF union.

On each morning following strike action, Sunday, October 1 and Thursday, October 5, services will start up later than usual.

Additionally, an overtime ban by ASLEF will mean amended timetables with fewer trains on Friday, September 29, and on October 2, 3, 5 and 6.

Passengers should expect busier trains, especially in peak hours, and longer waiting times.

A limited shuttle service will run between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport on September 30 and October 4.

These trains will be extremely busy and will not stop at any other stations, GTR said.

Queueing systems will be in place and passengers may not be able to board their chosen service, especially in the late evenings.

A GTR spokesman said: “Passengers are strongly urged not to travel to or from Gatwick by train if they have an alternative transport option, and to leave plenty of extra time for their journey if using a train is essential.

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“As there are no trains across most of the country on these two days, there will be limited onward travel options from London Victoria, so travellers are urged to plan their whole journey ahead of time.”

GTR has contacted schools to ensure they are aware and can help ensure nobody is caught out.

Jenny Saunders, GTR’s customer service director, said: “We know how difficult this ongoing national industrial action is for our customers and we're really sorry for the continued inconvenience it’s causing.

“So that you can travel with confidence, we’ll be operating the most resilient timetables we can, but when trains are running, they’re likely to be busier than normal, especially in the peaks, and you might need to wait longer than usual. Please plan all your journeys carefully in advance, allowing plenty of extra time, and check again before you set off.”