Media centre

Friday 22 May 2026

Passengers warned of a busy railway this bank holiday weekend

Region & Route:

North West & Central: Central

Strike action, Birmingham Pride, and bank holiday celebrations means trains and stations in the West Midlands and Chiltern area will be extra busy this weekend.

Industrial action affecting West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway (WMR and LNR) trains means significantly reduced services will run on all their routes on Friday 22 May and Saturday 23 May, meaning other train operators' services will be busier on both days.

Tens of thousands of people celebrating Birmingham Pride, and warmer weather bringing people into the city centre for days and nights out, means stations and trains on all routes in and out of Birmingham New Street, Snow Hill and Moor Street will be busier than normal.

WMR and LNR are urging their passengers to only travel if necessary and allow extra time for journeys while other operators - CrossCountry, Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, and Transport for Wales - are advising passengers to plan ahead and check before you travel.   

Anyone planning to travel between Friday 22 May and Monday 25 May can plan their journeys and check before they travel with their train operator or at www.nationalrail.co.uk.   

Martin Colmey, operations director for Network Rail's Central route, said: "Bank holidays are always busy on the railway but strike action significantly reducing WMR and LNR services will mean other operators will be even busier than normal.

"It's an exciting weekend with Birmingham Pride taking place and we want everyone to travel safely in and out of the city centre. Always plan your journey, check before you travel and allow plenty of time.

“Importantly, if you are travelling home late, know your last few trains and don't rely on the very last one which might be too busy to safely board.” 

Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director for WMR and LNR, said: "We advise our customers to only travel if necessary on Friday and Saturday due to the impact of industrial action on our network. Some routes will have no service and customers who choose to travel on other lines should allow extra time for their journeys. We apologise for the inconvenience caused."

CrossCountry’s service delivery director, Nick Westcott, said: “Across the West Midlands, we’re expecting a very busy Bank Holiday weekend with much-increased travel demand. We’re working closely with industry partners to get people where they need to be, but trains are likely to be much busier than usual. We ask customers to plan ahead, check before they travel and allow extra time for their journeys.”

Avanti West Coast’s customer experience director, Kathryn O’Brien, said: “Working in collaboration with our railway partners, we are advising customers travelling into Birmingham New Street this Bank Holiday weekend to check their journeys in advance. With tens of thousands of people expected to head into the city to celebrate Birmingham Pride and enjoy the warm weather, train services may be busier than normal.”

Michael Stewart, commercial and customer strategy director at Chiltern Railways, said: "Our services and stations in the West Midlands, particularly at Birmingham Moor Street, Solihull and Dorridge, will be significantly busier this bank holiday weekend.

"With tens of thousands of people heading to the city on Saturday and Sunday for Birmingham Pride, please check before you travel, plan ahead and take a bottle of water with you due to the expected hot weather."

Sarah Higgins, operations director at Transport for Wales, said: "Transport for Wales will be running its normal timetable over the bank holiday weekend, but some services may be much busier than usual due to industrial action at West Midlands Railway affecting Shrewsbury to Birmingham and Hereford to Birmingham services on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 May.

"With high temperatures also forecast, customers are encouraged to take extra care when travelling, check for the latest travel information using the TfW website, mobile app, or social media channels, and to stay hydrated."

With temperatures over the weekend predicted to increase significantly, possibly as high as 30 degrees Celsius, passengers are urged to stay well hydrated and to carry water with them when travelling. Free water fountains are available at Birmingham New Street.   

Passengers can get the latest travel information form their train operator or at www.nationalrail.co.uk.