That time of year is about to be upon us again – the race to get home for Christmas without being held up by travel mayhem.
One of the busiest travel times will arrive in the next few days as millions of people go to spend time with loved ones across the UK and abroad.
Christmas and New Year celebrations should be stress-free, but many will be wondering whether their long-awaited trip could be disrupted.
With so many people on the move at once, there is always the risk of sudden travel chaos if one domino falls.
Warnings have already been issued over planned railway works, leaving passengers with longer journeys and limited services during the holiday season and the days in between.
We have rounded up the most significant disruptions which could hamper festive journeys.
List of railway works over Christmas and New Year
While many people settle down to celebrate Christmas, engineers will be out and about working on the tracks during the holidays to minimise disruption to commuters during the work.
You can check the disruption calendar above to see what disruption is going on when you need to travel. Train operators in your area might also have local changes, so it is worth checking with your firm. Scroll down to read why the journeys are affected.
London Liverpool Street
The UK’s busiest station will be shut between December 27 and January 1, meaning there will be no trains to and from the station. The good news is that the Elizabeth line and Tube will run as scheduled because they have their own platform.
Greater Anglia and London Overground trains are affected because of engineering works in the Bishopsgate tunnel and refurbishment for the station roof. They will terminate at Stratford and London Field respectively.
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London Waterloo station
London Waterloo and Vauxhall stations will have no trains running on the Saturday and Sunday after Christmas. Instead, trains will start and terminate at Clapham Junction or other stations, so it is worth checking before travelling.
This will affect South Western Railway services, which may also change with engineering work between Basingstoke and Andover/Winchester on Sunday, January 4.
Waterloo will also have a limited train service between Monday, December 29 and Friday, January 2 because of track and points renewal works.
London Euston
Passengers face slower journeys than usual when buses replace trains on the West Coast Main Line between Saturday, December 27 and Sunday, January 4 from Milton Keynes Central to Rugby and Northampton.
This is the route used by trains to and from Euston. Trips from the station to the Midlands, the North West – like Manchester and Liverpool – and Scotland will be ‘significantly disrupted,’ National Rail warned.
Here are other changes to travel:
- Amended service between Preston and Carlisle between December 31 and January 15 due to a bridge replacement over the M6
- Rail replacement buses between Carlisle and Lockerbie between January 1 and January 7 while new signalling is installed
- Amended schedule between Leeds and York between December 27 and January 2
- No trains between Cambridge, Cambridge North, Bury St Edmunds and Stansted Airport between December 27 and January 4 due to new signalling system tests in the area
Luton Airport strikes
Currently, it is looking like business as usual at most UK airports over the festive period – except at Luton and Heathrow Airports.
If you or loved ones are travelling from the Bedfordshire airport, brace for what Unite the Union described as ‘festive travel turmoil’ as check-in and baggage handling staff walk out.
Dozens of flights will be affected over the strike days happening between December 19 and 22, and again from December 26 to 29.
The planned strike action affects easyJet staff outsourced to DHL, who work at the check-in desks and as baggage handlers on routes to Spain, Germany, Italy and Czechia from Luton.
Around 200 workers will strike during the peak travel season over a pay row, Unite said.
Heathrow Airport strikes
More than 130 cabin crew working for Scandinavian Airlines Services (SAS) based at Heathrow have decided to walk out after disagreement over a pay offer.
The strike action could put flights to and from Scandinavia under threat, Unite warned.
SAS cabin crew at Heathrow will walk out on December 22, 23, 24 and 26.
Heathrow Airport said it saw its busiest November ever with over 6.6million people passing through the terminals, and it expects the Christmas period to be the busiest on record.
It is worth checking in advance how you will travel to the airport as there are no Tube services on Christmas Day, December 25, and no Elizabeth line or Heathrow Express service on Boxing Day, December 26.
London travel disruption over Christmas
TfL services like the Tube, Overground, Elizabeth line and buses will not run on Christmas Day and services will wrap up early the day before.
Some limited services are running on Boxing Day on a Sunday service timetable. Routes like the Elizabeth line will be closed.
There is no Night Tube or Night Overground service on Boxing Day – falling on Friday, December 26.
However, Santander and Lime bikes will be available as usual for travelling around the capital.
Driving home for Christmas?
Amidst rail and plane disruption, many are set to rely on driving by car to travel over the holidays.
People driving in central London over Christmas and New Year could save £15 a day as the Congestion Charge will not apply between Thursday, December 25 and Thursday, January 1.
Meanwhile, the ULEZ charge doesn’t apply on Christmas Day. Driving through Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnels will be free on Christmas Day only, but the fees apply at all other times.
But driving might not be so easy, with heavy traffic expected with the sheer number of motorists on the road.
The RAC has said it expected the main wave of festive journeys to begin on Friday, December 19. A hefty 4.1million trips are anticipated for Saturday, December 20 – the busiest Saturday of the Christmas period since records began in 2013.
Around 3.5million journeys are expected for Sunday, December 21. Into Christmas week, however, there should be a lull on Monday and Tuesday as many will still be working at this point.
Christmas Eve could see its highest volumes of traffic since COVID when 4.2million getaways are expected.
To avoid significant disruption, drivers should try these times:
- Saturday, December 20 – before 12pm
- Sunday, December 21 – before 10am
- Monday, December 22 – after 5pm
- Tuesday, December 23 – before 11am
- Wednesday, December 24 – before 11am
After Christmas, some 4.6million trips are expected on Boxing Day and 4.1million on December 27 as people travel home.
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