Providers outline funeral transport plans
By Connor Steel
PUBLIC TRANSPORT is set to remain largely unchanged across Gosport and Fareham on September 19 as local providers confirmed their official timetables on Thursday for the upcoming 3-day Bank Holiday weekend triggered by the Queen’s State Funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday; with commuters advised of slight tweaks to ferry, bus and train services across the region with increased demand likely over the next 4 days.
Gosport Ferry have announced that their normal timetable will run from 5:30am to midnight, with crossings to Portsmouth running every fifteen minutes despite a likely loss of demand. Their manned Gosport ticket office is further due to open from 10am to 4pm on the National Day of Mourning with self-serve machines available at all times. Saturday and Sunday remain unaffected with the company treating this as a traditional weekend.
Wightlink have furthermore confirmed they will be operating their normal weekday timetables on their vehicle ferry routes in both directions, whilst adding two sailings to allow Island residents the opportunity to travel to London for the funeral and procession. These will set off at 5:45am and 6:45am from Ryde Pier Head, whilst the FastCat foot passenger service will revert to a weekend timetable due to the Bank Holiday confirmation.
Meanwhile First Bus have announced that all areas will follow their Sunday and Public Holiday timetables on Monday, with stops in Gosport and Fareham likely to be served every fifteen minutes via local Eclipse routes. This will increase to thirty minutes or even hourly at a minority of stops; whilst the F2, 28 / 28A and 11 routes will not run at all. Full details, including all routes across Portsmouth, can be explored via this accessible link.
Train companies, including South Western Railway, will be running their weekday timetables on Monday as they deal with increased demand of people to London and Windsor areas. Extra routes may also be running throughout the Bank Holiday weekend including limited overnight services during this busy period; with more details and announcements due to be made following talks with Transport for London staff alongside police.
As a mark of respect planned train strikes have been cancelled throughout September by trade unions, with all engineering work postponed until at least September 20. Customers are however encouraged to regularly check for updated service details and should expect busier than normal trains alongside crowded platforms, with South Western Railway publishing advice for commuters during the Mourning Period available online.
Readers are encouraged to visit media sites such as BBC News, Sky News and ITV News for all developing updates, whilst the Globe will be publishing local and national coverage in the build-up to Monday. Anybody who wishes to share their own tributes, personal memories or stories about Her Majesty can still send these by email to either editorial@thegosportglobe.co.uk or steel.connor@live.co.uk to be published in due course.
PICTURED BY ALAMY: Pallbearers in Edinburgh lift the Queen’s coffin as the country prepares for her state funeral on Monday morning, with all local transport largely unchanged despite Bank Holiday announcement.
