Christmas travel getaway: Millions face ‘lengthy jams’ as 16.4m take to the roads with key London railway stations closed tomorrow and 70mph winds on way
By Matthew Lodge[1] and Arthur Parashar[2]
Published: 08:07, 23 December 2023 | Updated: 17:14, 23 December 2023
Britons making Christmas getaways this weekend have been warned of ‘lengthy jams’ as millions of motorists take to the roads and crucial London[3] railway stations prepare to close tomorrow.
The AA estimated that 16.4 million car journeys will take place on Saturday, sparking fears of more travel chaos on the roads.
Motorists who are travelling to see loved ones over the festive period have been advised by the RAC to travel before 11am or after 6pm if possible to reduce the chance of being stuck in long queues.
Meanwhile rail disruption is likely on Christmas Eve 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[4] Airport.
The AA has estimated that 16.4 million car journeys will take place on Saturday and warned of significant delays.
Pictured: Heavy traffic on the M25 northbound near Byfleet in Surrey
Christmas travellers pack Waterloo Station London this afternoon, with some leaving the capital and other coming in for shopping
Queuing traffic on the A102M Blackwall Tunnel approach in Greenwich, south east London, as people make their Christmas getaway
Travel chaos could be worsened by the bad weather, with ice, rain and 70mph winds on the way.
At the Port of Dover, waiting times reached 90 minutes at border control on Saturday morning, but the queues have since cleared.
The port said there had been 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.
Meanwhile, drivers are being warned to expect delays on the A1 in Northumberland after a serious crash.
The road was closed in both directions on Saturday morning after the incident, which happened between the A1167 and B1340 near Belford.
The Met Office has also warned Christmas Eve travel plans could be affected with heavy winds set to batter parts of the country.
Gusts as high as 70mph are due to hit the north of Scotland and northern and central areas of England.
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.
Vehicles wait at border control in the Port of Dover as they try to get on ferries to France on Christmas weekend
Long queues of vehicles winding through the town of Dover on Saturday afternoon for the Christmas getaway
Motorists wait in traffic as they move towards the Port of Dover today
P&O Ferries warned customers there are ‘large queues at border control’ at the Port of Dover this morning
Ferry operator DFDS also warned of long delays at the Port of Dover, but said there were no issues with ferries leaving on time
The AA has predicted that today will be one of the busiest days on the UK’s roads
Meteorologist Liam Eslick said: ‘People should make sure to leave more time, especially in exposed areas, it could affect rail networks and ferries.
‘People travelling on roads should take care and stay away from high-sided vehicles, and for people who are at home and are going for walks, stay away from coasts.’
A yellow weather warning for rain is currently in force covering much of Wales, with forecasters warning that flooding and travel disruption is possible, and will last until 6pm on Christmas Eve.
Between 20 to 40mm of rain is expected widely and 60 to 80mm on higher ground.
Another yellow weather warning for rain is in force for western Scotland until 11.45pm on Saturday, with 20 to 55mm of rain expected widely and 80 to 100mm on higher ground.
Network Rail has warned that severe weather is likely to impact some ScotRail routes today, furthering rail disruption after at least 13 train firms have cancelled services yesterday.
Earlier, travellers making cross-Channel journeys at the port of Dover were urged to prepare for potential long waits as Christmas[5] getaway disruption continues across the country.
P&O Ferries said there were estimated wait times of 60 minutes at border control after a surge in demand for ferries after the Channel Tunnel was closed on Thursday due to unscheduled strike action by French workers.
The walkout ruined the travel plans of tens of thousands of people, with many forced to look for alternate ways across the Channel during one of the busiest times of the year.
While there are no delays at the Port of Dover this morning for ferry services, travellers were being warned that there are long queues at border control.
P&O Ferries advised travellers in a post on X: ‘There is an estimated wait time of 60mins to reach border control after entering the port.
‘There are limited toilet facilities, we recommend stopping en route.
