Passengers face one of the worst ever Christmas rail engineering shutdowns – as an unprecedented 32 days of works close main lines and hit 2,500 trains.
Some journey times will treble as 15 million people take the train over the Yuletide fortnight to visit loved ones. Network Rail’s £130million works spree is one of the highest amounts spent during a festive season, with more than 20,000 rail engineers called in.
The London-Glasgow West Coast main line, the busiest route in Britain, will be part shut for 22 days from December 24 to January 15, spelling misery not just for Christmas but also the New Year. The line will be severed in four places – near Milton Keynes, Preston, Carlisle and Oxenholme in Cumbria.
Journeys from Preston to Edinburgh, usually two-and-a-half hours direct, will take seven hours via three trains plus a bus from January 1. The line between Leeds and York will be barred for 32 days, from Christmas Day to January 26. Buses will run to January 2, with diverted trains afterwards.
The two busiest stations in Britain will also be shut. London Liverpool Street will be closed from December 25 to New Year’s Day for journeys to the East, with London Waterloo not in use for trips to the South-West from Christmas Day to December 29, with a reduced service to January 2. Stratford and Clapham Junction face knock-on overcrowding. Airport travellers will be delayed with no Heathrow or Gatwick Express services on Boxing Day, and no trains between Stansted and Cambridge from Christmas Day until January 5.
Around 2,500 trains will be delayed, cancelled or not run their full route over the Christmas period, Network Rail data shows. Bruce Williamson, of passenger campaign group Railfuture, said: “This Christmas looks like one of the biggest works packages there has been on the railways.
“The scale of the work shows how much investment is going on. And some jobs are so big, they have to be tackled all in one go. Inevitably, there will be some disruption to journeys. But inconvenience is the price you pay for getting a better railway. I hope passengers understand the investment is necessary.”
Natasha Grice, of independent watchdog Transport Focus, said: “It’s important engineering works minimise the impact on passengers travelling.
“Passengers want staff to be on hand to help, as well as clear and effective communication at all times.”
Daniel Mann, director of industry operations at the Rail Delivery Group, said: “We ask you to allow extra time for journeys. The industry is working hard to run as many services as possible.”
Network Rail’s chief network operator Helen Hamlin said: “The period between Christmas and New Year is the quietest on the railway, so is the best time to do major projects.
“We work with train operators to organise diversions and rail replacement buses. It’s so important to plan ahead, especially this Christmas as we have very big plans for improving the railway.”
