Boxing Day rail chaos to last into the new year after engineering works are scheduled at 200 locations across the network

Stricken travellers visiting kin or hitting the Boxing Day gross sales have been left livid as they face a 'standstill' on the railways.

Passengers face days of chaos after Community Rail scheduled as much as 200 engineering works over the Christmas interval. 

Rail operators not operating companies on at this time embrace Arriva Trains Wales, c2C, CrossCountry, East Midlands, Grand Central, Nice Northern, Nice Western, London Midland, Northern Rail, South West, Thameslink, TransPennine Specific and Virgin. 

And this comes as some £2.95 billion is about to be spend on the British excessive avenue as buyers head out for the Boxing Day gross sales.   

Folks travelling by rail at this time - significantly round London - are discovering it exceptionally tough to get round

Passengers face days of chaos after Community Rail scheduled as much as 200 engineering works over the Christmas interval. Pictured, Paddington Station

There are not any companies throughout nearly the entire of the UK community - regardless of earlier Tory pledges to become familiar with the Boxing Day shutdown.

And, on many traces round London, Cardiff and Manchester, the closures are set to proceed into the New 12 months. 

In the meantime, many have been left indignant as one of many busiest stations within the capital closed over the festive interval.

No trains have been working to or from London Paddington from Christmas Eve till Friday, December 30, due to work to construct Crossrail.

On the London Underground, there are half closures throughout the Bakerloo, Circle, District, Waterloo and Metropolis traces.

Strikes are additionally persevering with to hit Southern Rail passengers. 

Paddington Station: Many have been left indignant as one of many busiest stations within the capital closed over the festive interval

Upkeep work being carried out on practice tracks and platforms at Paddington Station

It comes days after the Every day Mail revealed that 48 Community Rail officers earn greater than the Prime Minister's £150,000. 

The proprietor of Britain's tracks and stations pays 24 of its executives greater than £200,000, together with a £685,000 wage for chief govt Mark Carne.

Critics mentioned the salaries have been a 'kick within the enamel' to passengers who've needed to endure years of overcrowding and delays. 

The information infuriated MPs at a time when a whole bunch of miles of the community are fully closed down for engineering work.

Labour mentioned the chaos would push 1000's of rail travellers on to the roads, the place they may face longer journeys to see family members.

They level out that anybody travelling from London to Birmingham at this time faces a four-hour spherical journey on the street – greater than the 90 minutes than it might have taken on the practice.

Passengers will likely be hoping that the chaos of two years in the past – when Christmas engineering works round London overran, trapping 1000's – could be prevented.

ALTERNATIVE ROUTES DURING PADDINGTON STATION CLOSURE

No trains have been working to or from London Paddington (pictured) from Christmas Eve till Friday, December 30, due to work to construct Crossrail

Paddington mainline station will likely be closed from December 24 to 30. Tubes between Paddington and Ealing Broadway may even be suspended.

Listed here are the alternate options routes it is best to use: 

Oxford - go to London Marylebone

Bristol, South Wales, South West, Studying or Basingstoke -  go to London Waterloo

Hereford - London Euston, get on a London Midland's practice heading to Birmingham New Avenue

Heathrow Specific and Heathrow Join companies may even be suspended, so use different routes   

For extra info go to this web page 

However there are nonetheless as much as 200 engineering initiatives attributable to be carried out, lots of which is able to run on till January 2, together with:

• Paddington station in London will likely be closed till December 30 to permit for work on the capital's new Crossrail line. 

• Liverpool Avenue, additionally within the capital, faces extreme disruption attributable to Crossrail work, with some companies being cancelled till January four.

• Trains are affected into Charing Cross and London Bridge till December 28. 

• The road between Cardiff and Newport can also be closed, and companies into Manchester will likely be lowered till December 28. 

• The Heathrow Specific is down for six days over the Christmas interval.

• There may be additionally important Christmas work within the Cardiff space. There will likely be bus replacements for a lot of companies till January three.

As we speak there are not any companies throughout nearly the entire of the community – regardless of earlier Tory pledges to become familiar with the Boxing Day shutdown

Phil Hufton, Community Rail's England and Wales supervisor, mentioned: 'This Christmas will see important funding in our railway with 1000's of Community Rail's 'orange military' working exhausting to ship a whole bunch of essential initiatives to enhance Britain's railways.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling

'It will imply modifications to companies over the festive interval, so we strongly advise passengers to plan their journeys as early as doable.

