Driving home for Christmas?

You could be forgiven for writing off the railway for your getaway this Christmas with the industry hitting the headlines on an almost daily basis. But with 95% of the rail network open over the festive period, it might be worth checking what services are available before you jump in your car.

Roads are always busier over the holidays, whereas it is one of the quietest times on Britain’s railways. But with over 400 separate pieces of work taking place on our tracks and major overhauls of operations gracing our newspaper headlines, is letting the train take the strain too big a risk to take?

The Labour Government certainly has grand plans for the rail sector. Recently, Heidi Alexander MP, newly appointed Secretary of State for Transport, announced that South Western Railway would be brought into public ownership in May 2025 in a bid to improve services and reduce delays, with c2c and Greater Anglia following suit later in the year. 

It was only a couple of weeks ago that the previous incumbent, Louise Haigh MP, announced the Government's plans to create an Integrated National Transport Strategy setting out a ‘people first approach’. The following day saw her tender her resignation amid a flurry of media activity, initiating the Government’s inaugural game of musical chairs.

This follows the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 receiving Royal Assent on 28 November. Following its passage through the Commons and Lords, the then Secretary for Transport, Louise Haigh MP, formally announced that the last private sector train operating contract will end in October 2027, with Great British Railways expected to be in operation by late 2026. 

But what does all this mean for the Christmas getaway?

The move to bring train operating companies into public ownership will have no immediate impact on the £142m of upgrade work, which has been two years in the planning. In a huge programme of works focused on reducing delays, improving train performance, and enhancing reliability, engineers will be replacing and renewing points, rebuilding bridges, installing new signalling cables, renewing level crossings, and testing and switching on new signalling systems whilst keeping as much of the network running as possible. 

Helen Hamlin, Network Rail’s director of system operations, said: “Whilst roads are busier during the holidays, it’s actually one of the quietest times on the railway, meaning we can improve things whilst causing less disruption to passengers and freight flows. The major projects we’re undertaking would otherwise take many weekends to complete and cause more disruption to passengers.

“Most of the railway will be open as normal over Christmas and New Year, so passengers can continue to book their travel; just be sure to plan ahead as there will be significant changes to journeys on some routes.”

Most of the rail network will run as normal until late evening on Christmas Eve, so you’ll almost certainly be able to get where you need to go. The most important thing will be to check if you’ll be able to get back again.

One thing you can rely on is that, with things moving apace under our Labour Government, this time next year Britain’s railways will be a very different beast.

The Christmas timetables are now live, and passengers can plan their journeys by visiting National Rail Enquiries or their train operator’s website.