Transport shutdowns. Engineering works. Strikes. Getting around over the festive period can be slow-going – particularly frustrating if you need to get into work or trek across the city or country to see loved ones.
As always, it pays to know before you go. So we’ve compiled a festive travel forecast to keep you in the loop on any planned closures, strikes or busy periods*. Things change quickly, so keep this one bookmarked and we’ll do our best to keep it updated over the next few weeks.
Pro tip: Want to discover all of the ways Gett can keep you moving over the festive season? Read this.
Public Transport
A day-by-day guide to what’s running and what’s not.
December 22
Normal service.
December 23
London
Tube: No service on Waterloo & City Line.
Trains: No Southern trains between Shepherds Bush and Watford Junction. Engineering work at London Victoria, disruption expected.
Bus: Normal service
Overground: No service between Clapham Junction and Surrey Quays.
DLR: No trains between Canary Wharf and Westferry/Poplar.
National
Normal service on most lines.
December 24
London
Tube: Sunday service, significantly reduced after 8pm. No Elizabeth Line trains between Ealing Broadway and Paddington.
Trains: Kings Cross and London Paddington closed all day. All Thameslink trains finish at 9pm. No trains between Shepherds Bush and Watford Junction.
Bus: Sunday service, none past midnight.
Overground: Most branches finish at 9.30pm. No service between Clapham Junction and Surrey Quays.
DLR: No trains between Canary Wharf and Westferry/Poplar. Ends at 10.30pm.
Airport Transfer: No Heathrow Express trains. Early shutdown of Gatwick Express.
National
Regular services with early finish in most areas.
December 25
All areas
No public transport – the only way to travel is by car or cab. With an average pickup time of four minutes in Central London and black cabs that use bus lanes, stay moving with Gett.
December 26
London
Tube: Sunday service, significantly reduced after 8pm. No Bakerloo Line trains between Queen’s Park and Harrow & Wealdstone. No service on Waterloo & City line.
Trains: Running to a reduced timetable. No Thameslink or Southeastern services.
Bus: Sunday service, none past midnight.
Overground: limited service with certain parts of the line shut-down.
DLR: normal weekday service, first trains from 8.30pm.
Airport Transfer: Stansted Express only running between Tottenhale Hale and Stansted Airport due to engineering works at Liverpool Street. No Heathrow Express trains. Limited service on Gatwick Express.
National
No service on most lines, including LNER, Great Western, Cross Country, NI Railways, Avanti West Coast and in Wales. ScotRail are running a limited service.
December 27
London
Tube: Saturday service. Part closures on Elizabeth, Waterloo & City and District Lines.
Trains: Running to a reduced timetable. Replacement bus service between Crystal Palace and West Croydon. No trains between London Bridge and Beckenham Junction. Disruption at London Victoria due to engineering work. London Paddington will be closed.
Bus: Saturday service, normal night services.
Overground: Saturday service, limited in certain branches.
DLR: Saturday service. No service between Bank/Tower Gateway and Poplar/Canary Wharf.
Airport Transfer: No Heathrow Express service between London Paddington and Heathrow. Saturday service on Gatwick Express. Some disruption on Stansted Express.
National
Normal or limited service on most lines, with planned engineering works in areas of Scotland, Southampton, and between Kettering and Leicester, among other areas. East Midland and LNER Trains will start later. No trains in or out of London Paddington.
December 28
London
Tube: Saturday service. Part closures on District Line. Reduced service on Waterloo & City lines.
Trains: Reduced service in and out of London. Brixton station closed. Replacement bus service between Crystal Palace and West Croydon. No trains between London Bridge and Beckenham Junction. Disruption at London Victoria due to engineering work. London Paddington will be closed.
Bus: Saturday service, with usual night service
Overground: Saturday service, limited in certain branches. Barking Riverside station closed.
DLR: Saturday service. No service between Bank/Tower Gateway and Poplar/Canary Wharf.
Airport Transfer: normal service on Heathrow Express. Close to normal service on Stansted Express. Saturday service on Gatwick Express.
National
Normal service in most areas, with engineering works planned in parts of Glasgow, Southampton and East Midlands. Some peak morning trains out of London Paddington will not run.
December 29
London
Tube: Saturday service. Part closure on District Line. Reduced weekday service on Waterloo & City line. Saturday service on Elizabeth Line.
