Easter Sunday service level vs Boxing Day service level

[Poolie]

So, on Easter Sunday all the shops are closed and there are very few sporting fixtures and a 'normal' Sunday service runs. Boxing Day the retail world is madness and there are loads of sporting events all over the country, yet hardly any trains run.....doesn't make sense to me

 

[3141]

So, on Easter Sunday all the shops are closed and there are very few sporting fixtures and a 'normal' Sunday service runs. Boxing Day the retail world is madness and there are loads of sporting events all over the country, yet hardly any trains run.....doesn't make sense to me

1) Yesterday wasn't Christmas Day.
2) Perhaps you are mistakenly thinking the world is logical.

 

[kevconnor]

with regards to the shops thats england and wales only and that is on account of them not being allowed to open on Easter Sunday or Christmas day, same legislation regulates sunday trading. The trains have no such restrictions and the current situation is as a result of both demand and politics.

Yes there is no service on boxing day, but the TOC's are not mandated to within the franchise agreements, the demand may be there for some services to run at peak hours (7am-7pm) but there are coherent arguments on both sides.

 

[satisnek]

Yes it's politics. I popped into Derby city centre last Boxing Day (from Mercia Marina - Trentbarton were running a Sunday service) and was amazed how busy it was, just like any other Bank Holiday with most shops open.

 

[LAX54]

So, on Easter Sunday all the shops are closed and there are very few sporting fixtures and a 'normal' Sunday service runs. Boxing Day the retail world is madness and there are loads of sporting events all over the country, yet hardly any trains run.....doesn't make sense to me

Rest assured if the big shops were allowed to open on Easter Sunday they would ! but it is part of the Sunday opening regs, that they MUST close on Easter Sunday, except for the smaller retailers in England, like Tesco Express and Budgens etc, maybe 26th December should go back to a 'closed' day ? There is no need to be open on that day.

 

[route:oxford]

So, on Easter Sunday all the shops are closed

Well, that's an outright lie. I was in Stirling yesterday. All the shops were open as usual.

and there are very few sporting fixtures and a 'normal' Sunday service runs.|

Easter moves around, sporting events tend to stick to a regular schedule - it's not unusual for major events like the Boat Race to run on Easter Sunday.

Boxing Day the retail world is madness and there are loads of sporting events all over the country, yet hardly any trains run.....doesn't make sense to me

It's not supposed to make sense.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Another day of the Greenwich Tall Ships yesterday (Easter Sunday). The place was packed to high heaven with everything open.

Bit different in the big towns you know....

 

[Steddenm]

Well, that's an outright lie. I was in Stirling yesterday. All the shops were open as usual.

The rules for Easter Sunday trading only apply to England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules.

 

[LAX54]

Another day of the Greenwich Tall Ships yesterday (Easter Sunday). The place was packed to high heaven with everything open.

Bit different in the big towns you know....

But I assume the large B&Q / ASDA type stores were all closed.

 

[steamybrian]

Not all shops close because there are many smaller shops that are open. Easter Sunday there are many tourist attractions that are open and doing a brisk trade.
Compared with Christmas Day when there is virtually nothing open.
Train services ran on Boxing Day until the 1960s but were little used as most shops and tourist attractions were closed. There may be a case now for opening for one daytime shift say 0900-1800hrs particularly as more shops/attractions are open

 

[infobleep]

Well I found being able to travel to see my parents yesterday useful. If I'd had to go the night before I couldn't have attended the Easter Vigil service in my local church. I don't drive and the government are surely keen that people don't drive to help keep pollution down. Therefore in my opinion they have to provide public transport.

I have the same issue at Christmas but in that case I don't begrudge people have time off and services not running. Not so sure about boxing day though or to be more exact, I don't mind them giving staff boxing day off providing they relax all peak ticketing restrictions on the 27th, so those going to work but unable to travel on the 26th are not penalised financially.

