Travel news live: Tube line suspended as UK braces for weekend chaos after Met Office weather warnings

Christmas travel this weekend is set to coincide with yellow weather alert warnings around the UK, as strong winds are likely to cause delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport.

Today, Friday, 20 December is set to be the busiest day for road travel according to the AA, with an estimated 23.7 million drivers planning a trip. Friday is also projected to be the busiest day overall this season for UK flight departures, with 2,807 departures alone.

London commuter travel in the final days before Christmas was thrown into disruption on Friday morning after the Piccadilly line closed its service between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge after damage caused by leaf fall left the line with a shortage of trains.

Other travellers have encountered issues with ferry services. The service between Holyhead and Dublin, the main ferry link between Britain and Ireland, will remain suspended over Christmas and into the new year after Holyhead’s port suffered damage during Storm Darragh.

KEY POINTS

• Where will the worst traffic jams be?

• Main ferry link between Ireland and Britain suspended over Christmas period

• Wild weather predicted for most of UK over coming weekend

• Will train strikes affect the Christmas period?

• How to ensure you Christmas flight goes smoothly

Lane closures start on busiest Christmas travel day

10:01 , Amelia Neath2

Today, Friday December 20 is expected to see the most cars on the road, with an estimated 23.7 million drivers planning a trip.

As of 10am, there are lane closures on M3 westbound within J2, M40 northbound between J8A and J9, M62 J36 westbound exist, M62 J21 westbound exit and M65 eastbound within J3.

There is also a hard shoulder closed on M6 southbound between J7 and J6.

Accidents, broken down vehicles, vehicle recovers and lane management are among the causes of lane closures.

Rail strikes on the horizon

10:00 , Simon Calder

Looking ahead to New Year’s Eve, Rail strikes are back with a vengeance. Passengers on Avanti West Coast face months of disruption, starting on 31 December and continuing until the late May bank holiday weekend.

Train managers working for the West Coast main line operator and who belong to the RMT union will walk out on New Year’s Eve, Thursday 2 January and then every Sunday between 12 January and 25 May.

The plan is to strike on a total of 21 days, disrupting the plans of up to 100,000 passengers for each of the chosen dates.

The network covers around 700 miles of track. It centres on the West Coast main line to and from London Euston.

The main cities served are:

• Birmingham

• Manchester

• Liverpool

• Glasgow

Coventry, Stoke-on-Trent, Preston, Carlisle and Edinburgh are among the other cities on the network.

In addition, Avanti West Coast runs along the North Wales coast, connecting Crewe with the port of Holyhead. The dispute is about payments to train managers for working on their rest days.

Train managers have been offered around £250 for each eight-hour shift worked on a rest day, or £300 at weekends. The union says Avanti senior managers working as stand-in train managers earn upwards of £300. Train drivers employed by Avanti earn a flat £600 for working on a day off.

Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT, said: “Our members have had enough, and this strike action demonstrates their determination to win a fair deal.

“It’s time for Avanti to put forward serious proposals that reflect the vital contribution of our train managers to the railway.”

Avanti West Coast says: “This strike action will cause significant disruption to our customers making journeys on the West Coast Main Line over an extended period.

“We’re disappointed our train managers who are RMT members have voted to decline the very reasonable, revised offer made to them to resolve the rest day working dispute and avoid inconveniencing our customers.

“We remain open to working with the RMT to resolve the dispute.”

Read more here:

When are the next train strikes? How industrial action will affect passengers

Frantic Friday in the skies

09:30 , Simon Calder

Friday 20 December is projected to be the busiest day overall this season for UK flight departures, with 2,807 departures alone – equating to over 500,000 departing seats, according to the aviation data service Cirium.

The most popular international destinations for UK departures are Amsterdam, Dublin, Geneva, Paris CDG and Tenerife South. To Amsterdam there will be more than 100 flights a day on average between 20 December and 2 January.

Heathrow airport is scheduled to see the largest number of departures over the festive period (8,741), followed by Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted and Edinburgh.

