This week, its the biggest racing meeting in the equine Racing calendar Royal Ascot, The event which started on Tuesday 18 of June runs until Saturday 22 June.
Across the five days, race goers dress up in their finery, which has been a custom at royal ascot over several decades with the men dressed in Top hat and Tails, and women dressed up in exquisite dresses and hats guaranteed to turn heads.
The five days at Ascot is seen by many as the Best of British, with some members of the Royal family in attendance, which have already included HRH the King & Queen, The Princess Royal and The Prince of Wales who have already attended across the first 3 days this week.
The meeting also features the best race horses from across the globe, as they battle to win some of the most famous races and race trophies in the world of horse racing.
Royal Ascot also has several Michelin star restaurants, first class entertainment and bookmakers for those that want to sample the very best or simply have a flutter on the horses.
South Western Railway expects an increase in regular passengers numbers by 1200%, which equates to 80,000 customers passing through the station at Ascot heading for the race meeting.
That number of passengers is equivalent to normal journeys made between Basingstoke and Waterloo in the space of a single month, and equals yearly passenger numbers that use Hilsea, Fulwell and Frimley.
From the first thing on Tuesday morning, there has been a steady stream of vibrant and energetic passengers using the station at Ascot.
“We are delighted to play a part in bringing people to such an esteemed event, which requires a huge amount of preparation.
“An event like Royal Ascot takes months of planning and, during the event, a huge amount of work goes in to accommodating the increased number of customers who pass through Ascot station to ensure everyone has a smooth journey.
“In addition to our station, security, operational readiness and planning teams, we have hundreds of dedicated volunteers from around SWR come down to lend a hand.
“We love seeing our customers passing through in all their finery and we wish everyone a memorable and enjoyable time at Royal Ascot.”
Teresa Pearson BEM, Ascot Station Manager at South Western Railway,
Passengers are reminded to check their services before they travel using the live travel updates on South Western Railways or the National Rail website, to ensure they arrive in time to see the seven races that are being run on each day.
Nothing new here then. It has been going on for years and years only difference is the Specials that arrived from all over the country sadly now a thing of the past.