Christmas getaway hell continues: Thirteen train firms CANCEL services with millions hit by travel misery thanks to weather, breakdowns and staff going on their holidays
- Have your Christmas plans been impacted by rail delays and cancellations? Email [email protected] to share your story
By Mark Duell[1] and Natasha Anderson[2]
Published: 18:59, 22 December 2023 | Updated: 22:48, 22 December 2023
At least 13 train firms have cancelled services today as millions of passengers are attempting to embark on their Christmas[3] getaways.
Cancellations have impacted commuters in London[4] and across the nation with rail operators blaming staff shortages for the disruptions.
Services also suffered from points failures, flooding, signalling issues, fallen trees, broken-down trains and electricity failure; while cross-Channel disruption continued.
Furious travellers are now slamming railway operators over the ‘absolute nightmare’ journeys they have faced with some alleging that what would typically take two hours has now taken up to 10 hours to complete.
It comes as motorways have been closed and flights cancelled on what experts have hailed as the busiest travel day of the festive season.
Passengers at London Euston station this afternoon as Christmas getaway chaos continues
Huge queues of cross-Channel traffic at the entrance to the Port of Dover in Kent this morning
Overcrowding at London St Pancras International station as Eurostar cancels all trains in and out of London due to last minute strike action by Eurotunnel/Getlink
Travellers wait for Eurostar trains at St Pancras railway station in London this morning
Eurostar passengers wait to head abroad from London St Pancras railway station this morning
The Elizabeth line suffered severe delays this afternoon between London Paddington, Reading and Heathrow Airport after two trains broke down. Passengers are pictured on an Elizabeth Line whilst it was ‘stuck’
At least 30 Eurostar trains were cancelled yesterday, but services resumed this morning. A frustrated traveller, who claims his train was cancelled yesterday, shared this photo today, branding the company an ‘utter disgrace’ as passengers are met with long queues
Some rail services today suffered from points failures, flooding, signalling issues, fallen trees, broken-down trains and electricity failure; while cross-Channel disruption continued
A furious Eurostar passenger is pictured sitting on the carriage floor today after she allegedly ‘had to pay GBP400 to rebook a cancelled train just to be told our seats our taken’
Passengers wait for updates from information boards at London King’s Cross station today
Passengers wait for train services to travel from Euston Station as they make their Christmas getaway in London today
Eurostar, which operates passenger services to and from London St Pancras, is operating two extra services per day between London and Paris up to and including Christmas Eve to help people whose trains were cancelled on Thursday.
Vehicle-carrying train service Eurotunnel is running its usual timetable but is only accepting customers who have pre-booked.
On the domestic railway, disruption from strong winds remained following chaos caused by Storm Pia on Thursday.
Southeastern said ‘a shortage of available train crew’ continued to disrupt its services on Friday.
There were cancellations on Southeastern’s high speed lines throughout the day, particularly on those via Gravesend to and from London St Pancras, while a shortage of platform staff at London Bridge was also delaying trains in and out of the station.
Services on the Sheerness line were suspended at 10am for the rest of the day, and there are cancellations on the high-speed line to and from London St Pancras throughout the day.
Thameslink and Great Northern warned a shortage of staff across its network meant fewer trains could run. Disruption was occuring on the Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City, Hertford North and Stevenage routes with cancellations in both directions.
Cancellations were also made on the King’s Cross to Kings Lynn route and between Bedford and Brighton[5] plus Royston and Letchworth Garden City towards London.
The Elizabeth line suffered severe delays on Friday afternoon between London Paddington, Reading and Heathrow Airport after two trains broke down.
Gatwick Express and Southern warned of disruption between London Victoria and Clapham Junction due to a fault with the signalling system in the Battersea Park area which meant trains were having to run at a reduced speed on some lines.
Network Rail said disruption was expected between Mansfield and Worksop for the end of the day, as well as between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley, caused by damage to the overhead electric wires in the Aston area of Birmingham.
West Midlands Railway, London North Eastern Railway (LNER), Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry also all axed some services due to a shortage of train crew or drivers.
No LNER trains served Inverness on Friday morning.
ScotRail services were suspended between Inverness and Wick, Tain, Ardgay and Lairg.
Passengers get on a train at Euston Station today amid travel chaos sparked by rail cancellations and delays
Passengers wait for train services at Euston Station today after strong winds from Storm Pia caused travel delays with all rail lines to and from London Euston blocked the day before
Euston Station was very busy today as passengers waited for train services
A woman sporting a Santa hat waits for her train at Euston Station in London today
The Met Office has warned that public transport services in Scotland are facing disruption or cancellation due to weather warnings for snow and ice.
Christmas Eve travel plans could be ruined with heavy winds set to batter parts of the country ahead of a rain-soaked December 25.
Gusts as high as 60 to 70 mph are due to hit the north of Scotland and northern and central areas of England.
The Met Office has yellow snow and ice warnings in force for the north east of Scotland and across the entirety of the Shetland Isles.
The warning for the north east of Scotland spans from just north of Montrose up to the Orkney Islands, and reaches as far west as Ullapool.
