My idea to cease running trains on Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday and run trains on Boxing Day instead

[Timetraveller]

How about it then if the 24th and 25th December no passenger trains run for the 2 days. This gives railway staff a 2 day break. (At least they can enjoy a festive season).

Then run a sunday service on Boxing day for those that want to visit family, football matches and shopping.

Then additionally No trains to run on Easter Sunday as most shops are closed and there really shouldn't be any football matches on that day either. Not many people normally travel on Easter sunday as everything tends to be closed and very little bus services operate too as a compromise.

 

[The Planner]

How about it then if the 24th and 25th December no passenger trains run for the 2 days. This gives railway staff a 2 day break. (At least they can enjoy a festive season). Then run a sunday service on Boxing day for those that want to visit family, football matches and shopping. Then additionally No trains to run on Easter Sunday as most shops are closed and there really shouldn't be any football matches on that day either. Not many people normally travel on Easter sunday as everything tends to be closed and very little bus services operate too as a compromise.

Its not a wholesale break though, still need signallers, people working in engineering possessions etc.. Easter is another period when significant engineering takes place.

 

[styles]

How about it then if the 24th and 25th December no passenger trains run for the 2 days. This gives railway staff a 2 day break. (At least they can enjoy a festive season). Then run a sunday service on Boxing day for those that want to visit family, football matches and shopping. Then additionally No trains to run on Easter Sunday as most shops are closed and there really shouldn't be any football matches on that day either. Not many people normally travel on Easter sunday as everything tends to be closed and very little bus services operate too as a compromise.

Lots of railway staff do work Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

 

[NER1621]

Then additionally No trains to run on Easter Sunday as most shops are closed and there really shouldn't be any football matches on that day either.

Eh? I obviously imagined all the people travelling between Darlington and York (and to/from further afield) this Easter Sunday. And, being totally selfish, Easter Sunday is my favoured day to visit the York Model Railway Show…

 

[dk1]

How about it then if the 24th and 25th December no passenger trains run for the 2 days. This gives railway staff a 2 day break. (At least they can enjoy a festive season). Then run a sunday service on Boxing day for those that want to visit family, football matches and shopping. Then additionally No trains to run on Easter Sunday as most shops are closed and there really shouldn't be any football matches on that day either. Not many people normally travel on Easter sunday as everything tends to be closed and very little bus services operate too as a compromise.

No thanks. I like my guaranteed Boxing Day off. Best to leave it to volunteers who wish to work on the 26th and to the ASLEF boys & girls who can negotiate the best possible rates whether it be double or triple time along with added incentives such as additional leave.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Christmas Eve is not a Bank Holiday, unlike Boxing Day

 

[Harpo]

This flies in the face of the nation’s direction of travel where our personal lives are no longer dominated collectively by a single religion and the law has yet to catch up.

 

[JonathanH]

This flies in the face of the nation’s direction of travel where our personal lives are no longer dominated collectively by a single religion and the law has yet to catch up.

That doesn't of itself change when the bank holidays occur.

 

[philosopher]

Christmas Eve is still technically a working day, although many workers do take it off as Annual Leave. Boxing Day is a public holiday, so it would make more sense to run trains on Christmas Eve than Boxing Day.

 

[renegademaster]

This flies in the face of the nation’s direction of travel where our personal lives are no longer dominated collectively by a single religion and the law has yet to catch up.

Your post seems to fly in the face Christmas and Easter's direction of having increasingly little to do with religion anymore.

 

[stadler]

How about it then if the 24th and 25th December no passenger trains run for the 2 days. This gives railway staff a 2 day break. (At least they can enjoy a festive season).

Then run a sunday service on Boxing day for those that want to visit family, football matches and shopping.

Then additionally No trains to run on Easter Sunday as most shops are closed and there really shouldn't be any football matches on that day either. Not many people normally travel on Easter sunday as everything tends to be closed and very little bus services operate too as a compromise.

No that would be an awful plan. The last thing we need is even more days with no trains. People still need to get places on Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday and that would just cause more issues. I would say those days have more demand than Boxing Day when most people just want to stay at home and rest or go for a walk. I would rather we just ran a full service on all 365 or 366 days a year like most of the rest of the world does. You look at all of the Mainland European countries and also USA and Canada and Australia and New Zealand and they just treat Christmas Day and Boxing Day like any other holiday. They just run a Sunday timetable normally. It is only the UK and Ireland that are obsessed with shutting down public transport on these days.

 

[BlueLeanie]

Not many people normally travel on Easter Sunday as everything tends to be closed and very little bus services operate too as a compromise.

"Except for viewers in Scotland" as they say.

Normal Sunday trading in Scotland on Easter Sunday. So for the largest supermarkets, that's 24 hour opening. For regular stores like M&S, Next, Boots, B&Q, B&M usually 09:00 to 18:00, for regular supermarkets 08:00 to 20:00/22:00/24:00 depending on the size and location of the store.

 

[SynthD]

Easter Sunday is in the middle of a four day weekend, which often means people travel. Christmas Eve is the last day for people to get to their families for Christmas, especially key for those not in office jobs. Both are vital. Staff should each be scheduled a break, but that doesn't mean the customers have to miss multiple days, or any day, as stadler suggests.

 

[deltic]

Patronage on London Underground is higher on the 24th than on the 26th December although that will be impacted by lack of National Rail services. While some Sundays in January this year also saw lower patronage than on Easter Sunday. New Year's day patronage was markedly lower than Easter Sunday. Far simpler just to run trains on Boxing Day as well as all the other days of the year.

