Christmas Eve travel chaos as 70mph winds and flying debris to disrupt transport
Storm Pia: 80mph winds batter Britain with ‘do not travel’ warnings issued
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Strong winds may cause flying debris and power cuts, and ruin last-minute Christmas getaway travel [1]plans, forecasters have warned. Gusts as high as 70mph are due to hit much of Scotland and northern and central areas of England on Christmas Eve[2]. Two separate yellow wind warnings have been issued by the Met Office[3], saying people should expect travel disruption, damage to buildings and power cuts, while the rest of the country may see showers during the day. Forecaster Jonathan Vautrey said: “Obviously there will be quite a lot of people travelling and wanting to get home for Christmas[4] itself.
“Particularly with these strong winds we could see some flying debris thrown on to particular roads or railway services, so if you get a tree down then that’s going to cause cancellations and delays. “There’s the potential for isolated power cuts which will again lead to the risk of some disruption at times.” Train disruption is likely as two of London’s railway stations, King’s Cross and Paddington[5], will be shut due to engineering works.
The closure of London Paddington will continue until Wednesday, meaning no mainline trains will serve Heathrow Airport.
Show latest update 1703408036
Disruption on Northern Line trains through Liverpool
Trains running through central Liverpool have been disrupted due to a train not leaving the depot on time. Lydia Patrick24 December 2023 08:53
Christmas Eve challenges for rail passengers
Millions of travellers are expected to be on the roads, railways and planes today in the final travel surge before 25 December. Rail passengers in particular have faced a litany of problems in the build-up to Christmas, with Storm Pia combining with staff shortage to disrupt trains within Britain and Eurostar rail cancellations to Continental Europe.
Two London intercity terminals – King’s Cross and Paddington – are completely closed for engineering work, and that theme will continue across the country up to the start of January. London Euston is once again seeing widespread cancellations. On Saturday Avanti West Coast, which connects the capital with the West Midlands, northwest England, North Wales and southern Scotland, cancelled dozens of trains due to staff shortage.
Most trains to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow are expected to run normally on Christmas Eve. But London Northwestern Railway warns that “a surge in sickness absence” means there will be “significant disruption on Christmas Eve”. The company says: “Up to 50 per cent of services may be at risk of short notice cancellation unless there is a material change in our forecast crew availability.”
Those travelling from London Euston can expect to face disruption
(Provided) Lydia Patrick24 December 2023 08:45
Warnings of ‘lengthy’ traffic jams as millions take the road before Christmas
Millions of people are setting off on a Christmas getaway but travel disruption is expected on the roads and rail, with strong winds set to batter parts of the country. The AA has warned of “lengthy jams” for traffic, while the Met Office has said Christmas Eve travel plans could be affected with gusts of up to 70mph due to hit.
Rail disruption is likely on Sunday as two of London’s railway stations, King’s Cross and Paddington, will be shut due to engineering works. The closure of London Paddington will continue until Wednesday, meaning no mainline trains will serve Heathrow Airport. Two separate yellow weather warnings for wind have been issued, saying people should expect travel disruption, damage to buildings and power cuts, while the rest of the country may see showers.
Traffic queues for ferries at the Port of Dover in Kent as people travel to their destinations for the Christmas holidays
(PA) Alisha Rahaman Sarkar24 December 2023 08:00
Strong winds may cause disruptions on Christmas Eve
Strong winds may cause flying debris and power cuts, and ruin last-minute Christmas getaway travel plans, forecasters have warned. Gusts as high as 70mph are due to hit much of Scotland and northern and central areas of England on Christmas Eve.
Two separate yellow wind warnings have been issued by the Met Office, saying people should expect travel disruption, damage to buildings and power cuts, while the rest of the country may see showers during the day. Forecaster Jonathan Vautrey told PA news agency: “Obviously there will be quite a lot of people travelling and wanting to get home for Christmas itself. “Particularly with these strong winds we could see some flying debris thrown on to particular roads or railway services, so if you get a tree down then that’s going to cause cancellations and delays.
“There’s the potential for isolated power cuts which will again lead to the risk of some disruption at times. “If you’ve got a particular train that you’re catching make sure you’re looking ahead of time if there have been any cancellations. “Just make sure you’re driving carefully, there’s the potential that high-sided vehicles could get hit by strong gusts of wind which has the potential to cause impacts, so we might see bridges closing as well.”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar24 December 2023 07:00
Met Office forecast a cloudy and wet Christmas Eve
England and Wales are expected to experience a cloudy and wet Christmas Eve on Sunday, according to the Met Office. There would be blustery showers in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with some sunny spells, it added. For northeast England and Scotland, it would be a very windy Christmas Eve, with severe gales possible.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar24 December 2023 06:00
Government statement on Christmas travel
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We know that Christmas is a busy time on our roads – and we work closely with train operators, ports and airports to ensure people can get to where they need to be during the festive period. “To keep congestion to a minimum, National Highways is ensuring more than 98% of motorways and A-roads are roadwork-free, with over 96% of the rail network also open during Christmas and New Year. “This Government has made unprecedented investment in transport infrastructure and to suggest otherwise is factually wrong.
“We are providing a record GBP44.1 billion for Network Rail to run a safe rail network. “Our Network North plan – backed by GBP36 billion – will further revolutionise the country’s transport infrastructure with investments in hundreds of local transport projects that matter most to people.” Maryam Zakir-Hussain24 December 2023 05:00
The best places to see the Northern Lights in the UK
One of the world’s most spectacular natural phenomena, at certain periods during the year the Northern Lights[13] regularly light up the skies of northern countries[14] that sit in the ‘aurora zone’ of the Arctic Circle.
The light show happens when electronically charged particles enter the Earth’s atmosphere from space, producing dazzling displays of green, yellow, purple and even red lights. Maryam Zakir-Hussain24 December 2023 04:00
Met Office’s verdict on if it will be a White Christmas
If you are searching for a white Christmas[16], the Scottish mountains are your best bet this festive season. The Met Office[17] expects record mild temperatures[18] across the rest of the UK this Christmas, with highs of 13C or 14C.
But the forecaster paints an entirely different picture for Christmas Eve as three yellow weather warnings[19] are in force for Sunday. Maryam Zakir-Hussain24 December 2023 03:00
Rail is on track for managed decline, with fare rises only part of the problem
Rishi Sunak[21] has been called many things, but here’s a particularly crisp description from one of the railway industry’s most respected figures, Nigel Harris: “The most anti-rail prime minister we’ve ever had.” That succinct characterisation was made in an episode of the Green Signals podcast, which Mr Harris co-presents.
Our travel correspondent Simon Calder reports: Simon Calder24 December 2023 02:00
Millions face long traffic queues as motorists drive home for Christmas
Motorists[23] were advised by the RAC[24] to travel before 11am or after 6pm if possible to reduce the chance of being stuck in long queues[25]. Maryam Zakir-Hussain24 December 2023 01:00
References
- ^ Simon Calder’s travel year in review: chaos from beginning to end, plus five great destinations for 2024 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ When is the right time to take down your Christmas tree and decorations?
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(www.independent.co.uk) - ^ Millions face long traffic queues as motorists drive home for Christmas (www.independent.co.uk)
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- ^ The busiest Christmas travel days on trains, at airports and on the roads (www.independent.co.uk)
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