Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

The busiest and quietest days to take a train over Christmas in the UK revealed

The busiest day for train travel will fall on Saturday, 21 December – the last weekend before Christmas

Amelia Neath
Thursday 07 November 2024 14:07 GMT
Comments
Trainline reveals which day the train carriages will be packed and stations will be swarmed this Christmas
Trainline reveals which day the train carriages will be packed and stations will be swarmed this Christmas (EPA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The busiest day for train travel will fall on Saturday 21 December, research from Trainline has revealed.

The next busiest day is predicted to be Monday 23 December, with last-minute travellers going up or down the country before Christmas Eve celebrations begin.

If you want to avoid the train melee, the quietest day is expected to be Christmas Eve on 24 December. However, it is important to note that the trains will stop running early in the evening ahead of Christmas Day. Sunday 22 December is thought will be the second quietest day for train travel.

No train services will operate on Christmas Day, but there will be some National Express coaches offering journeys. There will also be no train services on Boxing Day, apart from some limitted airport train transfer services.

New Year celebrations can also affect train schedules. Services are expected to run mostly as usual, but on New Year’s Eve they may end a bit earlier and New Year’s Day may bring a later start to some trains.

Major engineering works are also expected to take place, causing the closure of London Liverpool Street for eight days between 25 December and 2 January. London Paddington also will close for three days from 27 to 29 December.

There will be no East Midlands trains running between St Pancras and Bedford and no Thameslink services between St Pancras and Harpenden between 21 and 29 December.

No trains will pass through Crewe on 27 December. There will be no direct service to Liverpool and there will be a reduced service to Manchester from 28 December until 3 January.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in