Boxing Day Services

[pitdiver]

I have been looking at what services are running on Boxing Day on the National Rail Network. I realise there are very very few services running if any at all. However I see there is a skeleton service to Gatwick via East Grinstead. But why is the service London Victoria to Sutton operated. Can't imagine many people from the southern end of that route what want to travel by train on the 26th.

 

[higthomas]

Probably a franchise commitment. Also, I'd imagine a fair few do just look at the numbers on the buses, especially those going to shops, either to work out to shop.

 

[Antman]

I have been looking at what services are running on Boxing Day on the National Rail Network. I realise there are very very few services running if any at all. However I see there is a skeleton service to Gatwick via East Grinstead. But why is the service London Victoria to Sutton operated. Can't imagine many people from the southern end of that route what want to travel by train on the 26th.

Bearing in mind that many shops are now open as well as football matches I would think there will be no shortage of takers

 

[HH]

TfL has plans to introduce Boxing Day Services on London Overground; but not this year.

 

[Stats]

As stated by higthomas it is a franchise requirement. GTR are required to operate half-hourly between
London Victoria and Sutton via Selhurst,
Victoria and East Croydon,
Victoria and Three Bridges calling at Clapham Junction, East Croydon and Gatwick Airport, extending to Haywards Heath and Brighton hourly, and
Victoria and Gatwick Airport (which may be combined with the Three Bridges service).

 

[Clip]

I have been looking at what services are running on Boxing Day on the National Rail Network. I realise there are very very few services running if any at all. However I see there is a skeleton service to Gatwick via East Grinstead. But why is the service London Victoria to Sutton operated. Can't imagine many people from the southern end of that route what want to travel by train on the 26th.

Connects into the Tramlink too so opens up travel for a lot of people who would have to use a bus otherwise to get into town.

 

[mbreckers]

ScotRail have to run a limited train service in the Strathclyde area on boxing day.

There are calls from the public for ScotRail to run a boxing day service to compensate for the Forth Road Bridge closure, but I dont see that happening as there will be too much planning involved for that too happen at short notice

 

[crispy1978]

RTT is showing some Merseyrail services running (West Kirby, New Brighton and Hooton loops)

 

[Statto]

RTT is showing some Merseyrail services running (West Kirby, New Brighton and Hooton loops)

Merseyrail are running trains between 9am & 6.30pm, however only a few stations are open.

 

[gtr driver]

There didn't seem to be any shortage of takers for the Boxing Day trains last year.

 

[Kentish Paul]

Southeastern are running on HS1 between Ashford International and St Pancras. They have done this for a few years. I think its primarily for the boxing day sales at Ashfords outlet centre and Westfields at Stratford.

 

[me123]

ScotRail have to run a limited train service in the Strathclyde area on boxing day.

There are calls from the public for ScotRail to run a boxing day service to compensate for the Forth Road Bridge closure, but I dont see that happening as there will be too much planning involved for that too happen at short notice

I would be surprised if it wasn't considered at some level, but given that Scotrail have made no announcement to date I'd be highly surprised if services will run over the Forth Bridge on Boxing Day this year. You'd need to have staff agree to lose one of only two guaranteed rest days at quite short notice, at a time when they'll want to be with family (and may well have plans). I suspect that unions would be wary of setting a precedent for boxing day service in years ahead. They'd want very stringent conditions before agreeing.

Given enough money and time, I'm sure it would have been possible. But the negotiations would have been so complex that wasn't ever likely to happen this year.

SPT services have historically run on Boxing Day for quite some time now. Interestingly, as part of this, Bathgate (not in the SPT area) gets a service to Glasgow (a relatively new destination for the town), but not to Edinburgh. This is presumably because it's the best way of serving Drumgelloch and Caldercruix (both within the SPT area).

 

[Bookd]

A line which could do with a Boxing Day service would be Waterloo - Shepperton. Kempton Park racecourse is unusual in having its very own railway station, and on its busiest day of the year is served by bus links from the Underground at Richmond or Hatton Cross (and thousands of cars!)

 

[trainophile]

It's a bit weird this year, as the 'official' Boxing Day holiday is on Monday 28th. 26th is a Saturday, so you'd think services would be more or less normal.

I wonder what we can expect on 28th.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

A line which could do with a Boxing Day service would be Waterloo - Shepperton. Kempton Park racecourse is unusual in having its very own railway station, and on its busiest day of the year is served by bus links from the Underground at Richmond or Hatton Cross (and thousands of cars!)

Sandown Park has Esher about 2 minutes walk away. You're not going to get any Boxing day service anytime soon on SWT as there's too much engineering work carried out over the Xmas and New Year period.

 

[gtr driver]

It's a bit weird this year, as the 'official' Boxing Day holiday is on Monday 28th. 26th is a Saturday, so you'd think services would be more or less normal.

I wonder what we can expect on 28th.

Boxing Day IS the holiday; the extra bank holiday is a substitute because Boxing Day falls on a day that most people have off anyway. There will be a normal Bank Holiday service (amended Saturday service in most cases) on the Monday. Next year Christmas Day falls on a Sunday with an extra bank holiday on the Tuesday but you wouldn't expect a Sunday service on 25 Dec and nothing on Tuesday 27 Dec.

 

[infobleep]

Sandown Park has Esher about 2 minutes walk away. You're not going to get any Boxing day service anytime soon on SWT as there's too much engineering work carried out over the Xmas and New Year period.

Given the diversion routes that exist, what are the chances of a franchise commitment for Boxing day workings in the next franchise for South West Trains area?

Are all diversionary routes or there junctions having engineering works done to them this Boxing day?

Does Sutton have more diversionary routes available than the South West Trains mainline?

