Boxing Day: Should there be scheduled trains?

[Dave1987]

As rail staff I am very happy that the rail network closes down for 2 days Christmas Day and Boxing Day but I see that now more and more retailers are opening on Boxing Day. I fear before long we will be expect to operate a service Boxing Day.

What does everyone else think about the railway being shut down on Boxing Day?

 

[SS4]

Seems anachronistic since boxing day is more like a regular weekend these days (for right or wrong). I cannot begrudge the staff getting two known days off though.

(note: I am not railway staff)

 

[nedchester]

Seems anachronistic since boxing day is more like a regular weekend these days (for right or wrong). I cannot begrudge the staff getting two known days off though.

(note: I am not railway staff)

Time moves on and there is a lot of demand for rail travel on Boxing Day. There should be at least a Sunday service on most lines IMHO.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Let's not forget there's a full Sunday service around Glasgow today, but they don't have New Years Day services at all.

 

[Bungle73]

Surely there are certain occupations where it should be expected that one might have to work over Xmas, or any other public holiday. Railway employment is one of those imo.

My Dad worked as a security guard and he often had to work over Xmas, including nights. What makes railway workers so special?

 

[ainsworth74]

I think it would be reasonable to expect a Sunday level of service (or a modified Sunday service if it's normally high frequency even on Sundays) on Boxing Day on most lines (the Far North Line for example probably doesn't need one).

 

[tirphil]

Many railwaymen and women do work on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. I've sat on my fair share of ballast/engineering trains over the Christmas holiday in the past.

 

[Qwerty133]

Should be a modified Sunday service with a earlier start up by 9:30 am and at least hourly on nearly all lines

 

[12CSVT]

I seriously question the need for shops to be open on boxing day, other than pure greed by the retailers.

Other than emergency services, it should be entirely a matter of personal choice whether somebody wishes to work Christmas Day or Boxing Day (or in the case of Scotland, New Year's Day).

 

[radamfi]

Shops open or otherwise is pretty irrelevant to whether trains should run on Boxing Day, or Christmas Day. Shops do not open on Christmas Day in, for example, the Netherlands or Germany yet they run a full Sunday service. They don't open much on Boxing Day either. Shops are less likely to be open on Sunday in those countries yet their Sunday train service is similar to their Saturday service. Suburban and local trains may run less frequently but longer distance trains run almost the same service 7 days a week, just with a later start on Sunday.

Anyone who went out on a motorway yesterday would have noticed that they were not exactly deserted. BBC News were showing queues on the M25.

 

[GB]

Time moves on and there is a lot of demand for rail travel on Boxing Day. There should be at least a Sunday service on most lines IMHO.

How much demand is there then? Out of those that use the roads on 25th and 26th how many would actually switch to trains?

 

[Bungle73]

Other than emergency services, it should be entirely a matter of personal choice whether somebody wishes to work Christmas Day or Boxing Day (or in the case of Scotland, New Year's Day).

So, you want no radio or TV, no telephone, and no electricity, gas or running water then?

 

[Ascot]

From what I understand there is a lot of engineering works over xmas day and boxing day which, in theory, will give us a nice railway for the rest of the year. With that in mind I'd rather them have 2 days to play freely as opposed to blocking the line at 7am every Monday morning to do the work.

 

[Oswyntail]

How much demand is there then? ...

That is the question that no one seems to want to ask - whether about Boxing Day,Sunday services, or even everyday provision. What service do the customers actually want? Sometimes you get the impression that the railways are run simply for the convenience of the railways (and, dare I say it, staff), rather than to provide a service.

 

[anthony263]

I agree about a limited service on boxing day although I agree there maybe a few lines which dont really require a service.

There are a few bus operators running services today as are megabus and National express and they do seem to be doing pretty well.

If trains were to run today I think there would be the demand especially on some of the long distance routes such as Swansea/Bristol - London Paddington which could include those who have spent chrstmas day with relatives and want to travel back home.

That said I can understand that some railway staff dont want to work on boxing day but as has been said before times change and its up to them if they dont want to work, I am sure there are staff who would work on boxing day if they were asked.

 

[SS4]

I seriously question the need for shops to be open on boxing day, other than pure greed by the retailers.

Other than emergency services, it should be entirely a matter of personal choice whether somebody wishes to work Christmas Day or Boxing Day (or in the case of Scotland, New Year's Day).

I agree but there is no way it's going to change so it's moot really. In a market where jobs are scarce people will be coerced into working them since it's entirely possible to be blacklisted from a sector if you stand up for yourself although good luck getting anyone to admit that.

For the record there are others beyond the emergency services that need to be on call at Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Locksmiths and telephone engineers for example. I'd like it to be a matter of choice and essential workers to be paid at least time and a half.

How much demand is there then? Out of those that use the roads on 25th and 26th how many would actually switch to trains?

Not sure, I'd imagine the largest group would be those wishing to have a drink.

 

[Mojo]

I am glad my (railway) company runs a service on Boxing day as for me I find the Festive season quite boring. We are all in the business of providing a service to our customers and increasingly our customers want to travel on December 26th. It's not just for those going shopping; let us not forget that the 27th is a normal working day for many, and with people travelling a distance to see their families, not being able to get back for work tomorrow is a bit of an inconvenience.

 

[313103]

I know what why not have any Bank or public holidays (like Christmas or Easter) that way then the railways can fall in line with the banks, the schools, the council, the Government, even the shops. That way then there can be no argument from us railway staff about having to work on ALL Bank and Public holidays as all those mentioned above will also be working.

I go along the line when people start whingeing and moaning about why should railway staff get a decent pay rise when we cant get one. Why should railway staff have to work over the Christams period when 80% of the population isnt?