Piccadilly line partly closed on Friday morning during London rush hour

09:23 , Amelia Neath

As London commuters make their way into work in the final days before Christmas, some were hit with closures on the Piccadilly line impacting their journeys.

There is no service between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge on Friday morning due to a shortage of Piccadilly line trains. The lack of trains is the result of damage caused by leaf fall, which Transport for London (TfL) staff are working to fix.

TfL advises passengers to use the Metropolitan line to complete their journeys

Wind warnings of up to 85mph as Met Office cautions Christmas holiday drivers

09:00 , Amelia Neath2

The UK is set to see rain and disruptive winds of up to 85mph this weekend as the Met Office issues weather warnings for Christmas holiday drivers.

Yellow wind warnings have been released for the weekend, with one covering Scotland, much of Northern Ireland, north Wales and north-west England between 7am and midnight on Saturday.

Another warning is in place between midnight and 9pm on Sunday, covering Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and all of western England.

Winds of up to 85mph could hit coastal areas across northern Scotland on Saturday afternoon and evening, with more widespread gusts of 50 to 60mph on Sunday.

Jabed Ahmed has more:

Met Office issues weather warnings across UK as Christmas holidays begin

RAC urges drivers to avoid roads today 2pm-7pm

08:30 , Annabel Grossman

Nearly 3 million trips are predicted to take place on the roads today December 20, with a “gridlock period” expected in late afternoon and early evening.

The RAC recommends festive commuters avoid major routes during these hours. Queues of more than 45 minutes are expected on the M3 between Surrey and Hampshire, on the M25 in west London, and the M1 near Watford.

Further north, the M53 northbound from Chester to Liverpool will be worst affected by delays during home-time traffic.

Amber traffic warnings have been issued by the AA for today through to Sunday.

Simon Calder offers last-minute escapes

08:00 , Simon Calder

You can still get away at a reasonable price this side of Christmas. The cheapest flight-plus-accommodation deal I have found for a week, flying away on 24 December, is just £180 per person in a four-star hotel. Per hour, that’s basically one guinea (ask an elderly relative). Spoiler alert: the deal, from easyJet Holidays, may not be the trip of your dreams. You fly on 24 December from Birmingham all the way to, er, Glasgow, and check in at the Doubletree by Hilton on the northern edge of the city centre. That’s about 200 miles closer to the North Pole than the West Midlands. And you will be flying back just as Scotland’s Hogmanay celebrations get under way on 31 December.

If a southbound trip is more enticing, British Airways Holidays has a three-night Yuletide break on the Côte d’Azur, out on Christmas Eve and back on 27 December, for £191 per person. This includes flights from London Heathrow to Nice and a stay at the three-star So’Co boutique property (which describes itself as “a subtle blend of vintage and contemporary”) and 63kg of baggage (physical, not emotional). When you arrive you will also discover the UK is an outlier in locking down on 25 December. Plenty of trains shuttle up and down the Riviera, allowing you to visit Antibes and Cannes on Christmas Day should whim or appetite take you there.

The best airfare bargain for the last week of the year, though, is Jet2 from Edinburgh to Lanzarote for an absurdly low £92 return, flying out on Christmas Eve and back to the Scottish capital on New Year’s Eve (probably crossing flightpaths with those folks who opted for the Birmingham to Glasgow adventure). How can a 3,900-mile round trip on a quality airline be so darned cheap? Because accommodation on the islands is in short supply, and therefore demand for seat-only deals is weak. This could be the year for Christmas camping in the Canaries.

Where will the worst traffic jams be?

07:30 , Annabel Grossman

The AA has released its predictions of where the worst snarl ups will be on the roads over the festive period and which days drivers can expect the most traffic.

Today, Friday December 20 is expected to see the most cars on the road, with an estimated 23.7 million drivers planning a trip.

The breakdown rescue company predicts that the joint second worst days for congestion over the festive period will be tomorrow Saturday December 21 and Monday December 23, each with 22.7 million drivers on the road.