Of course there is an argument which suss there will always be winners and losers and theosers are those who have to or choose to work on the 27th so tough luck.

 

[LAX54]

Well I found being able to travel to see my parents yesterday useful. If I'd had to go the night before I couldn't have attended the Easter Vigil service in my local church. I don't drive and the government are surely keen that people don't drive to help keep pollution down. Therefore in my opinion they have to provide public transport.

I have the same issue at Christmas but in that case I don't begrudge people have time off and services not running. Not so sure about boxing day though or to be more exact, I don't mind them giving staff boxing day off providing they relax all peak ticketing restrictions on the 27th, so those going to work but unable to travel on the 26th are not penalised financially.

Of course there is an argument which suss there will always be winners and losers and theosers are those who have to or choose to work on the 27th so tough luck.

But the 27th is a normal working day.......in theory !

 

[Hadders]

In England and Wales the Sunday Trading Act 1994 requires all stores with a retail area larger than 280 square metres (approx 3,000 sq.ft) to close on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday (and restricts trading hours on other Sundays to no more than 6 hours).

Before this act came Sunday trading wasn't restricted by hours but by the type of goods that could be sold. This resulted in the farcical situation where a shop could sell a magazine but not a bible! Many stores flouted this outdated law and opened anyway, including Easter Sunday. The result was the 1994 act.

 

[E16 Cyclist]

The rules for Easter Sunday trading only apply to England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules.

There was a commons vote last year to reform Sunday trading but was defeated as the SNP voted on mass to block it despite allowing Sunday trading in Scotland so as you say it's politics and petty politics at that

 

[PHILIPE]

There was a commons vote last year to reform Sunday trading but was defeated as the SNP voted on mass to block it despite allowing Sunday trading in Scotland so as you say it's politics and petty politics at that

This stinks of the Lothian question again.

 

[route:oxford]

The rules for Easter Sunday trading only apply to England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules.

True. But this is a *UK* forum.

So it is dishonest to start a thread "all" shops in the UK are closed on Easter Sunday.

 

[route:oxford]

There was a commons vote last year to reform Sunday trading but was defeated as the SNP voted on mass to block it despite allowing Sunday trading in Scotland so as you say it's politics and petty politics at that

It keeps their friends at Amazon busy.

A colleague's son is a home-delivery driver for Argos in Oxfordshire, their same-day-delivery service was operating as usual on Easter Sunday - she tells me he had his busiest Sunday ever.

 

[Spartacus]

True. But this is a *UK* forum.

So it is dishonest to start a thread "all" shops in the UK are closed on Easter Sunday.

A mere oversight, I'm sure, no need to call people dishonest for something like that.

 

[Poolie]

Thanks for that Spartacus, and the other forum members who have courteously pointed out the differences in Easter Sunday shopping within the UK...............but to be called a 'liar' and 'dishonest' by a certain individual is somewhat of an overreaction and not what I would want to see cast against other contributors to this forum

 

[LAX54]

Thanks for that Spartacus, and the other forum members who have courteously pointed out the differences in Easter Sunday shopping within the UK...............but to be called a 'liar' and 'dishonest' by a certain individual is somewhat of an overreaction and not what I would want to see cast against other contributors to this forum

Well....as Scotland do not wish to be part of the UK anyway as they keep having referendums to leave, well a referendum every few years until they get one they like ! maybe Scotland should not be counted where this particular thread is concerned

 

[CheesyChips]

Well....as Scotland do not wish to be part of the UK anyway as they keep having referendums to leave,

They voted to stay part of the UK.

well a referendum every few years until they get one they like ! maybe Scotland should not be counted where this particular thread is concerned

I only recall one.

 

[deltic]

So, on Easter Sunday all the shops are closed and there are very few sporting fixtures and a 'normal' Sunday service runs. Boxing Day the retail world is madness and there are loads of sporting events all over the country, yet hardly any trains run.....doesn't make sense to me

No it doesnt make sense - its because the railway far to often does not put its customers first and is incredibly slow to adapt to changing circumstances. It has taken years for the level of Sunday services to be improved to reflect changes in passenger demand.