 

[The Planner]

If TOC/FOCs were happy for engineering works to take place at other weekends and times during the year than Xmas and Bank Holidays I expect NR would do it.

 

[Magdalia]

Christmas Eve is still technically a working day

In particular the financial markets in London are trading on Christmas Eve, and government department HQs in Whitehall are operating.

London commuting by train on Christmas Eve is essential for both so the railway will not be closed on Christmas Eve.

I commuted to London and was working on Christmas Eve most years.

 

[30907]

In particular the financial markets in London are trading on Christmas Eve, and government department HQs in Whitehall are operating.

London commuting by train on Christmas Eve is essential for both so the railway will not be closed on Christmas Eve.

I commuted to London and was working on Christmas Eve most years.

Though lots of people finished at lunchtime, going by the timetable we operated to get them home early. (It's different when Christmas Eve is a Saturday or Sunday, of course)

However, Christmas Eve also marks the beginning of a 10-day holiday period into New Year, so closing the railway then and opening on Boxing Day is a non-starter.

 

[Magdalia]

Though lots of people finished at lunchtime, going by the timetable we operated to get them home early.

Yes. The Christmas Eve morning peak would be normal service. The Christmas Eve afternoon peak would be roughly the same number of trains, but spread over a much longer period, and starting at lunchtime.

 

[DH1Commuter]

How about it then if the 24th and 25th December no passenger trains run for the 2 days. This gives railway staff a 2 day break. (At least they can enjoy a festive season).

Then run a sunday service on Boxing day for those that want to visit family, football matches and shopping.

Then additionally No trains to run on Easter Sunday as most shops are closed and there really shouldn't be any football matches on that day either. Not many people normally travel on Easter sunday as everything tends to be closed and very little bus services operate too as a compromise.

For the many of us for whom 24th Dec is a normal working day, this would be extremely unwelcome. Boxing Day is a BH. Christmas Eve is not.

 

[deltic]

In particular the financial markets in London are trading on Christmas Eve, and government department HQs in Whitehall are operating.

London commuting by train on Christmas Eve is essential for both so the railway will not be closed on Christmas Eve.

I commuted to London and was working on Christmas Eve most years.

Given the extent of working from home now, even those working on Christmas Eve are far less likely to be in the office than in the past.

 

[Magdalia]

Given the extent of working from home now, even those working on Christmas Eve are far less likely to be in the office than in the past.

You are right, but financial markets and on duty government ministers are going to need staff on site.

 

[Andrew S]

Given the extent of working from home now, even those working on Christmas Eve are far less likely to be in the office than in the past.

Plenty of people don't do office jobs, and can't work from home.

24th December is a massive day for retail, leisure and hospitality in London. How would those people get to work?

 

[deltic]

Plenty of people don't do office jobs, and can't work from home.

24th December is a massive day for retail, leisure and hospitality in London. How would those people get to work?

Not suggesting that there is no service on Christmas Eve. It is notable that Paris and New York services operate on Christmas Day both carrying quite substantial numbers of passengers. Maybe it's time for London to restore it's Christmas Day service.

 

[Sun Chariot]

24th December is a massive day for retail, leisure and hospitality in London. How would those people get to work?

Absolutely right. Having worked in retail in my early career, I am under no illusion how imperative Christmas Eve's trading is; to the general public as well, not just to the retailers.

18 years of London living, I saw uplifts for hotels, restaurants and leisure businesses, through Easter weekend each year.

I think the idea by @Timetraveller is, sadly, very idealistic and risks damaging UK growth.

 

[deltic]

Absolutely right. Having worked in retail in my early career, I am under no illusion how imperative Christmas Eve's trading is; to the general public as well, not just to the retailers.

The world has changed, while Christmas Eve is still big for food retailers it's pretty dead in central London for non-food shops. Indeed many stores have started their sales or use Christmas Eve to put out their sales prices. it can be a good day to go shopping as it's quiet and if items are already priced for their Boxing Day sales they have to sell them at that price.

 

[yorksrob]

Setting aside the festive period, I think not running trains on Easter Sunday would be a terrible idea. Since many people have the bank holiday the day after, Sunday is a good day to get out and do something or visit someone.

 

[Sun Chariot]

The world has changed, while Christmas Eve is still big for food retailers it's pretty dead in central London for non-food shops.

London might have changed since 2012 - the south coast is still heaving Christmas Eve, based on Portsmouth Gunwharf and Southampton West Quay, in recent years.

 

[Thirteen]

You couldn't really shut down the railways on Christmas Eve because no one could get home.

 

[Mike Machin]

How about it then if the 24th and 25th December no passenger trains run for the 2 days. This gives railway staff a 2 day break. (At least they can enjoy a festive season).

Then run a sunday service on Boxing day for those that want to visit family, football matches and shopping.

Then additionally No trains to run on Easter Sunday as most shops are closed and there really shouldn't be any football matches on that day either. Not many people normally travel on Easter sunday as everything tends to be closed and very little bus services operate too as a compromise.

Easter Sunday is one of the key dates in the Premier League and Football League calendar, a day when many promotion and relegation matters are decided. A lot of people also travel to spend time with family and friends on Easter Day.

Christmas Eve is one of the absolute key travel days of the year. Many people don’t finish work until the 23rd/34th December, so Christmas Eve is a crucial travel day to enable them to return home for Christmas.

 

[Magdalia]

Easter Sunday is one of the key dates in the Premier League and Football League calendar, a day when many promotion and relegation matters are decided.

For the EFL this is incorrect, at Easter they play on Good Friday and Easter Monday.