Rail chaos in Britain on Friday, December 22
- Greater Anglia: No trains between Norwich and Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft until at least 3pm due to major flooding on the line
- ScotRail: All trains suspended between Inverness and Wick, Tain, Ardgay and Lairg following strong winds
- London North Eastern Railway (LNER): No services to or from Inverness with replacement buses connecting the city with Edinburgh
- West Midlands Railway: No trains between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield City until 11am after a tree fell on the line at Wylde Green
- Transport for Wales: Disruption between Cardiff Central and Penarth due to a train fault
- Southern and South Western Railway: Trains blocked by a points failure in Portsmouth
- Gatwick Express and Southern: Disruption between London Victoria and Clapham Junction due to a fault with the signalling system
- Southern: Delays between Lewes and Polegate in East Sussex after a fault with barriers at a level crossing
- CrossCountry and Great Western Railway: Broken-down train in Worcester affecting services
- Southeastern: Major disruption on various routes due to a shortage of train crew, with no service on the Sheerness Line in Kent after 10am for the rest of the day; and cancellations on high speed routes, particularly on services via Gravesend to and from St Pancras
- Thameslink and Great Northern: Shortage of staff across the network means disruption on the Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City, Hertford North and Stevenage routes with cancellations in both directions today.
Cancellations also made on the King’s Cross to Kings Lynn route and between Bedford and Brighton plus Royston and Letchworth Garden City towards London.
- East Midlands Railway : Trains are delayed between Sleaford in Lincolnshire and Peterborough due to a failure of the electricity supply
- Northern: Disruption between Rochdale, Hebden Bridge and Burnley in Greater Manchester following flooding at Todmorden. An obstruction on the track between Northwich and Lostock Gralam in Cheshire is impacting trains between Chester and Altrincham
- London Underground: Delays on the Central line between Leytonstone and Epping and North Acton and West Ruislip due to a shortage of trains. On the District line, no service between Parsons Green and Wimbledon due to a faulty track.
Delays on the Victoria line due to a faulty train. Metropolitan line cancellations between Moor Park and Chesham. Delays on the Piccadilly line between Acton Town and Uxbridge due to train shortage
- London Overground: Delays between Willesden Junction and Richmond after a fault with the signalling system at Gunnersbury
- Elizabeth line: Severe delays between London Paddington, Reading and Heathrow Airport after a train broke down in the Acton Main Line area.
Another Elizabeth line train later broke down at Farringdon
Advertisement
The Met Office says on its website that the warning for the north east will end on Saturday at 12pm.
The warning for the Shetland Isles ends at 10am on Saturday.
ScotRail has warned some services will be cancelled and others may be subject to delays.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, the train operator said that ‘journeys on some routes will take longer for safety reasons’.
It added: ‘This is due to forecast heavy rain and snow, increasing the risk of flooding, landslips and snow drifts.’
ScotRail said some Glasgow to Oban services would be cancelled on Saturday, as would some Inverness to Elgin trains.
All other services which travel via Elgin will be unaffected.
The company said passengers can expect delays across its West Highland Line services, which includes trains that travel between Inverness, Kyle, Wick, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
ScotRail advised passengers to check the ScotRail app ahead of travelling to see the status of their planned route.
Meanwhile, ferry operator Calmac cancelled a number of services on Friday night and on Saturday, with others being liable to disruption or short-notice cancellations.
Calmac said on X that the cancellations and disruptions are due to ‘adverse weather’ and ‘strong winds’.
For updates on journeys, people can check the ScotRail app and Calmac’s X account.
Meanwhile, long queues are still affecting cross-Channel journeys at the port of Dover as Christmas getaway disruption continues across the country.
P&O Ferries said there were still large queues of ‘approximately 90 minutes’ at border control.
The port has attributed the delay to a surge in demand for ferries after the Channel Tunnel rail link was closed on Thursday due to unscheduled industrial action by French workers, which ruined the travel plans of tens of thousands of people.
‘Please come prepared with refreshments to make your wait more comfortable,’ the ferry company advised travellers in a post on X.
P&O Ferries apologised for delays, telling customers: ‘Please accept our sincere apologies for the waiting time you are currently experiencing.
‘We are working hard with the authorities involved to improve the situation and would like to assure you that you will be accommodated on the next available sailing once you get through.’
Road congestion was likely to peak on Friday afternoon as drivers embarking on leisure trips competed for road space with commuters and business traffic.
The A66 in Cumbria is closed in both directions between the A595 south (Bridgefoot) and the A595 north (Cockermouth) due to a serious collision.
Traffic has been diverted via local routes causing delays.
The M20 motorway in Kent has begun re-opening between junctions 8 and 9 after it was closed due to Operation Brock, which involves organising a queue for freight traffic during disruption to cross-Channel services.
The RAC has estimated 13.5 million leisure journeys by car would take place across the UK between Friday and Sunday, up 20 per cent on the three days before Christmas Day last year.
Motorists were advised to travel before 11am or after 6pm if possible to reduce the chance of being stuck in long queues.
Location technology company TomTom said road congestion in cities across Britain was above normal levels at 3pm.
The time taken to cover 10km (6.2 miles) in London was 20 minutes and 15 seconds, some one minute and 51 seconds longer than usual at that time.
Other cities that saw an increase in journey times over the same distance include Birmingham (two minutes and 11 seconds), Manchester (two minutes and 33 seconds), Glasgow (two minutes and 24 seconds) and Cardiff (four minutes and eight seconds).
Passengers sit on the floor and on top their luggage as they wait for rail services at Euston Station today
Passengers were seen on their phones as they waited for train services at busy Euston Station today
Passengers wait for train services to travel from Euston Station as they make their Christmas getaway in London
A seemingly stressed corgi waits with its owners for train services at Euston Station today
Passengers dressed as Christmas trees at London St Pancras International station today
Passengers wait for updates at London Euston station today as they travel for Christmas
Four men dressed up as traffic cones wait for trains at London Euston station this morning
Christmas travellers at Lodnon King’s Cross station this morning as they travel by train
Passengers dressed as Where’s Wally walk through London Euston station this morning
Christmas travellers head through the ticket barriers at London Waterloo station today
Eurostar passengers wait to head abroad from London St Pancras railway station this morning
Huge queues of cross-Channel traffic at the entrance to the Port of Dover in Kent this morning
Furious passengers attempting to embark on their Christmas getaways hit out the rail operators who cancelled trains across Britain today.
