East Croydon Station has a word or two for Brighton Pride – Inside Croydon

Words of pride: Gemma Rolls-Bentley is among the artists who contributed to the GTR project, with installations at stations including East Croydon

Brighton Pride, the country’s biggest Pride event, is a week away and Govia Thameslink Railway – which runs train services to and from Brighton – has unveiled ‘Words of Pride’ at stations including East Croydon for people to enjoy as they travel to the south coast.

The rail operator is urging people to plan their journeys ahead of time. GTR has been working closely with Pride organizers and Brighton and Hove City Council and has confirmed it will run what it calls “an improved service”, with extra trains and increased capacity.

More information is below and can be found on the Southern and Thameslink websites.

GTR teamed up with writers, performers and artists from the LGBTQ+ community to share what Pride means to them, why Pride exists and what people are still fighting for.

As well as East Croydon, ‘Words of Pride’ are now on display at Blackfriars, Gatwick Airport and Brighton stations.

Chris Fowler, Head of Network Operations at Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “Brighton Pride is the biggest event on our network and the atmosphere it creates in the city every year is fantastic.

“With so many people making the journey from London to Brighton, bringing the voices of the LGBTQ+ community to a wider audience will help educate and raise awareness of why Pride exists. We hope people enjoy reading Words of Pride on their travels and have a great time at the event.”

GTR’s “Words of Pride” are available until Monday, August 5.

Travel information for Brighton Pride

• On the Brighton Main Line, on Saturday 3 August, all Thameslink services between London Bridge and Brighton will be operated by 12 trains.
• This will be the same for all Gatwick Express services running between London Victoria and Brighton
• Extra trains will run on the Brighton Main Line on Saturday evening
• On the West Coast, services that would normally run between Brighton, Portsmouth and Southampton will terminate at Chichester. The revised service will help focus capacity on areas where demand will be greatest. Those wishing to travel to Portsmouth and Southampton will be able to change at Barnham or Chichester for onward connections
• On the East Coast, many services will operate with extra carriages throughout the day to increase capacity in and out of Brighton
• A regular timetable will be in place on Sunday 4 August, however there will be a number of trains with extra carriages to assist those traveling to and from Pride

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