There are no trains from Whitstable station and a replacement bus service will be running between Ramsgate and Faversham.
Southeastern has added additional buses and trains to the line-up to help meet demand but due to the large number of people expected to be travelling towards London from Whitstable ahead of the match at 12.15 services may be very busy. A queuing system will be in place if needed and regular customers are advised to avoid travelling on the replacement buses toward Faversham before 10.00 if possible.
Up to 10,000 supporters are expected to cheer on the Oysterman as they take on AFC Whyteleafe from Surrey in Sunday’s showpiece final.
On Sunday 11 May matchday replacement buses will run from:
- Faversham and Margate (calling at all stations)
- Faversham and Margate (calling at Whitstable, Herne Bay and Birchington-on-Sea only)
- Margate and Ramsgate (calling at all stations)
- Margate and Ramsgate (calling at Broadstairs only)
The first replacement bus from Whitstable departs at 07.06 and it take around 20 minutes to get to Faversham. Highspeed services from Faversham to St Pancras International start from 07.00 and run on the hour. Faversham to Victoria services start at 07.37.
Additional services to London:
07:52 Bus from Whitstable to Faversham, arrives 08:12
08:27 Non-stop train from Faversham to Victoria, arrives 09:36
08:52 Bus from Whitstable to Faversham, arrives 09:12
09:27 Non-stop train from Faversham to Victoria, arrives 10:36
Southeastern has also added extra return services for fans returning from the match at Wembley.
Additional return services from London:
17:00 Non-stop train from Victoria to Faversham, arrives 18:10
18:27 Bus from Faversham to Whitstable, arrives 18:47
18:00 Non-stop train from Victoria to Faversham, arrives 19:10
19:27 Bus from Faversham to Whitstable, arrives 19:47
South East Alliance spokesperson, Ann-Marie Howland, said:
“We’re backing Whitstable Town FC all the way and we hope the supporters have a great day out. Unfortunately, due to planned engineering work scheduled long before the tournament started there are no trains from Whitstable on Sunday 11 May.
“We’ve subbed on some replacement buses and strengthened the squad with additional trains to and from Faversham, but they may become stretched in the morning and there could be queues. Our advice to Oystermen fans is to check the state of play on our website, app or X channel before you travel and leave extra time for your journey.”
Steve Clayton, Whitstable Town FC Chairman, said:
"We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Southeastern for their support and careful planning around their engineering works. Their collaboration and assistance in the weeks leading up to the FA Vase have been invaluable.
Thanks to their efforts, including the addition of extra buses and trains where possible, many of our fans will be able to travel in comfort to support the team. We appreciate their commitment to helping make this occasion special for everyone involved."
Bus and train times for Sunday 11 May can be found at www.nationalrail.co.uk.