‘I had 4 trains cancelled on me yesterday. Four. It took me 10hrs to do a 2hr journey,’ one traveller tweeted today.
Another echoed: ‘After my train got cancelled yesterday due to the tunnel strike, I managed to book another train for today which is now delayed by 45 minutes.
All my Christmas plans for this weekend is changed. Thanks to Eurostar.’
One passenger tweeted Transport for Wales to say: ‘Thanks @tfwrail a cancelled train in the morning so I’m late for work and now another one cancelled so I’m even later getting home. You are an awful company you know that right?
A joke of a company. Santa is getting you a whole bag of coal.’
Another added: ‘There’s nothing more Christmassy than the announcement about the festive options in the LNER dining car, on a train so packed with people from other cancelled services that the idea of moving through the carriages is completely absurd.’
And a third tweeted Southeastern to say: ‘You’re an absolute shambles. Six carriages for a Xmas service to DVP (Dover Priory) isn’t enough.
No luggage space to put buggy so separated from my kids and wife. Every time you fail to deliver a service you promise.’
As the Elizabeth line suffered severe delays this afternoon between London Paddington, Reading and Heathrow[6] Airport, passengers were left stuck on trains amid fears over missed flights.
One posted on X: ‘Sitting on a stationary Lizzy line train outside Acton Main Line to Heathrow Terminal 4 for last 20 minutes…. apparently a broken train on tracks ahead of us. How many hundred people are going to miss their flights because of this?’
It comes after major chaos on Eurostar and LeShuttle following an unexpected strike by Eurotunnel French site staff that cancelled all cross-Channel rail services.
The last-minute industrial action led to widespread disruption yesterday, before it came to end in the evening – with trade union representatives reaching an agreement with management.
The strike affected Eurostar, which operates passenger services to and from St Pancras; and LeShuttle, which runs vehicle-carrying trains to and from Folkestone.
At least 30 Eurostar trains were cancelled but services resumed this morning, with the company promising to run six extra trains between Paris and London into the weekend – an extra two trains each today, tomorrow and on Sunday.
One traveller branded Eurostar an ‘utter disgrace’ after being met with cancellations yesterday and then long queues today.
Another frustrated passenger, who sat on the carriage floor during her commute, today tweeted: ‘@Eurostar want to explain why I had to pay GBP400 to rebook a canceled train just to be told our seats our taken and now having to sit on the floor!!!?’
Le Shuttle services resumed yesterday evening.
Eurotunnel said it is running its usual timetable but is only accepting customers who have pre-booked.
As a result of the suspension in cross-Channel rail services, the M20 motorway in Kent was closed in the coastbound direction between junctions 8 and 9 due to Operation Brock, which involves organising a queue for freight traffic during disruption to cross-Channel services. It remained closed today.
Kent Police announced the ’emergency measure’ to allow freight bound for the continent to queue on the empty section of motorway to try to minimise disruption to Kent’s wider road network.
The Port of Dover reported 90-minute wait times for tourists at French border control this morning ‘as we continue to clear the disruption caused by industrial action at the Channel Tunnel yesterday’.
It added: ‘Please do not turn up at the Port of Dover without a booking.’
It attributed the delay to a surge in demand for ferries after the Channel Tunnel rail link was closed yesterday due to unscheduled industrial action by French workers, which ruined the travel plans of tens of thousands of people.
At St Pancras today, a French man said he received an email two hours before he was due to travel to Paris yesterday saying his train had been cancelled.
Valentin Walch and Pauline Cerceau, both 26, stayed at a friend’s home overnight but said they saw people who had slept at St Pancras after their travel plans were disrupted.
The pair had been rebooked on a 2pm service today and arrived at the London station at 7am this morning to wait.
Mr Walch, a handball trainer from Chartres, said they were ‘stressed and a little bit angry’ when they saw the email delaying their return to France after a visit to London.
He said: ‘We prefer to be here early. We know some people who slept in the train station, we’re lucky we stayed at a friend’s.’
Big queues this morning for the Eurostar at London St Pancras station after yesterday’s strike
A busy departures hall at London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 today as people head abroad
Passengers looking at a departure board at London King’s Cross railway station this morning
Holidaymakers queue for check-in at Manchester Airport’s terminal one this morning
Holidaymakers face early morning departure queues at Bristol Airport during check-in today
Passengers at London Euston station today as they travel home for the Christmas holidays
A French man received an email two hours before he was due to travel to Paris saying his train had been cancelled. Valentin Walch and Pauline Cerceau, both 26, stayed at a friend’s home overnight but saw people who had slept at London St Pancras after their plans were disrupted
A mother and her two children booked a ferry to France as a back-up after their train from St Pancras was cancelled. Laure Sauve had been rebooked on a 9.30am train today along with her sons Quentin, 16, and Benjamin, 12
A construction engineer from Hackney said the queues at London St Pancras this morning reminded him of the coronavirus pandemic. Lesie Smith, 60, said he ‘panicked a little’ when he saw the news of cancellations, but his train to Paris at 9.30am today had not been delayed
A mother and daughter at London St Pancras today said they had to pay for a hotel for the night after their train back to France was cancelled yesterday. Sophie Lesaint, 53, and Mariane Tadebois, 23, arrived at St Pancras at 6.30am today and managed to book a train for 2pm
Ash Hill, 32, and Vanessa Yau, 31, are getting the train from Euston to Telford for Christmas this morning with their dog Chance. Ms Yau said: ‘I was hoping that there were no knock-on effects, I was concerned and wanted to keep an eye on the Trainline website just in case’
Meanwhile, a mother and her two children booked a ferry to France as a back-up after their train was cancelled yesterday.
