Royal wedding spectators advised to catch trains as early as 4am

Spectators planning train trips to Windsor for the royal wedding are being advised to begin journeys as early as 4am.

Rail operator Great Western Railway (GWR) urged passengers to "travel early and travel light" to reach the Berkshire town in time for the royal wedding procession.

Passengers have bought train tickets to Windsor for the day of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding from destinations across Britain, including Scotland, Lancashire and Devon.

GWR published a series of train times under the heading "What time can I leave?" to aid people travelling to Windsor, including journeys from Preston at 4.15am, Stafford at 5.25am, Solihull at 6.24am and Leamington Spa at 6.38am.

All of these trips are due to arrive at Slough at around 8am or 9am for a connection to Windsor.

A "sizeable queuing system" will be in place for GWR's four-carriage branch line service between Slough and Windsor and Eton Central.

Some 2,300 metres of fencing will be used for queues across the busiest stations on routes to Windsor.

Passengers travelling from the West, South Wales and Cotswolds are advised to change at Reading for services to Slough, whereas those travelling from the London area should use South Western Railway services from London Waterloo to Windsor and Eton Riverside.

If the number of visitors proves to be a safety issue, Thames Valley Police may order trains not to stop in Windsor and close off the wedding's processional route to latecomers.

GWR managing director Mark Hopwood said: "We help thousands of people each year travel to some of the biggest events in the country: Reading Festival, Glastonbury, Henley Regatta and many more.

"This will be one of the largest ever one-day events that has taken place on our network and our aim is to ensure our customers have a great day out and enjoy what will be an international spectacle."

- Here is the full list of royal wedding journeys published by Great Western Railway:

Departure time - departure station - arrival time at Slough

4.15am - Preston - 9.07am

5.25am - Stafford - 8.37am

6.03am - Stockport - 9.07am

6.19am - Kinghorn (Fife) - 1.07pm

6.20am - Newton Abbot - 9.24am

6.24am - Solihull - 8.39am

6.31am - Tamworth - 9.10am

6.38am - Leamington Spa - 8.08am

6.43am - Exeter St Davids - 9.24am

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