Boxing Day Services

[Topological]

There is a big discussion about whether trains should run on Boxing Day.

Assuming that there will be some lines with 9-day closures some years, this thread is based on what the service would look like on lines unaffected by such blocks. This year is the southern part of the MML, but that line still features in the list of services that would run.

To illustrate the sort of service that could work I have made suggestions for some London Terminals

St Pancras (MML):

1 tph to Sheffield - all stops after Kettering
1 tph to Nottingham - all stops after Kettering
1 tph to Corby - Picking up the major stops as now

Kings Cross (LNER):

2 tph to Leeds - Stevenage (1tph) and all stops after Peterborough to feature in at least one of the two.
1 tph to Newcastle to serve Peterborough, Doncaster and then stations to Newcastle
1 tph to Edinburgh to serve somewhere south of York, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle and main stations to Edinburgh.
Suburban services to complement Thameslink if needed

Euston (Avanti):

2 tph to Manchester - picking up the Trent Valley* stops between them.
1 tph to Liverpool - also picking up a Trent Valley* stop and then Stafford, Crewe, Runcorn, Liverpool Lime Street
1 tph to Preston* - Milton Keynes then Stafford, Crewe, Warrington, Wigan, Preston (then as many as possible to continue north at the main stations)
2 tph to Brimingham* - Ideally one to continue to Stafford to serve Wolverhampton. (The aim of this service is that CrossCountry does not get overwhelmed)
London Midland would serve Birmingham and Northampton as normal, but probably not Crewe.

Paddington (GWR):

1 tph to Oxford (some to Cotswolds)
1 tph to Didcot (though this could be dropped, there would then be no service for local stations between Reading and Didcot)
1 tph to Cheltenham
1 tph to Swansea (not Carmarthen)
1 tph to Exeter via B&H picking up the stops from the Newbury service as well.
1 tph to Penzance via Bristol Temple Meads (releases pressure on the XC)
1 tph to Bristol Temple Meads (possible extensions to Weston-Super-Mare)

CrossCountry:

1 tph Birmingham to Manchester
2 tph Birmingham to Leeds/York (not further, connections have been built into the proposed LNER)
2 tph Birmingham to Bristol (one continuing to Exeter)
1 tph Birmingham to Reading (GWR will do the service to Basingstoke and then SWR from there)

YES there are arguments for extending these CrossCountry options for direct trains, but the idea is that this should be staffable and the long-distance services on the respective lines can pick up stops to support connections.

My suggestion comes under "Special Service", but the poll gives options. There is the chance to vote for 2 so that more than just the obvious choice gets posted.

 

[317 forever]

I voted Sunday service with late start and early finish.

It provides a degree of predictability of level of service, including helping people get home after their Christmas Day with friends or family.

However, as few people would have day trips or nights out, the late start and early finish should be fine.

Admittedly, there would be the small matter of persuading sufficient staff to work Boxing Day at any TOC, and I don't just mean Northern.

 

[philosopher]

Something similar to what operated during the nationwide strikes in 2022 could be run. From what I recall this had 1 or 2 trains per hour operating on the busier routes but with most quieter routes having no services with services operating from 7am to 7pm with last trains generally being between 5 and 6pm. These times may need to be shifted a bit later to better reflect likely travel patterns on Boxing Day, so perhaps services could be between 9am and 9pm.

 

[Class 317]

Something similar to what operated during the nationwide strikes in 2022 could be run. From what I recall this had 1 or 2 trains per hour operating on the busier routes but with most quieter routes having no services with services operating from 7am to 7pm with last trains generally being between 5 and 6pm. These times may need to be shifted a bit later to better reflect likely travel patterns on Boxing Day, so perhaps services could be between 9am and 9pm.

That sounds reasonable to me from 8am to 8pm.
Would need to be a little more comprehensive than strike timetable so maybe for SWR something like as follows in an hourly basis.

Waterloo to Reading.
Waterloo to Windsor.
Waterloo to Guildford via Effingham Junction.
Waterloo to Basingstoke all stops
Waterloo to Portsmouth via Guildford.
Waterloo to Weymouth.
Waterloo to Salisbury extended 2 hourly to Exeter.

 

[I'm here now]

Sunday service on intercity routes and Saturday service on urban routes to pick up more people out on the hunt for sales, or Sunday service if absolutely necessary. All stations should be served and lines with rubbish service (below hourly) already (Pontefract Baghill one) should be weekday frequency (late starts etc.).

 

[cle]

If there was a weekend service (I prefer that practice and see no different between Sat, Sun and Hols like many countries practice) - it would be packed.

There are many many retail workers, as well as shoppers, blended/complex families, essential workers, tons of reasons people need to travel.

Boxing Day doesn’t actually mean anything, it’s no different to a Bank Holiday Monday. And people need to get around. We don’t close roads or switch off traffic lights. The railways should accommodate, as a national service. People who want a career in the railways should go in knowing that is their calling, like another essential service.