Laure Sauve had been rebooked on a 9.30am train today along with her sons Quentin, 16, and Benjamin, 12, but said her 18-year-old son could not book the same train so was travelling separately later in the day.
The 42-year-old university lecturer from Clapham Junction in South West London said the cancellation yesterday was ‘quite a big disappointment’.
Christmas Eve last trains from London DESTINATION LAST TRAIN FROM TRAIN OPERATOR Aberdeen None direct Birmingham New Street 17:22 Euston London Northwestern Birmingham New Street 17:39 Euston Avanti West Coast Birmingham Moor Street 20:00 Marylebone Chiltern Railways Brighton 19:51 London Bridge Thameslink Bristol None direct Cambridge 21:28 Liverpool Street Greater Anglia Cardiff Central None direct Crewe 17:42 Euston Avanti West Coast Edinburgh 09:52 Euston Avanti West Coast Exeter St Davids 18:20 Waterloo South Western Railway Gatwick Airport 19:46 Victoria Southern Gatwick Airport 20:15 London Bridge Thameslink Glasgow Central 16:29 Euston Avanti West Coast Heathrow Airport None direct Hull 12:30 St Pancras Hull Trains Ipswich 21:00 Liverpool Street Greater Anglia Leeds None direct Leicester 20:02 St Pancras East Midlands Railway Liverpool Lime Street 17:42 Euston Avanti West Coast Luton 20:06 St Pancras Thameslink Manchester Piccadilly 17:52 Euston Avanti West Coast Newcastle None direct Northampton 20:20 Euston London Northwestern Norwich 21:00 Liverpool Street Greater Anglia Oxford 20:12 Marylebone Chiltern Railways Peterborough None direct Portsmouth Harbour 20:30 Waterloo South Western Railway Preston 16:29 Euston Avanti West Coast Reading 21:09 Waterloo South Western Railway Sevenoaks 21:46 Charing Cross Southeastern Sheffield 19:32 St Pancras East Midlands Railway Southampton Central None direct Southend Victoria 21:37 Liverpool Street Greater Anglia Stansted Airport 23:25 Liverpool Street Greater Anglia Swansea None direct Windsor 20:44 Waterloo South Western Railway Worcester None direct York None direct
But she added that the queues today were ‘not too bad’ as they had been waiting about 30 minutes.
Mrs Sauve said: ‘We weren’t sure if there were going to be trains today so we booked ferry tickets in case.
‘This has happened before, we’ve been in London for 15 years, it’s always like ‘will it be possible for us to be back in France in time for Christmas?’.’
The family said they were spending 10 days in France to see family for Christmas.
Also today, a construction engineer from Hackney in East London said the queues at St Pancras this morning reminded him of the coronavirus pandemic.
Lesie Smith, 60, said he ‘panicked a little’ when he saw the news of cancellations yesterday, but his train to Paris on Friday today had not been delayed.
Meanwhile, Bogdan and Irena Petris, from Plymouth, said they were ‘a bit anxious’ yesterday but when they heard by 11pm that the strikes were off, they felt ‘relief’.
The 50-year-olds were spending Christmas in Paris.
Also today, a mother and daughter said they had to pay for a hotel for the night after their train back to France was cancelled yesterday.
Sophie Lesaint, 53, and Mariane Tadebois, 23, arrived at St Pancras at 6.30am today and managed to book a train for 2pm.
Mrs Lesaint said: ‘We received an email at 1pm yesterday and then we were trying to find a solution to get a train as soon as possible, but it was not possible.
‘We were refreshing our emails all the time.
So this morning we came very early and we saw all the people queuing.
‘When we get to Paris we have to take another train to another town in France, but there was only one seat so we are now travelling separately. It has changed everything, everything is booked up. We had to pay for a hotel, we’re going to try to get compensation after.
‘We even looked at getting a ferry or a nine-hour bus.
We have to be back with my mum for Christmas.’
A Eurostar spokeswoman told MailOnline today: ‘A full Eurostar timetable out of London, Paris and Brussels is running today with eight extra services added and over 10,000 extra seats available for the next three days. Eurostar’s full focus today and over the weekend is on getting people home and on holiday for Christmas.
‘At such an important time of year for families and friends getting together, extra trains have been organised to help customers whose plans were disrupted and all staff have been mobilised to provide support. Customers can exchange their tickets for free or claim a refund.
‘Although yesterday’s events were out of Eurostar’s control, the team is working around the clock to provide support to all customers affected and is committed to ensuring they reach their destinations in time to have a fantastic festive period.’
The Channel Tunnel’s French operator Getlink said Eurotunnel unions had demanded a tripling of the end-of-year bonus of EUR1,000.
Employees of Eurotunnel, a subsidiary of Getlink, said the movement was motivated by a ‘terrible deterioration of the social climate’.
‘Besides the money, there are other things.
Our conditions are not what they used to be,’ Cathia Capon, a freight terminal coordinator told AFP during a rally in Coquelles.
Eurotunnel unions later announced they were ending their action after negotiations with management that ‘bore results that satisfy us’.
