Boxing Day Trains

[castra]

Hopefully somebody may know the answer to this?

I know there is usually a Boxing Day skeleton service on the Victoria - Gatwick - Brighton route plus a few others in the London area to airports. But, can anyone remember which year, British Rail last operated a regular Sunday type service on a Boxing Day?

In today's modern railway where profit will always precede passenger requirements, its an extremely sore point with me. With all the sports fixtures plus many shops open, the demand for a service, even a reduced Sunday one, is very much there in my opinion.

 

[Donny Dave]

Erm, wasn't a topic very similar to this one very recently locked?

 

[wintonian]

Yes.

It is a topic that comes up in the last quarter of every year and has I think been flogged to death.

There is a list here.

 

[Flamingo]

I was just thinking "It must be October, the annual Xmas Day trains for heathens" thread has appeared".

 

[driver_m]

We were on about this the other day at work, making its annual appearance in the daily mail though as an excuse to bash rail.

 

[The Ham]

I would suggest that a better Sunday service would be a higher priority.

 

[SS4]

I was just thinking "It must be October, the annual Xmas Day trains for heathens" thread has appeared".

It just wouldn't be Christmas without it. Perhaps one could play thread bingo with some of the phrases below (alternatively thread snap where you spot repeated use of the same argument)

• The word Multicultural
• 21st Century
• Economy
• Jesus
• Commercialism
• Football (or sport in general)
• Shopping
• Supermarkets

 

[wintonian]

It just wouldn't be Christmas without it. Perhaps one could play thread bingo with some of the phrases below (alternatively thread snap where you spot repeated use of the same argument)

• The word Multicultural
• 21st Century
• Economy
• Jesus
• Commercialism
• Football (or sport in general)
• Shopping
• Supermarkets

You forgot Pagan

 

[Flamingo]

The last time someone on a train started having a rant at me aboutt this, I stopped him and asked him "What will you be doing Xmas Day?" He replied "I'll probably be at home with the kids", to so I then asked him "Well, why do you think I shouldn't do the same?"

Before anybody says "But the railway is 24/7", it's not. I have every Sunday, and 2t &26. DEC OFF, guarenteed. It's contractural.

I do think that if trains on Xmas day ever come in, then as Taxi's (and indeed every other service industry) charges a premium for Xmas, then Xmas day and Boxing Day should be fullanytime tickets (no Advance tickets) all day to cover the extra costs.

 

[30907]

"...can anyone remember which year British Rail last operated a regular Sunday type service on a Boxing Day?"

The OP deserves a factual answer: the last Christmas Day services on the Southern - and I think the whole UK - were 1970 or 1971 (Victoria-Orpington ran 4 times each way...) and Boxing Day trains were already thinned out then; they went altogether (except for Glasgow Suburbans) a couple of years later, though I can't be more precise.

 

[wintonian]

I do think that if trains on Xmas day ever come in, then as Taxi's (and indeed every other service industry) charges a premium for Xmas, then Xmas day and Boxing Day should be fullanytime tickets (no Advance tickets) all day to cover the extra costs.

That might not make much difference if the majority just want to pop to their nearest retail centre when anytime returns are only 10P or 20P etc. more expensive.

Of course if there is a large enough number of people who have had enough of being with their family's the this would be of much more benefit to those long distance TOC's such as FGW, XC, SR, VWC, and will penalise those passengers travelling to London.

 

[Greenback]

Erm, wasn't a topic very similar to this one very recently locked?

Yes. As such, this thread is locked too.