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Passengers travelling on British trains during the weekend of King Charles III's coronation will hear a special message recorded by the monarch himself, including a reminder to "mind the gap".
From Friday until Monday, anyone travelling by train or the London underground will hear the announcement by King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla.
"My wife and I wish you and your families a wonderful coronation weekend," passengers will hear him say.
It will be followed by wishes for a happy journey from the queen consort: "Wherever you are travelling, we hope you have a safe and pleasant journey."
"And remember, please mind the gap," King Charles will add.
The phrase – to warn passengers about the gap between train carriage and platform – will be familiar to the British and visitors to the country, and is also used in some railway networks in other parts of the world.
"The coronation is a rare and exciting event and we very much look forward to welcoming passengers with this special message," said Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents Britain's rail industry.
The recording will be played in all 2,570 railway stations throughout the UK, the group said.
Network Rail is putting on extra staff at stations at the weekend to help direct passengers attending the coronation.
“The railway is open for passengers during the coronation,” it said.
“The vast majority of Britain’s railway will be open as usual during the coronation. There are no railway line closures into any of the major London stations.”
Rail company GWR is urging people to leave plenty of time for their journeys.
“An event not seen since 1953, it is expected that hundreds of thousands of people will travel to London for the coronation ceremony on Saturday,” it said.
“We expect train services into London to be extremely busy ahead of the ceremony and away from London after the ceremony. If you are planning on travelling, reserve a seat if possible and leave plenty of time to make your journey."