Trains: Close to normal service. Thameslink running reduced service. Engineering works at London Victoria.
Bus: Saturday service, with usual Friday night service
Overground: Saturday service, limited in certain branches.
DLR: Saturday service. No service between Bank/Tower Gateway and Poplar/Canary Wharf.
Airport Transfer: Saturday service on Gatwick Express.
National
Normal service in most areas. Reduced service out of London Euston. Engineering works in the Cambridge area, Southampton and parts of Glasgow. Some peak morning trains out of London Paddington will not run.
December 30
London
Tube: No service on Waterloo & City line. Part closure on District Line.
Trains: Close to normal service. Thameslink running reduced service. Engineering works at London Victoria.
Bus: Normal service.
Overground: No trains running between Clapham Junction and Surrey Quays.
DLR: No service between Bank/Tower Gateway and Poplar/Canary Wharf.
Airport Transfer: Normal service.
National
Normal service in most areas. Reduced late-night service out of London Euston. Engineering works in the Cambridge area, parts of Glasgow, Severn Tunnel Junction, and between Maidenhead and Twyford.
December 31
London: Full fares apply on TfL services.
Tube: No service on Waterloo & City line. Part closure on District Line. Trains run all night.
Trains: Close to normal service. Disruption on Thameslink. Engineering works at London Victoria. No trains until 12pm between Shepherds Bush and Watford Junction.
Bus: Sunday service with diversions in Central London from early afternoon.
Overground: No daytime trains running between Clapham Junction and Surrey Quays. Normal service plus special all-night service on most branches, but not between Gospel Oak and Barking Riverside.
DLR: Normal service plus special all-night service.
Airport Transfer: Normal service.
National
Normal service in most areas. Disruption between London St Pancras and Sheffield and out of London Euston. LNER services will finish earlier than usual. Engineering works in the Cambridge area. Engineering works in the Glasgow and Severn Junction areas. Scotrail, LNER and Avanti West Coast trains end earlier than usual.
January 1
London
Tube: No service on Waterloo & City line. Part closure on District Line. Sunday close time.
Trains: Close to normal service. Engineering works at London Victoria, and late-night disruption between Herne Hill and Streatham and in Balham.
Bus: Sunday service.
Overground: No trains running between Clapham Junction and Surrey Quays. Weekend service on other branches.
DLR: Saturday service.
Airport Transfer: Normal or Sunday service.
National
Normal service in most areas. No ScotRail services. LNER and Avant WestCoast trains will start later than usual. Engineering work in the Edinburgh area, between Bristol Temple Meads and Swindon, and in Cambridge. Late-night engineering work disrupts services between Leicester and Nottingham, Swindon and Bristol Temple Meads and Lincoln and Peterborough.
January 2
Normal services resume.
Strikes
The industrial action scheduled for December has – for the time being – concluded. We will add any strike dates here should more be announced.
Roads
When to travel
According to data from the AA, an estimated 32 million car journeys will be made across the festive period, while KwikFit report that one million people will make eleven car journeys or more.
The AA have issued ‘Amber Warnings’ for Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd – Christmas Eve is also likely to be busy on the roads. Inclement weather could cause further disruption. But in general the roads should be clearer than previous years as National Highways are planning to remove the vast majority of roadworks ahead of the Christmas rush.
New Year’s Day is expected to be the quietest as people recover from the celebrations the night before. The best time to travel on Christmas Day is before 10am or after 5pm, according to Cuvva.
London
The Congestion Charge won’t apply between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will not be in operation on Christmas Day.
The Low Emission Zone (LEZ) remains in place every day of the year.
National
The AA have highlighted the following areas as potential hotspots for jams:
M25 (all), M6 (Birmingham), M1 (Northwards of Luton), M62 (North West), M60 (North West), and M4 (all).
Enjoy reliable rides across the festive season with Gett. Get started.
*Please note: Whilst we will make every effort to ensure that the information provided is correct and up-to-date, we cannot guarantee that it will be accurate or comprehensive. We have provided a list of the public sources used to compile this forecast below.
Sources:
https://www.cuvva.com/how-insurance-works/driving-christmas-best-times-worst-travel
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/travel-information/christmas
https://tfl.gov.uk/status-updates/major-works-and-events/christmas-and-new-year-travel
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/christmas-road-travel-latest-updates-roadworks-removed-england