At Gare du Nord station in Paris and St Pancras, frustrated travellers dashed to change their reservations or find alternative transportation.
‘We support people who want to strike … but we have to tell people (ahead of time),’ said Isabelle Margat, 41, a British translator living in France. ‘There are lots of people here who simply want to celebrate Christmas with their family.’
All service between Paris and Brussels and Paris and London was scrapped after the surprise strike started, appearing to catch even the St Pancras station reception and security off guard as they tried to clear platforms of passengers waiting to board.
The AA has predicted that today and tomorrow will be the busiest days on the UK’s roads
The RAC said 13.5 million leisure journeys by car are expected between today and Sunday
The AA issued this route planner map for the ‘amber traffic warning’ today and tomorrow
Thomson Mouana, from South Africa, who had three children with him, had been in the UK on holiday but needed to leave for his flight home.
Christmas Eve wind warning is issued amid travel disruption alert
The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning for Christmas Eve.
It covers large swathes of northern Scotland from midday on Sunday until the early hours of Christmas Day.
People should expect travel disruption, damage to buildings and power cuts, the Met Office said.
There is the potential for gusts as high as 60 or 70 mph across Lewis, Orkney, Sutherland and Caithness.
Forecasters said an area of low pressure passing to the north of Scotland will bring strong winds to much of northern Scotland.
Winds will initially increase across the north-west of the country before transferring east, they added.
Here is the full list of ‘what to expect’ from the Met Office’s warning:
- ‘There is a small chance of longer journey times or cancellations as road, rail, air and ferry services are affected’
- ‘There is a slight chance of some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs’
- ‘There is a small chance of injuries from flying debris’
- ‘There is a small chance that injuries could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties’
- ‘There is a slight chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage’
- ‘There is a small chance that some roads and bridges could close’
Advertisement
‘This is disturbing us. We don’t have the money and we don’t know what to do. We must get to South Africa but now we are stuck.’
English traveller Sam Boyal said: ‘We were going to Disneyland (outside Paris) with the kids… it’s just too stressful.
You can’t drive suddenly with three kids, you’ve got to plan that.’
Eurostar employees used megaphones to tell stranded passengers at the Gare du Nord that all trains for the rest of the day were cancelled.
At Calais, vehicle queues more than a kilometre long were beginning to form at the entrance to the French terminal where cars and trucks board trains to reach Folkestone on the other side of the Channel.
The Channel Tunnel, which opened in 1994, carries passengers on Eurostar trains as well as cars and freight vehicles on special cargo shuttles.
Eurostar is owned 55.8 per cent by French state-owned SNCF Voyageurs, 19.3 per cent by a Quebec public investment bank, 18.5 per cent by Belgian operator SNCB and 6.4 per cent by US-based Federated Hermes Infrastructure.
It almost went bankrupt during the pandemic but was saved with a EUR 290million bailout from shareholders including the French government.
At the Port of Dover today, thousands of holidaymakers and truckers faced traffic misery.
Hundreds of freight lorries were queued up on the M20 waiting to be allowed to head towards the port and the Channel Tunnel.
Roads in and around Dover town centre were gridlocked as desperate travellers tried to reach the port – with huge queues of lorries and cars heading to the port on main roads.
The congestion was made worse as a result of unexpected industrial action by Eurotunnel staff in France yesterday which created a backlog of congestion, and travellers still faced lengthy waits today.
Dover MP Natalie Elphicke slammed the chaos and described it as unacceptable. She tweeted: ‘The overnight traffic chaos in Dover was completely unacceptable.
‘Kent Resilience Forum and @KentHighways failed to manage traffic appropriately in the town. I will be taking this up with them.’
Justin Smith-Essex posted on X: ‘You do realise there is a moveable barrier that could have been put in place last night overnight and avoided all this gridlock on local roads?
‘But oh no since moved to the middle let’s ignore it and just keep closing the entire junction!’
Other locals were calling for further action by authorities.
Stephanie de Giorgio said on X: ‘Can the powers that be start getting food and loos and drinks ready for the freight drivers on the M20 now?
Passengers at London Euston station today as they travel home for the Christmas holidays
Fancy dress at London Euston station today as people travel home for the Christmas holidays
Huge queues of cross-Channel traffic at the entrance to the Port of Dover in Kent this morning
Eurostar passengers wait in queues at London St Pancras railway station this morning
Huge queues of cross-Channel traffic at the entrance to the Port of Dover in Kent this morning
Eurostar passengers wait to head abroad from London St Pancras railway station this morning
Traffic builds up at the Port of Dover in Kent this morning following the major strike yesterday
‘It was four years ago yesterday that they suddenly couldn’t go to France and we ended up feeding drivers stuck outside our house. I don’t have the energy to do that again.’
One person trying to get home for Christmas said on X: ‘So I’m currently stuck on the motorway at the Channel Tunnel / Eurotunnel exit as the staff randomly decided to strike. No announcements anywhere.
Just stuck without toilets or food and drink.
‘Trains currently suspended, no update. Right before Christmas. Sincerely: f**k you.’
Two hours later she posted again, saying: ‘No updates still.
Having to ration as I’ve drank half my water and eaten half my food and there is no access to more.
‘Eight months pregnant lady and 90-year-old man in the car next to me, who is having to use a diaper as he can’t access toilets. This is so selfish.’
Some hours later, reportedly after more than six hours of waiting, she was shown the exit. This morning she said: ‘Haven’t slept at all from the stress.
‘Spent most of my evening crying to my poor boyfriend because I’m worried I’m not gonna make it home for Christmas.
