Great Western Railway (GWR) is gearing up for one of its busiest weekends of the year as thousands of festival-goers make their way to and from Reading Festival this Bank Holiday.

With crowds expected on Monday morning, customers are being urged to plan ahead, buy tickets in advance, and allow extra time for their journey home.

To keep things moving smoothly, a queuing system will be in place on Monday. Festival-goers will be directed through the underpass and enter the station via the south side, helping everyone board trains more quickly and safely.

Extra trains for festival-goers

  • Plenty of trains will run throughout the weekend, including extra late-night and early-morning services on Monday to help people get home after the final acts
  • Trains will be very busy on Monday morning. Please be prepared to queue and allow additional time

Top travel tips to make your journey easier

✅ Only bring what you can carry – sack trucks and trolleys won’t be allowed

✅ Allow extra time to join the queues on Monday morning

✅ Bring your Railcard for discounted fares

✅ Keep your phone charged if you’re using an e-ticket

GWR Reading Station Manager, Alex Hills, said:

“We’re really looking forward to welcoming festival-goers to Reading Station. To help keep everyone safe, please allow extra time on Monday as a queuing system will be in place.

“And please, travel light – only bring what you can carry to make sure there’s space for everyone on board.”

Did you know?

  • Reading Festival is GWR’s single biggest event of the year in terms of passenger numbers
  • Up to 65,000 extra customers are expected to travel home by train on Bank Holiday Monday, starting in the early hours and continuing through the day

Key late-night / early-morning services

Regular late-night services (Friday night, after music ends at ~23:15):

  • 23:50
  • 23:55
  • 00:11
  • 00:15
  • 00:39
  • 01:15

Extra services in the early hours of Monday morning:

  • 00:11
  • 01:36
  • 03:00
  • 04:34

👉 Plan ahead, travel light, and buy now to avoid queues at the station.

For those travelling from further afield, please note:

  • Engineering work is taking place between Moreton-in-Marsh and Worcester Shrub Hill from Wednesday 20 to Sunday 24 August. Replacement buses will operate between these stations.
  • CrossCountry trains will run a reduced timetable over the weekend with no services running out of Reading due to industrial action. Customers wishing to travel to the Midlands and the North are advised to travel via London Paddington and onwards to Marylebone, Euston or Kings Cross.