Also Three Bridges to Brighton is only a two track line, abet with diversions via Horsham, Lewes or Hove.

I'm not taking into account agreements with staff and unions, which is another reason why trains might not run. Just looking at it from an infrastructure point of view.

 

[Ibex]

Chiltern are running services between Marylebone & Oxford Parkway, I believe this was started a few years ago because of the traffic problems caused by the sales at Bicester Village?

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Chiltern are running services between Marylebone & Oxford Parkway, I believe this was started a few years ago because of the traffic problems caused by the sales at Bicester Village?

This will be the 3rd (possibly 4th?) year. Bicester Village sales were definitely a motivating factor, but Marylebone station is only a ten minute walk from Oxford Street and quite a few people tend to head that way too.

 

[marks87]

It's a bit weird this year, as the 'official' Boxing Day holiday is on Monday 28th. 26th is a Saturday, so you'd think services would be more or less normal.

I wonder what we can expect on 28th.

The vast majority of operators are running a normal Monday service, subject to engineering works.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/108569.aspx

It makes sense. The railways are a 7-day operation so it doesn't matter if Boxing Day is a weekday or at the weekend. It's only really Monday-Friday workers who need "compensated" with the Monday holiday.

 

[chiltern trev]

This will be the 3rd (possibly 4th?) year. Bicester Village sales were definitely a motivating factor, but Marylebone station is only a ten minute walk from Oxford Street and quite a few people tend to head that way too.

Chiltern interested in bums on seats. This service is self contained to Chiltern. Hence why no Marylebone - Amersham - Aylesbury. Hence why not as far as Banbury.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The (assumed) lack of Northern services on Boxing Day is a pain for me this year. Huddersfield Town are at home but I need to get back to Batley afterwards. Metro are funding some bus services but nothing from Huddersfield to Batley and they finish at 6pm anyway so at best I'll have to get a cab from Dewsbury! I hope there's better provision under the new franchise next year, though we'll probably be away anyway.

 

[Hellfire]

Boxing Day IS the holiday; the extra bank holiday is a substitute because Boxing Day falls on a day that most people have off anyway. There will be a normal Bank Holiday service (amended Saturday service in most cases) on the Monday. Next year Christmas Day falls on a Sunday with an extra bank holiday on the Tuesday but you wouldn't expect a Sunday service on 25 Dec and nothing on Tuesday 27 Dec.

I don't think this is the case. According to the Government website https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays Monday 27th is the Bank Holiday, not Sat 26th. It's not an extra bank holiday on the Monday. In 2016 the Tuesday after Christmas is the Bank Holiday, not Christmas Day.

We don't get extra bank holidays in any year when a Bank Holuday falls at a weekend.

 

[gtr driver]

I don't think this is the case. According to the Government website https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays Monday 27th is the Bank Holiday, not Sat 26th. It's not an extra bank holiday on the Monday. In 2016 the Tuesday after Christmas is the Bank Holiday, not Christmas Day.

We don't get extra bank holidays in any year when a Bank Holuday falls at a weekend.

So presumably we won't have Christmas Day on 25 Dec next year then? Everyone will go to work as usual and celebrate on 27 Dec. Nope. The extras are substitute days for days that are already holidays anyway.

 

[Denzo]

I don't think this is the case. According to the Government website https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays Monday 27th is the Bank Holiday, not Sat 26th. It's not an extra bank holiday on the Monday. In 2016 the Tuesday after Christmas is the Bank Holiday, not Christmas Day.

We don't get extra bank holidays in any year when a Bank Holuday falls at a weekend.

Yes and no.

Monday 28th is a bank holiday to make up for the fact that boxing day is at the weekend.

However the Saturday is still boxing day.

 

[Statto]

Boxing Day IS the holiday; the extra bank holiday is a substitute because Boxing Day falls on a day that most people have off anyway. There will be a normal Bank Holiday service (amended Saturday service in most cases) on the Monday. Next year Christmas Day falls on a Sunday with an extra bank holiday on the Tuesday but you wouldn't expect a Sunday service on 25 Dec and nothing on Tuesday 27 Dec.

Indeed, Christmas Day & Boxing Day are Bank Holidays, however a Bank Holiday cannot fall on a Saturday or Sunday has to be Monday to Friday, so the following Monday [& Tuesday if necessary] become Bank Holidays to compensate, same situation for New Years Day.

 

[southern442]

I have been looking at what services are running on Boxing Day on the National Rail Network. I realise there are very very few services running if any at all. However I see there is a skeleton service to Gatwick via East Grinstead.

Will the 442's operate these services or will they be 377s pretending to be GatEx trains?

 

[CyrusWuff]

Chiltern interested in bums on seats. This service is self contained to Chiltern. Hence why no Marylebone - Amersham - Aylesbury. Hence why not as far as Banbury.

If sufficient Drivers were available, it would be perfectly possible for Chiltern to run to Aylesbury via both routes on Boxing Day, given LU will be operating a Sunday service, and the remainder of each route is controlled from Marylebone ASC.

Having said that, however, I suspect the demand for such a service would be insufficient to even come close to covering costs.

As for running to Banbury, that would involve staffing Banbury South 'box (and probably Banbury North as well) all day and, again, probably wouldn't cover its costs.

 

[Andrew1395]

It is the constraints of Network rail, not the TOCS that prevents widespread Boxing Day services.LUL can run train services with drivers and station staff available. It's the desire to have a maintenance window that is most significant

 

[Helvellyn]

I appreciate it's historic why so few trains run on Boxing Day, and the two day closure gives some useful engineering blockades. But given how many shops, etc, are now open I wonder why a limited service isn't offered on more lines. I'm sure there would be more demand for Boxing Day than Easter Sunday (which has a normal Sunday service but nothing is open).