TRANSPORT ARRANGEMENTS

The most challenging aspect of the organisation of the event is going to be getting everyone there and home again afterwards as this is likely to be such a big event.

We know that trains have already been booked from around the country, and we expect a very large number of coaches.

We are still working on the transport plans for the day, but here is what we can say at the moment in answer to the commonest questions.

If you are looking for transport

The TUC is not organising any transport ourselves, but many of our member unions are. Your first point of contact therefore if you are a union member is your own union.

The False Economy website has launched a special coach and train map that will help people looking for transport. It allows people with spare places in a coach or train to advertise them and provide contacts details for people who are looking for a place.

If there is no-one already organising a coach from your area we would suggest starting a pledgebank – this is a clever webtool that allows people to sign up to support an initiative that will only be triggered if enough people back it. So if you want to organise a coach, you can set up a pledge that says you will firmly make a booking if say 30 people sign up.

We are not very keen on people coming by car. It would certainly be crazy to do anything other than reach outer London and then make the rest of the journey by public transport. But if you do want to come by car please offer spare seats. You can add a note to False Economy linked to your starting point, but you might want to do the signing up via a carshare site such as liftshare.

If you are coming by public transport

Lots of people in London and the South East will of course make their own way to the march.

There are a couple of points to make about this.

• As we expect the march to be pretty big, it will not finish leaving the assembly point at Victoria Embankment until after 2pm and possibly later. It may be therefore that you would like to time your arrival later rather than earlier. We will want to give those who have come the longest distances to be at the front of the march – particularly those on special trains – so that they can get their transport home.
• If you look at the map the nearest tube stations are Temple and Blackfriars – but Blackfriars tube is currently closed for refurbishment and we expect Temple to be closed for the day as it is a small station that cannot handle large numbers safely. Blackfriars mainline station is open and will be a good station for anyone who on a Thameslink line.
• Good tube stations to aim for will be Waterloo, Holborn and Embankment. All of these are a reasonable walk from the assembly point. We will of course provide more information nearer the time.
• Wherever you’re coming from, it’ll be worthwhile checking the National Rail Enquiries travel disruptions page for 26 March – it’s a weekend, so you might run into engineering works.

If you are organising transport

We are currently working hard on arrangements for coach drop-off, pick-up and parking. You can find the latest update on this here.

We will need to be in contact with the organiser of every coach either directly or via their union head-office.

Coaches will need to know before they set off to London where they will be dropping people off and parking, as there are too many coaches coming for all to use the same drop-off point. For example it is likely that coaches coming from the South West for example will drop people off at a different location to people coming from the Midlands.

We are therefore asking each coach coming to appoint what we have called a travel steward so that we can contact every group coming, and get information out on the day via text. There is a form here to register.

And if you have spare seats you want to fill, don’t forget to register your coach on False Economy’s map.