No Trains on Boxing Day

[Taunton]

I’d hope it would be volunteers only, at a suitably eye watering hourly rate!

The notable thing is that airlines, retail, utilities, petrol stations, and so on all seem to be adequately staffed without any such whinging and whining. It's a unique feature of the railway industry. Or maybe I should say just on the operational side. The civil engineers always seem to have a very substantial turnout right through the holiday.

In Scottish transport the airlines at Edinburgh and Glasgow airports are running a full service, including a very substantial schedule of flights to London. I'm guessing many railway employees will be heading with their families to the shops - and expecting to be served there, go to the cafe, etc.

 

[NewarkRed]

You’re aware that much engineering work takes place over Christmas precisely because in most places there is no service for two days?



Again, have Lumo stated that publicly or are you just assuming? And since Lumo are a commercial OA operator, how do the Government prevent them from running trains exactly?

I’ll ring them up then, ask them to take a Train off Heaton Depot and run it to London if there’s nothing stopping them.

Winwin.

 

[LowLevel]

If people want to volunteer then where demand is forecast to make it worthwhile why not - as long as there's no compulsion involved.

The problem you can foresee already is that the first time there's an issue covering turns it'll turn into the new Sunday argument with people screaming about forcing people to work instead.

I will raise a glass of beer to not attending what should be a booked working day for me later on, after I've done my volunteer working day that is (oooh err )

There's a world of difference though between volunteering to have a restful day operating a heritage railway with a good book and dealing with "revellers".

 

[12LDA28C]

I’ll ring them up then, ask them to take a Train off Heaton Depot and run it to London if there’s nothing stopping them.

Winwin.

You still haven’t provided any evidence of how ‘the Government won’t let Lumo run trains’ today.
As they are a commercial operator I suggest if they wanted to and the ECML was open for traffic, they would. But they’re not. End of story.

 

[Twingo37175]

I’ll ring them up then, ask them to take a Train off Heaton Depot and run it to London if there’s nothing stopping them.

Winwin.

I would imagine that engineering works at various points on the east coast mainline will cause potential issues. Given that normally if there are blockades, south of Newcastle there go to position is to just cover the North end of the route and vice versa in the Autumn when engineering blockades block north of Newcastle, they only serve Newcastle to London, and we have such at Xmas they would not be running a full service anyway. Yes, they have been an additional breath of fresh air to the ECML, but not the white knight everybody seems to reference.

 

[Gloster]

How long in advance would the engineering programme for Boxing Day (incidents like Clandon excepted) be available to operators and when would the operators have to announce their timetables? I can just see the fun if they have to arrange RRBs if, say, the ECML at Werrington Junction was to be closed.

 

[Woolos 22]

Are lumo willing to pay extra other company to open the station of them to operate a service

 

[SCDR_WMR]

I'm also in Spain now where buses and trains are running (as they were in the 25th) and plenty of shops are open though Christmas isn't the big shutdown that it is in the UK and is treated as another public holiday.

Because they celebrate on January 6th (Twelfth Night). My sister doesn't open presents until then

 

[68000]

That's incorrect. England and Wales have 8, Scotland 9 and Northern Ireland 10 - see here: https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays

You are correct that there are 9 identified public holidays in Scotland, employers are allowed to use statutory days off as that public holiday. The statutory number of days off is 28 days in the UK which means 9 of them can be allocated to public holidays and 19 of them can be allocated as annual leave in Scotland if the employer wishes or more likely the employee gets 8 public holidays and 20 annual leave days (statutory). Employers may offer more generous leave arrangements than the statutory (as my employer does).

The notable thing is that airlines, retail, utilities, petrol stations, and so on all seem to be adequately staffed without any such whinging and whining. It's a unique feature of the railway industry. Or maybe I should say just on the operational side. The civil engineers always seem to have a very substantial turnout right through the holiday.

Network Rail pays a hefty premium to ensure the contractor staff (and some NR staff) turn out on certain shifts this time of year to ensure the engineering work is adequately resourced

How long in advance would the engineering programme for Boxing Day (incidents like Clandon excepted) be available to operators and when would the operators have to announce their timetables? I can just see the fun if they have to arrange RRBs if, say, the ECML at Werrington Junction was to be closed.

Normally two years notice

 

[Lewisham2221]

The notable thing is that airlines, retail, utilities, petrol stations, and so on all seem to be adequately staffed without any such whinging and whining.

I can absolutely guarantee you that there will be plenty of whinging and whining amongst staff required to work in those industries.

It's a unique feature of the railway industry.

Is it? Last time I checked, a vast amount of the country is still very much shut down on boxing day.

 

[Haywain]

With football fixtures being compiled by computer algorithms, there are not many long journeys on Boxing Day, with the exception of the clubs a long way from all the other teams in the same league.

Easy example of this being untrue is my own team, Luton, playing away to Bristol City today. Last year boxing day was away to Sheffield United.

Returning the railway to a public service won’t mean any changes to staff T&Cs therefore for most of the network December 25th & 26th will be a guaranteed day off. It will only be run on a volunteer basis and that will have to have a very good financial incentive.

But that guaranteed day off, for most staff, is a day of their annual leave allowance and many would happily use that day at a different time.

 

[marks87]

From Dundee only options are Arbroath or Edinburgh (no Glasgow or Aberdeen bound)

Which is still a vast improvement on previous years when there was nothing north of the central belt.

Although the “Boxing Day railway snub” headlines in local press have now just gone further north to Aberdeen.

 

[tspaul26]

Boxing Day is not a Bank Holiday in Scotland.

It is this year.

