0B00
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Am I correct in thinking there are no passenger rail services operating on any TOC on Christmas Day this year ?
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Christmas Day 2017
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E_Reeves
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I'm surprised there are so many freight and departmental workings planned for Christmas day
Freightmaster
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To clarify, no 'proper' freights run on Christmas Day, but there will no doubt be
plenty of engineers trains and track machines running to/from the various major
blockades which are scheduled to take place over the Christmas period.
MARK
185143
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Heathrow Connect normally run the inter-terminal shuttle don't they?
Highlandspring
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Traditionally before the 1960s Christmas in Scotland was only a minor celebration with many shops and works open throughout, though often on reduced hours. New Year was always the major event, much more so than in England and this is still reflected today albeit to a lesser extent. Christmas Day only became a public holiday in Scotland in 1958 and trains in Scotland ran on the 25th until 1979. Since then there's been no service on Christmas Day.
Today some services formerly supported by SPT run on Boxing Day (which only became a public holiday in 1974) with nothing running in Edinburgh or outside the Central Belt. That's because SPT paid for services to run for years and since they stopped having anything to do with rail service provision the requirement has become part of the ScotRail franchise agreement.
Trains in Scotland haven't run on Ne'rday for many years (if ever?) although the English operators run a limited service to/from Edinburgh and Glasgow Central. The 2nd of January is also a public holiday and a much reduced service is run throughout the country. Everything is back to normal on the 3rd except when it's a substitute holiday because the 2nd fell on a Sunday.
No? Maybe your speaking of boxing day
Nothing to do with railways, but the North East used to be more inclined to the Scottish tradition (and possibly still is)
When I worked in a bank in the sixties New Year's Day was not a bank holiday in England, but in the Newcastle, Darlington and Carlisle areas branches would open for a nominal two hours to meet the legal requirement. Customers were sparse, and the skeleton staff on duty would be distracted - I recall some wearing dinner suit or smart dresses having come straight from a party.
No local trains or buses then, although it was a working day in London so I suppose that the main line would be running.
When I worked in a bank in the sixties New Year's Day was not a bank holiday in England, but in the Newcastle, Darlington and Carlisle areas branches would open for a nominal two hours to meet the legal requirement. Customers were sparse, and the skeleton staff on duty would be distracted - I recall some wearing dinner suit or smart dresses having come straight from a party.
No local trains or buses then, although it was a working day in London so I suppose that the main line would be running.
greatkingrat
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Yes, the Heathrow Express shuttle appears to be running on Christmas Day
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/HXX/2017/12/25/0200-0159?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt
That hasn't changed, including the absence of local public transport, as occasional discussions on this forum show.
I'm interested, though, that the tradition goes back to the 60s (or earlier?), well before the run down of Christmas and Boxing Day services across the country.
I'm pretty sure substitute buses are provided for landside* inter-terminal journeys on Christmas Day.
* Airside journeys - i.e. where passengers change flights without actually entering the UK via Border Control - are by shuttle bus anyway.
Is there any public transport at all in London on Christmas Day (apart from the HEX service already mentioned) - I thought in days of yore there was at least a bus service?
Regular Christmas Day bus services stopped after 1979. After that some operators made attempts to run some services on a purely commercial basis, but they were not publicised properly (possibly because TfL and its predecessors refused to have anything to do with them) and did not continue due to lack of use.
Oxford Tube has traditionally provided a Christmas Day coach service between Oxford and London (Victoria), and accepts passengers for local journeys between Oxford Tube stops within the London area. Although yet to be confirmed, I would expect it to be running this year.
causton
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tsr
Established Member
A few shops as well as coffee chains tend to now be open in London on Christmas Day, and as well as bus tours (the volume of which I am ever so slightly surprised about!) there are also taxis and bike tours.
There does appear to have been a slight reversal over the last couple of years in the number of places closing down for the day. I think it's probably recognised that there are still plenty of shift workers working for essential services such as the NHS, utilities, core IT provision for major businesses, etc. who may want certain places to be open.
There does appear to have been a slight reversal over the last couple of years in the number of places closing down for the day. I think it's probably recognised that there are still plenty of shift workers working for essential services such as the NHS, utilities, core IT provision for major businesses, etc. who may want certain places to be open.
Wilts Wanderer
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Because they can make a profit doing it.
A lot of UK domestic and short-haul European flights do not operate on Christmas Day either. Long-hauls tend to operate regardless as aircraft and crews need to be in the correct location for the next flights, and flights landing in or taking off from the UK on Christmas day can be considerably cheaper than dates immediately before and after.
I suspect that aircrew don't get extra for working Christmas Day - especially as it isn't even a public holiday in most of the world
Poor old sods, not that long haul pilots are exactly paid badly though.I suspect that aircrew don't get extra for working Christmas Day - especially as it isn't even a public holiday in most of the world
bb21
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The world doesn't revolve around the UK. In most countries it is just a normal day.
Qwerty133
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I can't imagine the average Qatar airways pilot for example caring about working the 25th December which is just a normal Monday as far as they are concerned (in fact it wouldn't surprise me if some of them quite enjoyed landing in christian countries on such a day).
cso
Member
From previous years, I think they vary the route though and also run via Heathrow... but they haven't done a timetable for this year yet.
berneyarms
Established Member
Ireland is probably the last remaining country where there are no flights operating on Christmas Day.
Always interesting to look at Flightradar24 on Christmas Day.
As others point out Christmas Day isn’t a public holiday at all in much of the world.
Class 170101
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I have found 'one' for you
[url=http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/F41753/2017/12/25/advanced] 00:30 Stansted Airport to Liverpool Street[/URL]
pitdiver
Member
I wonder if the intermediate stations will still be open and I wonder what the passengers do when they get to Liverpool Street?
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