 

[Harpo]

There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution for Boxing Day. Some places might justify a service provision, others definitely won’t.

Wherever I’ve been involved in anything running on 26/12 it’s been volunteer based and enough people have been happy to work it. I’d not like to see it become compulsory.

 

[YouLostAStar]

If there was a weekend service (I prefer that practice and see no different between Sat, Sun and Hols like many countries practice) - it would be packed.

There are many many retail workers, as well as shoppers, blended/complex families, essential workers, tons of reasons people need to travel.

Boxing Day doesn’t actually mean anything, it’s no different to a Bank Holiday Monday. And people need to get around. We don’t close roads or switch off traffic lights. The railways should accommodate, as a national service. People who want a career in the railways should go in knowing that is their calling, like another essential service.

Boxing Day is very different from a normal Bank Holiday.
Bank holidays are usually when families are looking for day trips or a 3 day weekend because aside from the 3 BH's around Christmas/New Year they are all in the Spring/Summer.
It depends on the industry but a lot more businesses will be shut on Boxing Day than normal bank holidays.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Boxing Day doesn’t actually mean anything, it’s no different to a Bank Holiday Monday

Just to pick up on this point, Boxing Day is different from Bank Holiday Mondays in that in England and Wales it's the only bank holiday to immediately follow another bank holiday (i.e. Christmas Day), and things close down much more completely for Christmas Day than for any other bank holiday.

That doesn't actually answer the question of what service should be run - but it is a point that needs to be considered in making the decision.

 

[12LDA28C]

If there was a weekend service (I prefer that practice and see no different between Sat, Sun and Hols like many countries practice) - it would be packed.

There are many many retail workers, as well as shoppers, blended/complex families, essential workers, tons of reasons people need to travel.

Boxing Day doesn’t actually mean anything, it’s no different to a Bank Holiday Monday. And people need to get around. We don’t close roads or switch off traffic lights. The railways should accommodate, as a national service. People who want a career in the railways should go in knowing that is their calling, like another essential service.

But they don't, as for the majority of operators, trains do not run on Boxing Day. If a TOC wants to start running trains when they have not done so in the past, they would need to provide a suitable incentive for staff to volunteer, as is the case at the few mainline TOCs that do run a Boxing Day service.

 

[bleeder4]

But they don't, as for the majority of operators, trains do not run on Boxing Day. If a TOC wants to start running trains when they have not done so in the past, they would need to provide a suitable incentive for staff to volunteer, as is the case at the few mainline TOCs that do run a Boxing Day service.

Or recruit new staff specifically to work the new services, so they know what they are signing up for from the get go. Incidentally, I was up in Scotland over Christmas and saw quite a few ScotRail services running on Boxing Day, so they seem to manage it OK up there.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

I was up in Scotland over Christmas and saw quite a few ScotRail services running on Boxing Day, so they seem to manage it OK up there.

There's historic reasons for that - although Boxing Day does now seem to be a bank holiday in Scotland, the two break was traditionally taken on 1 and 2 January, so https://www.mygov.scot/scotland-bank-holidays currently tells us

Bank holiday dates in 2024

Date	Day of the week	Bank holiday
1 January	Monday	New Year's Day
2 January	Tuesday	2 January
29 March	Friday	Good Friday
6 May	Monday	Early May bank holiday
27 May	Monday	Spring bank holiday
5 August	Monday	Summer bank holiday
2 December	Monday	St Andrew's Day (substitute day)
25 December	Wednesday	Christmas Day
26 December	Thursday	Boxing Day

Of course, it might then be that this means that (per my previous comment) Boxinf Day being the second day of a two day break is less of an issue than I imiagined.

 

[cle]

But they don't, as for the majority of operators, trains do not run on Boxing Day. If a TOC wants to start running trains when they have not done so in the past, they would need to provide a suitable incentive for staff to volunteer, as is the case at the few mainline TOCs that do run a Boxing Day service.

I agree it is grandfathered in now and the reality would not be as tidy. It would have to be all new employees / phased out, or yes, blanket new incentives with existing unions.

I don’t agree it is that different to Good Friday / Easter Monday re a sustained holiday. If anything, those have the Sunday which means something to some.

And again, things are not really shut. Retail notably! The sales- should private transport be encouraged? It’s also a huge day for sports (football and horses) - people do a lot and travel a lot. And drink a lot - maybe let’s not encourage driving (by lack of PT provision) on such a boozy day.

 

[Falcon1200]

I was up in Scotland over Christmas and saw quite a few ScotRail services running on Boxing Day, so they seem to manage it OK up there.

We do, however in compensation there was not a single Scotrail train yesterday, 1st January!

 

[Class15]

As a passenger, it’s hard to not go for the Monday - Friday option.

 

[12LDA28C]

As a passenger, it’s hard to not go for the Monday - Friday option.

What does this mean in relation to Boxing Day?