'Regardless of our important upgrades, the overwhelming majority of the rail community, over 95 per cent, stays unaffected and will likely be open for enterprise as ordinary. 

'This very important funding will make the railway extra dependable for years to return, whereas bettering journeys for 1000's of passengers.'

Labour mentioned the Conservatives ought to have completed extra to make sure Boxing Day companies weren't scrapped. 

Transport spokesman Andy McDonald mentioned: 'Tory ministers' dealing with of the Boxing Day rail standstill is making it a lot more durable for households and mates to go to each other this Christmas break.

'In opposition the Tories attacked the Boxing Day rail shutdown. They've now had greater than six years to do one thing about it however have not.' 

TRAIN IMPROVEMENTS SET TO CAUSE DISRUPTION

Rail passengers face disruption, with the annual festive shutdown which means solely sure companies will run on Boxing Day.

A lot of traces will likely be closed for an prolonged interval as Community Rail carries out as much as 200 enchancment initiatives costing £103 million.

Work on some schemes started on Saturday to present engineers and upkeep groups 4 days to hold out upgrades earlier than the following working day.

As much as 200 railway initiatives are being delivered this Christmas and New 12 months (pictured), with disruption possible for practice passengers

No trains will function to or from London Paddington between Saturday and Friday due to work to construct Crossrail.

Passengers travelling in Manchester and Cardiff may even be among the many worst affected by engineering work.  

As much as 200 railway initiatives are being delivered this Christmas and New 12 months. The foremost initiatives to happen over the Christmas and New 12 months interval are:

• London Paddington: No companies till Friday
• London Liverpool Avenue - Ingatestone / Billericay  
• London Charing Cross / London Cannon Avenue - London Bridge: Engineering work going down within the London Charing Cross space closing all traces out and in of the station till December 27
• London Waterloo - Clapham Junction
• Newport - Cardiff Central
• Manchester Piccadilly - Eccles / Salford Crescent / Trafford Park: Strains closed till January 2 with disruption on varied routes to Manchester Airport

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has beforehand introduced that Community Rail will likely be stripped of a few of its powers. 

It should share duty for sustaining the tracks with personal firms. 

A Division for Transport spokesperson mentioned: 'Deciding the extent of service on particular days is a matter for practice operators. 

'However we all know some passengers wish to journey on Boxing Day, and that is why we now have labored with the rail business to make sure there are restricted companies on some franchises on that day, and that the scope for Boxing Day companies is taken into account once we are planning future franchises .

'Community Rail and practice firms have ensured that a big a part of the railway will stay open over the Christmas/New 12 months interval and different routes are supplied the place the traces are closed for important engineering work, and that these are communicated correctly to the general public.'

TRAVELLERS URGED TO TAKE CARE AS STORM CONOR HITS 

Festive travellers are being urged to take care because the stormy climate is predicted to trigger disruption. Pictured, Storm Conor batters the Shoreline of Cleveleys Lancsashire

Festive travellers are being urged to verify earlier than setting off because the stormy climate is predicted to trigger disruption.

Storm Conor is at this time making its manner throughout Scotland, Orkney and the Shetland Islands at this time, bringing rain, sleet, hail, snow, gusts of 95mph, 46ft waves and temperatures of 0C, set to drop to -3C tonight.

Alerts are additionally in place for the north-west and north-east of England, and Yorkshire and Humber the place gusts of round 50-60mph are forecast.

A extra severe amber 'be ready' warning has been issued for Orkney, Shetland and probably the most northerly a part of the Highlands the place winds may push 90mph.These areas have been worst hit by Storm Barbara, which lower electrical energy to greater than 25,000 properties.

Elsewhere, gales may hit elements of Grampian and Strathclyde, whereas snow alerts have been issued for central Scotland northwards as Storm Conor drags Arctic air throughout the area because it passes to the north of the nation.

Snow accumulations of 5cm to 10cm are anticipated above about 200 metres, and 10cm to 15cm above about 400 metres, with drivers warned to concentrate on icy patches.

Flood alerts are in place overlaying Tayside, Caithness and Sutherland, Orkney, Scottish Borders, Shetland, Skye, Easter Ross and Nice Glen and Lochaber and the Western Isles, whereas native flood warnings have been issued for Tayside and Caithness and Sutherland.

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