trains in holland/germany on christmas eve/day

[traintimemf]

hi,

just wondering what sort of service operates on christmas eve/day as i will be flying into schiphol on 24/12 and will be travelling to oberhausen/mulheim

I am with someone who is wanting to go to amsterdam before travelling to germany but thought i would better check what sort of service to expect on the 24th? and wehther any travel would be possible on 25th?

I am also assuming things will running generally as normal on the 27th of december but if anyone knows anymore that would be great

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

Yep, normal. Some mild reduction on Xmas eve evening and Xmas day, but if you check via bahn.de it will give you accurate info. It's only GB that goes in for a total shutdown of the rail network at Xmas.

 

[Groningen]

The only shutdown in the Netherlands is on December 31 from 20 hours and lasts for 5 hours. Than the nightservice between Utrecht - Amsterdam - Schiphol - Rotterdam runs again as the first trains of the new year.

 

[Oscar]

In Germany 25th and 26th are public holidays and a Sunday service normally runs. Services typically stop early on 24th.

 

[AlexNL]

In the Netherlands, trains run as on a Sunday during Christmas and on January 1st. On new year's eve, services come to a halt at 20:00.

 

[duesselmartin]

In Germany 25th and 26th are public holidays and a Sunday service normally runs. Services typically stop early on 24th.

Regular trains even run to a sunday type service on xmas eve. Trams and buses can be reduced to skeleton timetable but ICE IC RE or S-BAHN run close to normal

 

[Groningen]

Services typically stop early on 24th.

Normal service!

 

[traintimemf]

Normal service!

perfect - thanks for the replies everyone

 

[Groningen]

Which reminds me; since when is railtravel in the UK shutdown on December 25 and 26? And still have footballgames played on those days!

 

[duesselmartin]

Even most Air travel pauses on the 25th

 

[radamfi]

Which reminds me; since when is railtravel in the UK shutdown on December 25 and 26? And still have footballgames played on those days!

That is a very sore point and is hotly debated on here every year. There has been a train and bus shutdown in the UK for many decades and people without cars struggle to get around and rely on friends and relatives with cars or just stay at home. There are some trains in a few areas on 26 December and long distance buses run a near normal service. The 25 December has almost no trains or buses anywhere, even in London. I try to spend Christmas in the Netherlands to avoid such nonsense.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

That is a very sore point and is hotly debated on here every year. There has been a train and bus shutdown in the UK for many decades and people without cars struggle to get around and rely on friends and relatives with cars or just stay at home. There are some trains in a few areas on 26 December and long distance buses run a near normal service. The 25 December has almost no trains or buses anywhere, even in London. I try to spend Christmas in the Netherlands to avoid such nonsense.

BR came out of Xmas Day service in the mid 1960's - and from what I gather they were very sparse and only ran up to about 1500.....(with very few passengers , a late mate was a booking clerk in the London suburbs -who leapt at the extra wages - and on his 0800 - 1500 shift sold about 2 tickets..) .

 

[Mag_seven]

That is a very sore point and is hotly debated on here every year. There has been a train and bus shutdown in the UK for many decades and people without cars struggle to get around and rely on friends and relatives with cars or just stay at home.

Yup you can bet your house on it being the only news story on 26th December. Then the 27th comes and it gets quickly forgotten till the 26th on the following year.

 

[axlecounter]

Still doesn't make very much sense. Here in Switzerland a sunday service is run on Christmas.

 

[duesselmartin]

And in much of Europe trains are being used on Xmas day

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Even most Air travel pauses on the 25th

Depends on your definition of most. Inter-continental routes run as normal as do most routes run by airlines from traditionally non-Christian countries. But "domestic" flights in Europe are indeed pretty sparse.

 

[30907]

And in much of Europe trains are being used on Xmas day

But in most of Europe the primary celebration is Christmas EVE not Christmas DAY. And on Christmas EVE local services in many countries (not all) are thinned drastically compared with, say, a normal Saturday evening - but rarely cancelled altogether.

Comments about the UK will appear in another forum ere long - bets on the date?

 

[class387]

Not strictly on topic, but are all shops completely shut on Christmas day in continental Europe as well, or is that UK only too?

I'm normally bored out of my mind during Christmas here, a few trains or commerces would make it much better.

 

[30907]

Not strictly on topic, but are all shops completely shut on Christmas day in continental Europe as well, or is that UK only too?

I'm normally bored out of my mind during Christmas here, a few trains or commerces would make it much better.

In general shops are shut on Sundays and holidays in most of mainland Europe, but there are exceptions to the rule. The legislation isn't always strictly enforced either.

 

[radamfi]

Not strictly on topic, but are all shops completely shut on Christmas day in continental Europe as well, or is that UK only too?

I'm normally bored out of my mind during Christmas here, a few trains or commerces would make it much better.

Last time I spent Christmas Day in Groningen, there was hardly anything open, not even McDonalds. Most restaurants were shut. In fact there are probably more restaurants/pubs open in the UK. (That blows away the argument that Christmas Day is not important in mainland Europe that many British people come up with). But I could spend the day travelling around by bus and train.

 

[AlexNL]

A lot depends on the region where you look. Around here (Breda), even supermarkets were open from 09:00 to 17:00 on December 25th!

 

[Groningen]

There are several supermarkets in the Netherlands that are open all days of the year. In the past open untill 18 hours and it became later and later. On the website: www.opentot.nl one can enter a townname in the Netherlands and see what the openingtimes are. During Christmas and January 1 not that extended (say about 6 hours long). Only in religous areas as Barneveld (the Biblebelt) and between Gouda and Den Bosch supermarkets are closed on Sunday.

 

[sarahj]

I was once in Germany during a holiday date (a monday), and in Cologne most, if not all of the major shops were shut. The ones in the station were open, but the city centre was empty.
TBH it was nice to see, in the uk most bank holidays are just seen as more shopping days. We run a Sat service.

As for other days. New years eve, once it get past about 20.00 pass number drop right off. Even the days between xmas and new year, once it gets past about 18.00 the stations become a ghost town. Xmas eve numbers crash as well once past 17.00, tho' each year at Brighton I've seen a (different) family turn up at about 22.00, all their cases, wondering where the trains to Gatwick are. You even get the odd one or two trying to head long distance.