Attempt two today. Been told there will be limited toilet access so I’m literally packing Tupperware to pee in.’
Others reported long wait times with one posting: ‘Make that 4 hours! That’s how long we’ve just had to wait.’ Another shared: ‘Over five hours now, still not in the port…’
Others expressed discontent with the service they had paid for saying: ‘5 hours!
Five d**n hours this morning and I am not even checked in yet. This is a disaster! It’s not possible.
Where can I file a complaint and ask for a refund?’
By lunchtime, traffic through Dover began to ease by lunchtime with queues confirmed to the port complex.
Catherine Toon, 44, events and conference manager, who is travelling to the French Alps with her daughter and best friend for a skiing trip, said: ‘We drive every year to France and this is the worst I’ve seen it.
‘There’s no logic to the queues, it’s totally haphazard. You just have to tag on to any of the lines and it’s basically luck if the line moves. It’s not 90 minutes like they’re saying – tt took us two and a half hours to get to border control.’
Having left Lancashire this morning at 4am, Ms Toon has already faced a five hour drive.
Now, after missing their scheduled ferry they have had to board a later one before a further six hour drive to Dijon for an overnight stay befoore heading on to the Alps.
She added: ‘You have no idea when your queue will move so if you nip to the loo you could come back to no idea where your car and family are. Or, if you’re alone, you could be holding up the whole queue of traffic. It has changed the dynamic of the trip but we’ll make the most of it.
It’s the lack of correct information that’s the issue.’
Suzanne Browers and her family of three had been in the queue at the Port of Dover for 45 minutes, but said that it took ‘ages to get here in the first place’ from their home in Bournemouth due to the traffic in and around the coastal town.
Ms Browers said: ‘This is the first time we are doing this for Christmas. We usually go just after. I’ve just spoken to one of the port staff and they said they didn’t know how long it is going to be.
They said it’s because of the problems at the Eurotunnel yesterday.
‘It’s bad. It’s a bit stressful because we have no idea whether we can get our ferry at 2pm and if we miss it whether we will be able to get a refund or get on another. I think we will probably not get any money back.’
Alex Serbkovski, 32, is travelling home to Latvia to spend Christmas at a long-overdue family reunion.
He said: ‘My wife is over there right now to help one of our relatives – I plan to be over there for a month.
‘I have been in the queue or trying to get through Dover for six-and-a-half hours. I came into Dover at 7.20am and I am still here. My ferry is at 2pm.
I don’t know whether I am going to make it. It’s already going to take me 24 hours to drive home and this is just making it longer.’
Giulia Sartori and husband Chris Robson, both 34, are taking an extended holiday around Europe – with no destination in mind other than heading east.
Ms Sartori said: ‘We are a little worried about making our ferry. We are going on a trip across Europe and we only really know that we are travelling east.
It’s quite exciting.
She added that she has been through Dover a lot as she returns to Europe frequently.
Ms Sartori said: ‘I have never seen it this bad. We live on the Isle of Wight and we never have any delays like this with our ferries!’.
Despite the frustration, lorry driver Bogdan Ghersi said this was not as bad as his journeys through the port during Brexit.
The experienced Romanian lorry driver comes through Dover ‘two to three times each week’ and said that the immediate period after Brexit makes the festive troubles look easy in comparison.
But his positive attitude came as he was stretching his legs following a three-hour stint waiting in Dover for his ferry to go stay with relatives for a fortnight in Romania.
Mr Ghersi said: ‘I’ve been here for three hours. But it’s not as bad as right after Brexit.
You can see why I am stretching my legs. I am not that worried about missing my ferry though. There will be another one for me.’
Dutch retiree Henni Kortuums and business owner Marina Lubrechts have been in Britain for four days and had been in the queue for two hours ahead of their 2pm ferry.
Ms Lubrechts added: ‘We want to be with our family.
It’s Christmas. We have no clue about anything. We can’t find anything on the internet.
‘It’s funny because we showed up so much ahead of time that we thought we may get some lunch while we are on the road.
We didn’t and made a sensible decision to come to the port early and we still may miss the boat. It’s bad because even if you miss the ferry, you can’t just get out. You are stuck in the queue regardless.’
Scott Bradley, 35, railway manager, who is travelling to go skiing with his brother and a friend said: ‘We left Folkestone at 6am, and hit the gridlock on the A20 for 6.20am We got through security for 11.35am and boarded onto the 11.55am, so we’ve now made it to France.
‘We travelled down from Manchester late last night to beat the traffic, annoyingly it didn’t help.
It took five and a half hours to board from arriving at the port area, and seven and a half by the time we arrived in France.
‘It was an absolute nightmare. I last did the ferry crossing a month ago. I generally drive to the Alps for skiing five times a season so it’s my second time going to the Alps this month and this is the worst I’ve seen by a mile.
‘In August I took the ferry and drove to Poland.
In the height of summer, that same crossing in the traffic took two hours to clear security and that was the worst I’d seen until today.
‘We have taken a second hotel for tonight in Dijon as it will be too late to carry on down to the resort so all in it’s around an extra GBP100 or so.’
Prices for the cheapest possible ticket available across the six trips analysed by rail and plane
Christmas travellers wait for information at London King’s Cross railway station today
Eurostar passengers wait to head abroad from London St Pancras railway station this morning
A busy departures hall at London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 today as people head abroad
Christmas travellers wait for information at London King’s Cross railway station today
Passengers at London Euston station today as they travel home for the Christmas holidays
Huge queues of cross-Channel traffic at the entrance to the Port of Dover in Kent this morning
Eurostar passengers wait to head abroad from London St Pancras railway station this morning
Those at Euston today said the travel disruption yesterday left them ‘concerned’ and repeatedly checking their journeys online, but their plans today had not been delayed.