‘Please come prepared with refreshments to make your wait more comfortable. Thank you for your patience.’
The company 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 have peaked on Friday afternoon as drivers embarking on leisure trips competed for road space with commuters and business traffic.
Motorists queue at the Port of Dover in Kent this morning as they try to get ferries to France before Christmas
P&O Ferries warned motorists that while there are no delays to ferry services, there were queues of up to 60 minutes for border control this morning
The ferry firm blamed a surge in demand following an unscheduled strike by Euro Tunnel staff on Thursday
Motorists queue at the Port of Dover early on Saturday morning as they try to get ferries to France
A man holds a child a he stands outside his car among waiting traffic at the Port of Dover this morning
The RAC said 13.5 million leisure journeys by car are expected through Sunday
Gusts as high as 60 to 70 mph are due to hit the north of Scotland and northern and central areas of England. Two separate yellow wind warnings have been issued, saying people should expect travel disruption, damage to buildings and power cuts, while the rest of the country may see showers
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 reopened 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.
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.
The Elizabeth line suffered severe delays on Friday afternoon between London Paddington, Reading and Heathrow Airport after two trains broke down.
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.
No LNER trains served Inverness on Friday morning.
ScotRail services were suspended between Inverness and Wick, Tain, Ardgay and Lairg.
National Rail is also warning that shortage of train crews, residual problems from Storm Pia and increased passenger volumes as people travel for Christmas could also cause disruption.
Shadow transport minister Louise Haigh said the domestic rail infrastructure has been ‘totally underinvested in’, causing ‘record delays and cancellations’.
She told Times Radio on Saturday that anyone who has tried to catch a train in the last couple of years will ‘almost certainly’ have experienced delays, cancellations and poor service because the Government has ‘presided over the managed decline of our railways and has been totally prepared to accept status quo’.
Ms Haigh said the Labour Party has set out plans to reform railways to bring them into public ownership and ‘to bring decisions around infrastructure and the operations of the railways together’.
She added: ‘The infrastructure has been totally underinvested in. And as a result, we are seeing these record delays and cancellations.
And people will be experiencing that themselves as they attempt to travel home today and tomorrow for Christmas.’
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.’
How major engineering work will hit Britain’s railways this Christmas
Some train operators are anticipating disruption to services in the run up to the Christmas break. This is due to a number of reasons such as a shortage of train crew, residual disruption following the recent severe weather and increased passenger volumes as people travel for Christmas.
Major engineering work will also be taking place during the holiday period. Network Rail carry out essential improvement and engineering work across the rail network during this time as fewer people usually travel by train.
Christmas Eve:
Service on most routes concludes earlier than normal, and no trains will be running on Christmas Day.
Please check your whole journey before you travel, and give yourself plenty of time to complete your journey. You may also wish to check the specific advice for the train operator you are travelling with as they may have special ticket and travel advice.
Major engineering work:
During the Christmas and New Year period major engineering work will be taking place at the following locations:
- London Kings Cross journeys will be affected by major improvement work taking place on Christmas Eve, Sunday 24 December. This will significantly affect journeys on the East Coast Main Line between London and Edinburgh, Leeds, Newcastle, York, Peterborough plus many other stations.
- London Paddington journeys will be affected by major improvement work taking place between Christmas Eve, Sunday 24 December, and Wednesday 27 December inclusive.
This will affect journeys to and from South Wales, Bristol, the West Country and the Thames Valley. In addition, Heathrow Airport will have no direct National Rail services to or from central London between Sunday 24 December and Wednesday 27 December inclusive.
- London Victoria station will have no Southeastern services between Saturday 23 December and Monday 1 January 2024 inclusive. Southeastern trains will use alternative London terminal stations.
- London Liverpool Street – Norwich / Ipswich / Colchester journeys will be disrupted through the Chelmsford area between Wednesday 27 December and Monday 1 January.
There will also be improvement projects taking place at numerous other locations.
You can find details of these here[6].
Source: National Rail