It has identified several likely congestion hotspots, including:

• M4/M5 interchange near Bristol

• M25 near Heathrow airport, west London

• M5/M6 interchange near Birmingham

• M60 near the Trafford Centre, Manchester

• M1 near Meadowhall, Sheffield

See the AA’s map of the worst traffic jams:

When and where to expect the worst traffic jams this Christmas

How to ensure you Christmas flight goes smoothly

05:30 , Annabel Grossman

The last thing anyone wants is to miss a flight just before Christmas – so The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder has pulled together some advice for stress-free travel during the festive period.

His key points are:

• Sort out your holiday money in advance

• Research the customs rules for your destination

• Check that you can reach the airport

• Allow for long security queues

• Wrap presents after security

• Leave Christmas crackers out

• Avoid too much celebratory booze

Read Simon Calder’s full guide on stress-free festive travel:

Everything to remember if you’re flying this Christmas

Will train strikes affect the Christmas period?

03:30 , Annabel Grossman

This week Avanti West Coast announced fresh strikes that will take place in the final hours of 2024 continuing until the late May bank holiday weekend.

The first will take place towards the end of the festive period on December 31 meaning New Year’s Eve revellers may need to seek alternative forms of transport. Further strikes are then planned for Thursday 2 January and then every Sunday between 12 January and 25 May.

Avanti West Coast centres on the West Coast main line to and from London Euston, and serves a number of main cities including Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow.

On most strike days, the company operates a skeleton service. On the core routes linking London with Birmingham and Manchester, typically one train an hour will run – compared with the normal three-per-hour schedule.

Hourly trains will also run to Liverpool via Crewe (except on 2 January, when the line through Crewe is closed), with less frequent services via Preston and Carlisle to Glasgow.

Read Simon Calder’s full breakdown of the train strikes here:

When are the next train strikes? How industrial action will affect passengers

An extended period of ‘pre-Christmas panic’ expected this year

01:30 , Amelia Neath

As Christmas falls on a Wednesday this year, the RAC predicts there will be an extended period of “pre-Christmas panic” on the roads as people travel up and down the motorways and roads ahead of the festive celebrations.

5.7m extra trips are expected to be taken this Wednesday and Thursday alone. The peak times are 1pm-6pm on 18 December and 8am-6pm the following day, the RAC says.

Around 29.3 million Christmas journeys will take place between Wednesday and 24 December, the RAC has estimated, with nearly half taking place on the pre-Christmas weekend alone.

Read more from Albert Toth:

Christmas travel: Worst times for driving during ‘record getaway’ revealed

This December to be busiest for air travel since the pandemic

Thursday 19 December 2024 23:30 , Amelia Neath

The UK Civil Aviation Authority says that regulator data trends suggest airports will be even busier this month than the almost 11 million passengers who jetted off in December 2023, with the demand for flights expected to get back to pre-pandemic levels.

The Independent predicts these will be the busiest days:

• Heathrow: Friday 20 December (outbound); Friday, Saturday and Sunday 3/4/5 January (inbound).

• Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted: Saturday and Sunday 21/22 December (outbound); Saturday and Sunday 4/5 January (inbound). The intermediate weekend, 28/29 December, will be very busy.

• Luton: Friday 20 December (outbound); Fridays 27 December and 3 January (inbound).

Expect spray on the roads and blustery winds during Friday traffic, Met Office says

Thursday 19 December 2024 21:30 , Amelia Neath

Friday, 20 December, especially the evening rush hour, is expected to be one of the busiest times for Christmas travel on the UK’s roads and motorways.

The AA predicts that Friday will see a record 23.7 million car journeys on motorways and trunk roads.

The Met Office said that drivers should prepare for spray on the roads at times with some blustery winds in places too.

What time will Christmas Eve trains finish?

Thursday 19 December 2024 19:30 , Amelia Neath

Christmas Eve will mostly be everyone’s final chance to reach their Christmas destination for the holidays, as no passenger trains will run in the UK on Christmas Day and Boxing Day will be similar, except for some rare exceptions.

On 24 December, trains will start to roll into their depots ahead of Christmas from late afternoon onwards.