No it definitely is a bank holiday in Scotland.

No, Boxing Day is not “definitely” a bank holiday in Scotland. As things stand it will not be a bank holiday next year for example.

Since 1974., over a century after England and Wales.

Since 22 May 2024, actually, as far as today is concerned.

So does Scotland get more Bank Holidays than England?

Yes, but this is partly because Christmas Day and Good Friday are not bank holidays in England, whereas they are in Scotland.

 

[NewarkRed]

Are lumo willing to pay extra other company to open the station of them to operate a service

Easy to amend and call at

Manors(For Newcastle)
Cramlington(For Morpeth)
One of the Edinburgh suburban stations
Northallerton
Thirsk

All easy to do!

 

[dk1]

But that guaranteed day off, for most staff, is a day of their annual leave allowance and many would happily use that day at a different time.

Yes but with ours Christmas and Boxing Day are the only guaranteed days off written into our agreements.

 

[Falcon1200]

Apart from in London, Disgraceful!

Seem to be trains running in Scotland

And have been since at least 1992, although in limited areas only. Initially Strathclyde, more extensive now.

Aye and you can imagine the staff aren't entirely chuffed about the reintroduction about three years ago.

I worked Boxing Day in 1992, 4 days after my first child was born, because it was my rostered shift and my Control area had trains running. Simply part of the job.

I’d hope it would be volunteers only, at a suitably eye watering hourly rate!

Not always, if rostered to work, I worked! Albeit at an enhanced rate, of course.

 

[Haywain]

Yes but with ours Christmas and Boxing Day are the only guaranteed days off written into our agreements.

If it still comes out of your leave allowance there would be volunteers to take that leave at a different time.

 

[Krokodil]

Agreed. If we are to see a return to the railways being run as a public service then that should include a minimum service provision on public holidays.

Who is going to pay for this?

Despite the views of some on this forum, Trainline and other 3rd party retailers don't actually routinely missell tickets :P

Not related to this thread, but if I hear another "but Trainline said that it was an Open Return" when the customer has very clearly bought a Day Return, I shall scream.

As we approach Rail 200, the greatest invention on the Rail Network has to be Lumo.

I think not.

 

[dk1]

If it still comes out of your leave allowance there would be volunteers to take that leave at a different time.

Yes we have always had volunteers for Boxing Day night shifts. Normally the same names in the hat each year.

 

[Horizon22]

Agreed. If we are to see a return to the railways being run as a public service then that should include a minimum service provision on public holidays.

Key parts of the railway can’t get Sunday right yet.

Ultimately it will come down to remuneration for staff as it often does and whether the TOCs / GBR / DfT agree it has a suitable cost/benefit to ramp up Boxing Day.

We are also forgetting that this is a huge engineering works opportunity (the biggest of the year) with big projects able to place in a 48h+ window, which is also why much of the network is unavailable and may also be so sporadically between 27-1st Jan.

 

[LAX54]

Apart from in London, Disgraceful!

Why ?

 

[Krokodil]

I worked Boxing Day in 1992, 4 days after my first child was born, because it was my rostered shift and my Control area had trains running. Simply part of the job.

Mercifully society has moved on and paternity leave entitlements are much more generous.

 

[kez19]

Which is still a vast improvement on previous years when there was nothing north of the central belt.

Although the “Boxing Day railway snub” headlines in local press have now just gone further north to Aberdeen.

I can’t remember there being services out of Dundee on Boxing Day in general, I was more aware of Edinburgh and Glasgow doing this, do find it odd as it seems that the Arbroath runs are Platform 4 and Edinburgh Platform 2 (source: Railboard app)

 

[185143]

It's just occurred to me that Waterloo (Merseyside) has a far superior service to London Waterloo today.

Southport and Formby-Liverpool seems to be a very popular journey today. Most seats taken on this 777 I'm currently on.

 

[chuff chuff]

Which is still a vast improvement on previous years when there was nothing north of the central belt.

Although the “Boxing Day railway snub” headlines in local press have now just gone further north to Aberdeen.

There is talk of Aberdeen being Included next year,how true that is I don't know.There is a bridge being rebuilt at Craigo so that might be why their not Included this year.

 

[baz962]

I do wonder how many people turn up at train stations on Boxing Day and Christmas Day expecting to catch a train?

I used to drive for London Overground and they started operating on boxing day around 2019. I worked one of them and it was fairly quiet.

 

[43066]

The notable thing is that airlines, retail, utilities, petrol stations, and so on all seem to be adequately staffed without any such whinging and whining.

To be fair it isn’t railway staff who are winging and whining about the current arrangements!

Scotland is clearly a different case. As for the rest of the UK, if a sufficiently decent rate is offered there would be volunteers. That would need to be paid for though and, as noted above, there isn’t even appetite to adequately staff the service on “normal” weekdays and Sundays. So I doubt it will change any time soon.

 

[baz962]

I’d hope it would be volunteers only, at a suitably eye watering hourly rate!

Overground was x4 or x3 and a day in lieu or 2x and 2 days in lieu.

 

[chuff chuff]

I can’t remember there being services out of Dundee on Boxing Day in general, I was more aware of Edinburgh and Glasgow doing this, do find it odd as it seems that the Arbroath runs are Platform 4 and Edinburgh Platform 2 (source: Railboard app)

First year for Dundee services,Edinburgh Queen street Dunblanes maybe three years,Perth started last year.

 

[Falcon1200]

Mercifully society has moved on and paternity leave entitlements are much more generous.

I had actually booked sufficient time off for her due date, but my daughter then arrived 12 days late!
(Working for the railway I shouldn't have been surprised....)