It is also too difficult to remove existing services to provide new services elsewhere because those who lose out make more noise than those who gain.

 

[Antman]

So, on Easter Sunday all the shops are closed and there are very few sporting fixtures and a 'normal' Sunday service runs. Boxing Day the retail world is madness and there are loads of sporting events all over the country, yet hardly any trains run.....doesn't make sense to me

Me neither and I wonder how much longer no trains on Boxing Day can be justified? I know the arguments about engineering work etc but other countries all seem to manage.

 

[dk1]

Me neither and I wonder how much longer no trains on Boxing Day can be justified? I know the arguments about engineering work etc but other countries all seem to manage.

Good luck with getting that past the unions. Best leave that till at least December though for the usual Boxing Day rants

 

[LAX54]

They voted to stay part of the UK.



I only recall one.

well... they keep trying !!

 

[infobleep]

But the 27th is a normal working day.......in theory !

Imagine I'm a passenger visiting my parents in York. I work in Farnborough and I have to be in work on 27th because I can't get the time off. I don't drive a car.

Now I would be happy to travel back on the 26th using an off peak ticket but as no trains run to Farnborough on the 26th I end up travelling in the peak on the 27th. In addition to that I get caned for extra cash because peak restrictions apply.

If peak restrictions didn't apply then it would be better.

That's just an example. I've not checked what East Coast trains, if any, run on the 26th. Certainly no South West Trains services run to Farnborough.

I'm not saying they must do. Just that it would be good if they could relax the restrictions on the morning of the 27th.

 

[LAX54]

Imagine I'm a passenger visiting my parents in York. I work in Farnborough and I have to be in work on 27th because I can't get the time off. I don't drive a car.

Now I would be happy to travel back on the 26th using an off peak ticket but as no trains run to Farnborough on the 26th I end up travelling in the peak on the 27th. In addition to that I get caned for extra cash because peak restrictions apply.

If peak restrictions didn't apply then it would be better.

That's just an example. I've not checked what East Coast trains, if any, run on the 26th. Certainly no South West Trains services run to Farnborough.

I'm not saying they must do. Just that it would be good if they could relax the restrictions on the morning of the 27th.

They could relax the restrictions for the whole week twixt Christmas and New Year, whilst 27th onwards is 'normal' working, most places shut down for the week, as they know a majority would simply go sick.
So peak travel would or is at a far reduced rate, but no doubt they would say it would see too many travelling !
More services are creeping in on the 26th, but it does seem a very slow rate of increase, as far as most railway workers are concerned, if you are booked off all well and good, but if its not your rest day, and are booked to work the 26th, which over 60% / 70% of Signallers are, then so be it.

 

[Scotty]

whilst 27th onwards is 'normal' working, most places shut down for the week

Most?

 

[Deafdoggie]

Just a small correction. The rule to not open on Christmas Day, only applies to shops if Christmas Day falls on a Sunday.

Another reason there are no trains on Boxing Day, is that it follows Christmas Day. Network Rail take advantage of two closed days to perform major engineering works. Running on Boxing Day would either be a bit piecemeal, or vary every year. Neither are ideal

 

[infobleep]

Just a small correction. The rule to not open on Christmas Day, only applies to shops if Christmas Day falls on a Sunday.

Another reason there are no trains on Boxing Day, is that it follows Christmas Day. Network Rail take advantage of two closed days to perform major engineering works. Running on Boxing Day would either be a bit piecemeal, or vary every year. Neither are ideal

I could agree with your point about boxing day but some lines have trains on that day, so it's not possible. I do agree that it's a good time for Network Rail to do some maintenance..

I didn't know shops could open on Christmas day if it's not a Sunday. Do any do that? Must be some who aren't religious out there, who would gladly open. Not that I'd want to visit.