Ash Hill, 32, and Vanessa Yau, 31, were getting the train to Telford, Shropshire, for Christmas this morning with their dog Chance. Ms Yau said: ‘I was hoping that there were no knock-on effects, I was concerned and wanted to keep an eye on the Trainline website just in case.’
Meanwhile Joe Burns, 22, and Jimmy Dingwall, 25, were travelling to Liverpool for Christmas on the 10.43am train.
They saw the news yesterday and thought they were not going to be able to travel, but their train was on time today. Mr Burns, a student, said: ‘I don’t think I’ve ever had a train journey which has gone smoothly.’
Another passenger attempting to travel from Euston yesterday described the chaos to MailOnline today, seeing: ‘There seemed to be thousands of people bumping chaotically into each other, whilst the staff were blasting announcements nobody could really hear through the speakers.
‘Then it spilled to Marylebone, where one could allegedly take an alternative route.
But that was a mistake too. Complete omnishambles. All because of wind?’
The traveller said their expected two-hour journey to Preston in Lancashire ended up being rerouted with a two-hour service to Birmingham, followed by a two-hour train to Manchester which arrived 25 minutes late, then finishing with an hour-long train to Preston.
On the roads, festive getaway traffic is expected to peak earlier than normal this year as Christmas Day falls on a Monday.
The M62 motorway was closed at 11pm last night between junction 21 near Rochdale in Greater Manchester and junction 22 near Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire due to a police investigation following a crash in which a 19-year-old male car passenger was killed.
The incident was causing long delays to journeys.
Greater Manchester Police said it arrested the 19-year-old driver of the car – which crossed from the westbound carriage onto the eastbound section – on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, the M56 was shut in both directions between junctions seven and nine near Bowdon after a horsebox overturned in a crash.
The AA predicted that today and tomorrow will be the busiest days on the UK’s roads in the festive period.
Christmas Eve is traditionally the main day for getaway journeys, but this year many people are taking advantage of a weekend immediately preceding Christmas Day to make trips to friends and family.
The AA estimated that 16.1 million car journeys will take place today and 16.4 million on Saturday.
It issued an ‘amber traffic warning’ for those days as it warned of ‘lengthy jams’.
Passengers at London Euston station today as they travel home for the Christmas holidays
Eurostar passengers wait to head abroad from London St Pancras railway station this morning
Travellers queue for Eurostar trains at St Pancras railway station in London this morning
Queues of lorries on the A20 outside the Port of Dover in Kent this morning as chaos continues
Eurostar passengers wait to head abroad from London St Pancras railway station this morning
Travellers queue for Eurostar trains at St Pancras railway station in London this morning
Passengers at London Euston station today as they travel home for the Christmas holidays
Christmas travellers wait for information at London King’s Cross railway station today
Passengers at St Pancras station in London today as the Christmas getaway continues
The M25, the M5 between Bristol and Weston-Super-Mare and the M6 around Birmingham were identified as motorway stretches where bumper-to-bumper conditions are likely.
Other potential hotspots include stretches of the M1 from Luton northwards, the M62 and M60 in the North West and the M4 which connects London with South Wales.
AA president Edmund King urged drivers to pack essentials such as water, high-protein food or chocolate, warm clothes and a hi-vis jacket in case they get stranded.
To avoid the chances of a breakdown, Mr King recommended people carry out vehicle checks before setting off, such as on tyres, fuel, oil, coolant and screenwash.
He said: ‘While Friday and Saturday look set to be the busiest travelling days, the unsettled weather forecast could lead to additional delays so drivers should drive to the conditions and slow down where necessary.
‘New Year’s Day will be the quietest day on the roads which is probably a good thing especially if drivers have been partying the previous evening.
‘Drivers can still be breathalysed and lose their licence for driving over the limit the morning after.’
Meanwhile the RAC warmed of daily delays with UK drivers expected to make 21 million leisure trips between Monday of this week and Christmas Eve.
Queues of lorries on the A20 outside the Port of Dover in Kent this morning as chaos continues
Eurostar passengers wait to head abroad from London St Pancras railway station this morning
Christmas travellers wait for information at London King’s Cross railway station today
Travellers wait for Eurostar trains at St Pancras railway station in London this morning
Eurostar passengers wait to head abroad from London St Pancras railway station this morning
Christmas travellers wait for information at London King’s Cross railway station today
Eurostar passengers wait in queues at London St Pancras railway station this morning
The organisation said getaway traffic will climb slowly at the start of this week before jumping from 2.2million trips to 3.2million today, the last working day before Christmas Day.
Some 13.5million leisure journeys by car are expected between today and Christmas Eve, up 20 per cent on the equivalent period last year.
Congestion is likely to peak today as drivers embarking on getaway trips compete for road space with commuters and business traffic.
Transport analysis company Inrix warned there are likely to be ‘daily delays of around 40 minutes’ between today and Christmas Eve on the M25 clockwise west of London.
It predicted the worst queues on the motorway network will be on the M25 clockwise between junction 7 (for the M23/Gatwick airport) and junction 16 (for the M40/Birmingham) today.
Drivers heading anti-clockwise between junction 17 (Rickmansworth) and junction 12 (for the M3) on the same day are also being warned to prepare for hold-ups.
Other motorway stretches identified as potential hotspots include the M1 north from Woburn, Bedfordshire to Daventry, Northamptonshire and the M6 south from Wigan, Greater Manchester to Stafford, Staffordshire.