The last direct trains on key intercity routes are:

• London King’s Cross-Edinburgh: 5.30pm/Edinburgh-London King’s Cross: 4.13pm

• London Euston-Manchester Piccadilly: 5.55pm/Manchester Piccadilly-London Euston: 6.13pm

• London Paddington-Cardiff Central: 7.48pm/Cardiff Central-London Paddington: 8.18pm

• London Victoria-Gatwick Airport: 8.45pm/Gatwick Airport-London Victoria: 7.32pm

• Bristol Temple Meads-Leeds: 4.35pm/Leeds-Bristol Temple Meads: 4.11pm

• Glasgow Queen Street-Aberdeen: 6.41pm/Aberdeen-Glasgow Queen Street: 6.36pm

All Caledonian Sleeper services are cancelled until 27 December.

How busy will the roads be this Christmas?

Thursday 19 December 2024 17:30 , Amelia Neath

The RAC predicts there will be an extended period of “pre-Christmas panic” on the roads, with 5.7m extra trips being taken this Wednesday and Thursday alone.

The peak times are 1pm-6pm on 18 December and 8am-6pm the following day.

However, Friday 20 December is set to be the busiest day of the winter on motorways and trunk roads according to rival motoring organisation the AA, which predicts a record 23.7 million car journeys.

The organisation warns Saturday 21 and Monday 23 December will also be extremely busy, with 22.7 million on each day. The RAC, meanwhile, predicts 1-6pm on Saturday and 10am-4pm on Monday will be the busiest times.

The Independent has analysed AA figures to calculate that one in seven motorists plans to drive more than 100 miles on “frantic Friday”, 20 December.

Find out more about Christmas road congestion here:

How to avoid travel chaos on road and rail this Christmas and New Year

Rail industry warns passengers to plan ahead over the Christmas period

Thursday 19 December 2024 17:00 , Amelia Neath

Passengers have been warned to plan their journeys in advance as stations and services are likely to be busy in the run-up to Christmas and the New Year, with engineering work also affecting trains.

National Rail says there could be some changes to the advertised timetables, so passengers are strongly advised to check journey planners before travel and book tickets in advance wherever possible.

Due to engineering works and projects, some services will be disrupted:

• London Liverpool Street will be closed from Wednesday 25 December with services resuming on Thursday 2 January, causing various services to be redirected or terminated elsewhere.

• London Paddington also will close for three days from 27 to 29 December.

• There will be no East Midlands trains running between St Pancras and Bedford and no Thameslink services between St Pancras and Harpenden between 21 and 29 December.

• No trains will pass through Crewe on 27 December. There will be no direct service to Liverpool and there will be a reduced service to Manchester from 28 December until 3 January.

• There will be no services between both Royston/Audley End and Cambridge/Cambridge North from Wednesday 25 December to Sunday 5 January

• South Western Railway services will be altered or diverted due to engineering between Farnborough and Woking from 23 December until 5 January.

More information can be found on the Network Rail website.

As usual, train services throughout the UK will finish earlier than normal on 24 December, and there will be no National Rail services on Christmas Day. On Boxing Day, most train operators will not be running any trains, but a small number of operators will be running limited services.

Wild weather predicted for most of UK over coming weekend

Thursday 19 December 2024 16:30 , Simon Calder

On Saturday 21 December from 7am to midnight, the Met Office has yellow weather warnings for strong winds in place for much of the northern UK.

The warnings cover all of Scotland (apart from Shetland), northern England west of the Pennines (including Manchester airport), the North Wales coast and the northern half of Northern Ireland.

The Met Office says for western Scotland: “Very strong westerly winds are expected to develop through the course of Saturday in association with a deep area of low pressure, with gusts of 65-75 mph expected.

There is a small chance that gusts in excess of 80 mph could occur across this region.

“Dangerous coastal conditions can be expected too, with large waves an additional hazard, especially in respect to causeways.”

On Sunday, the warning changes to cover the whole of the west of the UK – west of a line through Leeds, Birmingham and Southampton.

From midnight to 9pm on Sunday, prospective travellers are warned: “A prolonged period of strong winds will likely lead to some disruption over the weekend, especially to travel.

“Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely.

“It’s likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves.

“Probably some bus and train services affected, with some journeys taking longer.”

Latest dimension of Christmas getaway disruption: smog in Sarajevo

Thursday 19 December 2024 16:00 , Simon Calder

Many flights have been grounded in Bosnia‘s capital, Sarajevo, as toxic air engulfed the city.

The public were told to stay indoors as protection against a thick blanket of smog.

Sarajevo and other major cities in the Balkans are traditionally very polluted during winter months as they rely on coal and wood for heating.

Some flights to Sarajevo diverted, eg to Banja Luka, and many others were cancelled, but Wizz Air got in from Luton this morning.

Read the latest here:

Flights grounded as toxic smog blankets European capital

Air fares to Dublin soar with ferry option closed

Thursday 19 December 2024 15:30 , Simon Calder

With daily eight superferry departures from Holyhead to Dublin because of damage at the Welsh port, pressure on other forms of transport is leading to soaring fares.

Friday’s early evening departure on Ryanair from London Gatwick to Dublin, leaving at 5.45pm is currently priced at £501 one-way without baggage.

On Friday’s 6.30pm British Airways departure from Heathrow to the Irish capital, one seat remains at £660. This is for business class, and includes 64kg of checked baggage.

From Bristol to Dublin on Aer Lingus, tickets for Thursday, Friday and Saturday are all priced at around £200 for a 206-mile hop.

Main ferry link between Ireland and Britain suspended over Christmas period

Thursday 19 December 2024 15:00 , Simon Calder

The main ferry link between Great Britain and Ireland, from Holyhead to Dublin, will remain suspended throughout the festive season and into the new year.

The closure began on 8 December after the port of Holyhead suffered damage during Storm Darragh.

The weeks-long shutdown of the link between Holyhead and Dublin will wreck the plans of tens of thousands of Christmas travellers hoping to cross the Irish Sea by ferry, as well as disrupting the supply chain of goods across the Irish Sea.

A spokesperson for Holyhead Port said: “We understand the closure of the ferry terminals has had a significant impact on trade, passengers and port customers. We are sorry for the disruption this has caused. The safety of our colleagues and customers is our first priority and we will only permit ferry services to recommence once we are sure it is safe to do so.”

Normally Stena Line and Irish Ferries have four daily ferries each way between the Anglesey and the Irish capital. Hundreds of motorists and foot passengers use the link each day.

Air fares from the UK to Dublin have soared, with Ryanair’s hour-long hop from London Gatwick to the Irish capital currently selling at £501 for the 5.45pm departure on Friday 20 December.

Read more here:

Holyhead ferry port linking UK to Ireland to remain closed until mid-January

Christmas travel begins in chaos as Stansted Express shuts down due to cable theft

Thursday 19 December 2024 14:30 , Simon Calder

The great Christmas getaway descended into chaos for thousands of passengers hoping to fly from London Stansted airport on Thursday.

In the early hours, thieves stole signalling and power cables from the Stansted Express rail line in Hertfordshire. The tracks were closed to trains.

While Network Rail engineers worked to repair the damage, the first 17 departures of the airport express train were cancelled.

Stansted airport is expecting around 40,000 departing passengers on Thursday, of whom about a quarter would plan to use the train.

Network Rail says: “Cable theft costs us millions of pounds each year. The total cost to the economy – taking into account the impact of freight delays to power stations and supermarkets, and on passengers who miss appointments or have their day ruined – is even higher.”

A spokesperson for Ryanair, Stansted’s biggest airline, said: “It is each passenger’s responsibility to ensure they present at the boarding gate on time for their flight.”If not: “They can pay a Missed Departure Fee [£100] to move onto the next available flight.”

Travel insurance may cover extra costs.

Passengers travelling between London and Gatwick airport also encountered problems on Thursday morning due to what National Rail called “a fault with the signalling system”.

All southbound trains to the Sussex airport until around 9.30am were delayed.

Read more here:

Chaotic start to Christmas getaway as Stansted Express shuts