Christmas Eve travel chaos as 70mph winds and flying debris to disrupt transport - live
16.5 million drivers are expected to have hit the road to get home in time for the holidays
JaneWalter
Storm Pia: 80mph winds batter Britain with 'do not travel' warnings issued
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Strong winds may cause flying debris and power cuts, and ruin last-minute Christmas getaway travel plans, forecasters have warned.
Gusts as high as 70mph are due to hit much of Scotland and northern and central areas of England on Christmas Eve.
Two separate yellow wind warnings have been issued by the Met Office, saying people should expect travel disruption, damage to buildings and power cuts, while the rest of the country may see showers during the day.
Forecaster Jonathan Vautrey said: “Obviously there will be quite a lot of people travelling and wanting to get home for Christmas itself.
“Particularly with these strong winds we could see some flying debris thrown on to particular roads or railway services, so if you get a tree down then that’s going to cause cancellations and delays.
“There’s the potential for isolated power cuts which will again lead to the risk of some disruption at times.”
Train disruption is likely as two of London’s railway stations, King’s Cross and Paddington, will be shut due to engineering works. The closure of London Paddington will continue until Wednesday, meaning no mainline trains will serve Heathrow Airport.
Two major London stations closed today
Two London intercity terminals – King’s Cross and Paddington – are completely closed for engineering work. Network Rail projects are beginning across Britain, with some continuing until early January.
London Euston is once again seeing widespread cancellations. On Saturday Avanti West Coast, which connects the capital with the West Midlands, northwest England, North Wales and southern Scotland, cancelled dozens of trains due to staff shortage.
Lydia Patrick24 December 2023 14:30
Christmas Eve afternoon brings more travel disruption, as rail and ferry services wind down ahead of 25 December
Bad weather is causing further disruption as millions try to reach their destinations. National Highways says the M48 Severn Bridge in Gloucestershire is currently closed in both directions between Junction 1 (Aust) and Junction 2 (Chepstow) due to strong winds.
“Traffic should use the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge as an alternate route,” the organisation says.
Some strategic bridges are closed to high-sided vehicles, including the Humber Bridge.
Final departures are approaching quickly. Last ferries sail from Dover for Dunkerque at 2pm and Calais at 2.25pm.
On the railways, the last CrossCountry train from Bristol to Newcastle is at 2.38pm. From Edinburgh-Manchester Airport, the final TransPennine Express departure is at 4.12pm, and the last run before Christmas from Glasgow Central to London Euston is with Avanti West Coast at 4.38pm.
Avanti West Coast Pendolino 390155 passes over Docker Viaduct, with 1000 Glasgow Central to London Euston
(Provided)
Lydia Patrick24 December 2023 13:37
Christmas Eve getaway travel chaos as rail staff shortage disrupts journeys
Millions of travellers are on the roads, railways and planes on Christmas Eve in the final travel surge before 25 December.
Rail passengers in particular have faced a litany of problems in the build-up to Christmas, with Storm Pia combining with staff shortage to disrupt trains within Britain.
Eurostar made 30 cancellations to and from Continental Europe on Thursday, when the Channel Tunnel closed because of a strike – wrecking the plans of 25,000 passengers.
Simon Calder has the full story
Simon Calder24 December 2023 12:29
More on train disruption
As with other services, Great Northern trains will finish earlier than usual and all routes will finish by around 9pm, with some ending even earlier.
Due to engineering work at London Kings Cross the following changes apply:
Until 10pm, buses will replace trains between Finsbury Park and Potters Bar / Hertford North.
No trains or replacement buses will run between London Kings Cross / Moorgate and Finsbury Park. Please use alternative London Underground services and London Bus routes including route 21 for stations to and from Moorgate.
Lydia Patrick24 December 2023 11:35
Motoring organisations warn of extra pressure on roads
On the roads, the middle of Christmas Eve is likely to see the biggest queues.
The RAC says : “There’s a good chance drivers will cram lots of journeys today 24 December, making it a good date to avoid being on the roads. If you can’t, allow some extra time and expect some lengthy delays.”
In southern Scotland, motorists are being warned of surface water, with some bridges – including across the Firth of Forth closed to high-sided vehicles due to strong winds.
At the Port of Dover, the approach to the French frontier post is now free-flowing. In previous days, queues of up to 90 minutes have built up due to post-Brexit border formalities.
The final ferries for Calais and Dunkirk depart in early afternoon on Christmas Eve, with cross-Channel sailings resuming on Boxing Day morning.
Eurotunnel will be running car-carrying shuttles between Folkestone and Dover throughout Christmas.
Simon Calder24 December 2023 10:44
Trains to stop running earlier than usual
Network rail are warning passengers to check before they travel with services ending earlier than usual.
Avanti West Coast trains will stop running before usual and c2c servies will end at 11pm.
Chiltern Railways services between London Marylebone and Oxford are expected to be busy as they will be the only direct services between London and Oxford. London Paddington will be affected by engineering works.
CrossCountry warn passengers their trains are expected to be extremely busy, with last minute timetable changes expected and last trains earlier than usual.
East Midlands Railway are running a reduced service with an early shutdown.
Due to engineering work between London Paddington and Ealing Broadway, no Elizabeth Line services will operate between these stations but trains will run between Abbey Wood / Shenfield and London Paddington, and between Ealing Broadway and Heathrow Airport / Reading.
There are no Gatwick Express services running after 9pm and no Grand Central services will run due to engineering works between London Kings Cross and Peterborough.
Passengers wait for train services to travel from Euston Station as they make their Christmas getaway in London
(EPA)
Lydia Patrick24 December 2023 10:15
The forecast today from the Met Office
A very windy Christmas Eve, especially for northeast England and Scotland, with severe gales possible. Turning cooler in the north with sunny spells and showers, some heavy. Rather cloudy further south with outbreaks of rain and drizzle, though very mild.
Lydia Patrick24 December 2023 09:45
Yellow weather warnings in place
Three weather warnings are in place for rain and strong winds across Scotland, the North East of England and parts of western Wales.
Strong gales could cause travel disruption and damage buildings, predict the Met Office.
Three weather warnings in place across the UK
(The Met Office)
Lydia Patrick24 December 2023 09:28
Millions take to roads for Christmas but strong winds set to cause disruption
Millions of people are setting off on a Christmas getaway but travel disruption is expected on the roads and rail, with strong winds set to batter parts of the country.
The AA has warned of “lengthy jams” for traffic, while the Met Office has said Christmas Eve travel plans could be affected with gusts of up to 70mph due to hit.
And rail disruption is likely on Sunday as two of London’s railway stations, King’s Cross and Paddington, will be shut due to engineering works.
Read more here:
Tara Cobham24 December 2023 09:00
Disruption on Northern Line trains through Liverpool
Trains running through central Liverpool have been disrupted due to a train not leaving the depot on time.
Lydia Patrick24 December 2023 08:53
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