During the weekend before Christmas, between 12pm and 2pm is expected to be the busiest time to travel on the roads.
Drivers are advised to set out before 11am or after 6pm to reduce the chance of being stuck in long queues.
Eurostar passengers wait to head abroad from London St Pancras railway station this morning
Passengers at London Euston station today as they travel home for the Christmas holidays
Tourists wait to check-in at Manchester Airport this morning as the big getaway continues
Passengers queue at the departure gates of the Eurostar terminal at London St Pancras today
Eurostar passengers wait to head abroad from London St Pancras railway station this morning
Travellers wait for Eurostar trains at St Pancras railway station in London this morning
Eurostar passengers wait in queues at London St Pancras railway station this morning
Passengers queue at the departure gates of the Eurostar terminal at London St Pancras today
Eurostar passengers wait to head abroad from London St Pancras railway station this morning
National Highways said it will remove more than 1,000 miles of roadworks on England’s motorways and major A roads.
That means more than 98 per cent of its network will be free of roadworks until January 2.
RAC spokeswoman Alice Simpson said: ‘Since Christmas falls on a Monday this year, there’s no need for drivers to use annual leave for getaway trips as they can travel over the weekend before.
‘For that very reason, our research suggests these days will be the busiest times to drive, so we urge people to set off as early as possible on Saturday and Sunday.’
She advised drivers to carry out vehicle checks before setting off, such as on tyres, fuel, oil, coolant and screenwash.
Inrix transportation analyst Bob Pishue said: ‘Our recommendation is to avoid peak commuting hours and use traffic apps to minimise holiday travel traffic frustrations.’
Rail services will also be disrupted over the festive period due to Network Rail carrying out engineering work.
London Paddington will be closed between Christmas Eve and Wednesday December 27, meaning no mainline trains will serve Heathrow Airport during that period.
Long-distance services will start and end at Reading, with connecting trains to and from Ealing Broadway or London Waterloo.
The most-booked intercity train over the festive period is believed to be the Great Western Railway service from London Paddington to Penzance at 10.03am tomorrow.
London King’s Cross will be closed on Christmas Eve.
Southeastern services that usually operate to or from London Victoria will be diverted to Blackfriars, Charing Cross and Cannon Street between tomorrow and New Year’s Day.
Passengers at St Pancras station in London today as the Christmas getaway continues
Travellers queue for Eurostar trains at St Pancras railway station in London this morning
Eurostar passengers wait to head abroad from London St Pancras railway station this morning
Passengers queue at the departure gates of the Eurostar terminal at London St Pancras today
Passengers at St Pancras International station in London today as getaway chaos continues
Eurostar passengers wait to head abroad from London St Pancras railway station this morning
Travellers queue for Eurostar trains at St Pancras railway station in London this morning
Passengers wait for updates at St Pancras International railway station in London today
Outside of the capital, an engineering project near Southampton will see some disruption to services, as will work to build the new Cambridge South station.
No trains will operate on Christmas Day, with a very limited service running on Boxing Day.
Lawrence Bowman, network strategy director for Network Rail, said: ‘We understand how important this time of year is for our passengers for reconnecting with family and friends.
‘With more than 96 per cent of the network open for business as usual, we have tried as far as possible to design our investment projects around our passengers and keep disruption to a minimum.
‘We are carrying out some significant projects, not as many as past years, but still some GBP127million of investment ranging from laying new track, installing new bridges and making improvements to stations so that passengers can benefit from better and more reliable services and facilities.
‘We plan our Christmas engineering programmes months – and in some cases years, in advance and target the quietest times, overnight, weekends and Christmas Day and Boxing Day to ensure we keep what disruption there is to an absolute minimum and will always looks to use diversions rather than put people on buses.
‘But some routes will see disruption as we upgrade the railway, so it’s important that passengers check their journeys before travelling.’
Airports will be busy with many people heading overseas for festive holidays or arriving in the UK to spend Christmas with loved ones.
A busy departures hall at London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 today as people head abroad
Eurostar passengers wait to head abroad from London St Pancras railway station this morning
Big queues this morning for the Eurostar at London St Pancras station after yesterday’s strike
A busy departures hall at London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 today as people head abroad
Eurostar passengers wait to head abroad from London St Pancras railway station this morning
Passengers at St Pancras International station in London today as getaway chaos continues
A busy departures hall at London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 today as people head abroad
Passengers at St Pancras station in London today as the Christmas getaway continues
Rail passengers make their way through London St Pancras railway station this morning
Heathrow Airport expects 6.5million passengers will travel through its terminals this month, with tens of thousands departing on Christmas Day.
The airport will be as busy as a peak day in summer today which has been dubbed ‘Flyaway Friday’, according to the Independent.
Today also saw pressure on Aberdeen, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Liverpool airports, with passengers warned over long queues for security.
East Midlands, London Stansted and Manchester airports are set to be busiest tomorrow.
Meanwhile, National Express coaches are most in demand on Saturday, while rival operators Flixbus and Megabus say they are equally busy today and tomorrow.
It comes after fallen trees caused injury, damage and travel disruption as Storm Pia battered parts of the UK yesterday with gusts hitting 115mph.
One man was taken to hospital with what is understood to be non-life-threatening injuries after a tree fell onto his car on the A515 in Clifton, Derbyshire.
Derbyshire Constabulary said a number of trees had fallen on the road and motorists were advised to find alternative routes.
Also in Derbyshire, in the village of Stanley, workmen attempted to remove a tree that fell onto and damaged the roof of a house.