Another thing why do people need to travel on Christmas day, surely the one day of the year the poor old motor should have some rest. I am not yet the wrong side of 50 yet and i remember wide open spaces to play on the main road i lived near. Now that road is probably the same on Christmas day as it is on any other day.

 

[SS4]

From what I understand there is a lot of engineering works over xmas day and boxing day which, in theory, will give us a nice railway for the rest of the year. With that in mind I'd rather them have 2 days to play freely as opposed to blocking the line at 7am every Monday morning to do the work.

I'd completely forgotten about engineering work . Given this I'm of the same mind.

 

[radamfi]

A lot of people are required to work on Christmas Day and Boxing Day to enable cars to get around. Some petrol stations are open. Extra staff are required in hospitals and extra ambulances are needed to deal with road casualties. Traffic police are needed.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

From what I understand there is a lot of engineering works over xmas day and boxing day which, in theory, will give us a nice railway for the rest of the year. With that in mind I'd rather them have 2 days to play freely as opposed to blocking the line at 7am every Monday morning to do the work.

That would explain why there is so little weekend engineering work in the UK compared to mainland Europe.

 

[ainsworth74]

Another thing why do people need to travel on Christmas day

Who said anything about Christmas Day? This thread is about Boxing Day services.

 

[313103]

Who said anything about Christmas Day? This thread is about Boxing Day services.

I know that!

It was alluded to when someone mentioned how much traffic was on the road yesterday, and the state the M6 found itself in after that fatal accident.

If you going to make me work Boxing day (i dont have a problem with that tbh) you might as well make me work on Christmas day as i wont be able to drink alcohol on that day if i am working on Boxing day.

I have worked on the 27th on numerous occasions and the company i work on operate to a Saturday timetable, i have gone from Richmond to Stratford with no more then about 10 people getting on and most stations no one gets on.

 

[p123]

How much demand is there then? Out of those that use the roads on 25th and 26th how many would actually switch to trains?

A lot of demand! I've just returned from a (very manic) Glasgow, left the city centre about 2pm and every single train I saw arriving at Glasgow Central (high and low levels) was full and standing on arrival.

I'd also like to add, when I was a student I worked in retail part-time to help fund my studies. The fact that trains around Glasgow do actually run on Boxing Day was a fantastic help for me, as I wouldn't have been able to earn all the extra money that came with working that day in the past.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

When I signed my contract it said there would be NO Xmas Day/Boxing Day working now I actually do have a family life and these are the ONLY 2 days of the year I can guarantee I will have off in advance, for the 1st time in 10 years I won't be working New Years Eve/Day either so this time I can enjoy myself, why people want to destroy every tradition in this country baffles me, Sundays are now a normal day, why because people let it happen there is too much of a 365 day 24/7 attitude in this country just for convenience, well sod convenience how about giving Sundays back to people to have off if they choose and put Xmas back to where it belongs, where people spend time with their families and loved ones instead of glorified shopping trips.

And if people think I am selfish for my views tough, I Love my job and am proud to say I am good at it, however my family will always come first...Period!

 

[DarloRich]

As rail staff I am very happy that the rail network closes down for 2 days Christmas Day and Boxing Day but I see that now more and more retailers are opening on Boxing Day. I fear before long we will be expect to operate a service Boxing Day.

What does everyone else think about the railway being shut down on Boxing Day?

It isn't a railway holiday. Many railway staff are at work today. Several colleagues are working not a mile from my house at this very moment.

 

[Wath Yard]

From what I understand there is a lot of engineering works over xmas day and boxing day which, in theory, will give us a nice railway for the rest of the year. With that in mind I'd rather them have 2 days to play freely as opposed to blocking the line at 7am every Monday morning to do the work.

I'm not convinced the only renewal options are Xmas or morning peak hock:

However, it does seem to be a tradition to perform major renewals on main lines over the Christmas week, and as far as I'm concerned better do it then than spread out over 5 or 6 weekends over the rest of the year. The latter causes far more disruption and inconvenience.

 

[Goatboy]

I used to love working boxing day. I've never understood why, as a day, it was so special but I was more than happy for my employer to offer me triple time to work it

 

[noddingdonkey]

Another thing why do people need to travel on Christmas day, surely the one day of the year the poor old motor should have some rest.

Because on Christmas Day many people would like to visit family who don't happen to live on their doorstep, and there's no public transport alternative.

As to Boxing Day, don't forget that there is also a full programme of football, so certainly there will be people who would have wanted to take the train today.

 

[bluenoxid]

Personally, I would encourage the development of Boxing Day travel but only where the demand really is for a train. There is no need to run an empty Pacer around half of Lincolnshire.

I am sure that we can all come to a point where the commercial demands and supply can meet out some form of service.

 

[Bungle73]

When I signed my contract it said there would be NO Xmas Day/Boxing Day working now I actually do have a family life and these are the ONLY 2 days of the year I can guarantee I will have off in advance, for the 1st time in 10 years I won't be working New Years Eve/Day either so this time I can enjoy myself, why people want to destroy every tradition in this country baffles me, Sundays are now a normal day, why because people let it happen there is too much of a 365 day 24/7 attitude in this country just for convenience, well sod convenience how about giving Sundays back to people to have off if they choose and put Xmas back to where it belongs, where people spend time with their families and loved ones instead of glorified shopping trips.

And if people think I am selfish for my views tough, I Love my job and am proud to say I am good at it, however my family will always come first...Period!

Yes, silly us (us being the general public). Fancy us expecting things to be convenient.....

It's hardly a "tradition". And even if it were just because something's a "tradition" it doesn't mean it doesn't need to be done away with.

Tell me why you're so special you should get Xmas off and every other person who does work shouldn't?

Public services should be run for the benefit of the public, not for the the benefit of the employees.