UK NEWS

IT’S NO BETTER TRAVELLING BY CAR OR TRAIN AT CHRISTMAS

Trains are expected to be packed at this time of year

Saturday December 22,2007

By Polly Buchanan

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(0)

ROADS and railways will be packed this weekend as at least 20million people start their Christmas break.

Sixteen million cars are expected to use Britain’s roads, with about 1.5million passengers packing the nation’s trains – double the usual number.

More than 500,000 people are flying abroad today, with nearly half – 214,000 of them – departing from Heathrow.

And after the calm of Christmas Day itself, 18million drivers are expected to take to the roads on Boxing Day, as they head to the sales.

“City centres will be chock-a-block on Boxing Day,” said a spokeswoman for the RAC Foundation.

“Shopping will begin in earnest, so we will see the number of motorists increase dramatically.”

Congestion hotspots are expected to include all the main roads around major shopping centres.

A spokesman for the Association of Train Operating Companies admitted they had expected more rail travellers yesterday, but added: “We believe that the vast majority of people will go today.”

Crushes can be expected at London’s stations, as more than two million passengers begin or end their journeys in the capital.

Another 375,000 travellers are expected to use Britain’s airports tomorrow, with 200,000 predicted to leave on Christmas Eve.

Ports will also be facing full capacity. P&O ferries expected at least 100,000 passengers this weekend.

“Lots of Eastern European workers are using us to get back to their countries,” said a spokesman for the firm.

“We’ve also got customers doing the traditional booze cruise to stock up for Christmas and those having skiing holidays.”

But even after Boxing Day, there will be no let-up for rail travellers.

Engineering works will close the West Coast main line for five days from December 27, including New Year’s Eve.

Routes between London and Scotland, and also Manchester and Birmingham, will be severely disrupted.

Kevin Groves, of Network Rail, which maintains the track, admitted the company had made a mistake in planning.