British Trains Don’t Run Over Christmas

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Why is traveling over the Christmas period so difficult? Probably because just like us, train drivers, airplane pilots, ticket sales people and station security guards all want to spend the vacation with their families, too.

One of the problems affecting transport over the holiday period can be strikes, threatened at the most difficult time of year, and in the northern hemisphere, severe winter weather can add to the misery.

Great Britain Halts Its Trains

But in Britain and Ireland, the trains simply don’t run at all on December 25 and 26. If you were a traveler visiting these countries over the Christmas vacation, you’ll probably have already found out that regional and intercity trains simply didn’t exist. There was no strike or bad weather, but it has simply been this way for many years - the Department of Transport does not require it and drivers aren’t expected to work. Maintenance and engineering work takes place during the 58 hour closedown, and people who want to travel around Britain simply have to get by with cars and buses.

The Alternative is to Fly

But who’d want to take the train, anyway: budget airlines have increased their market coverage so much that these days it’s often cheaper to fly than to take the train. If you’re a tourist heading to Britain you can probably learn from what the locals do and forget being logical - it might a small country, but the air service seems a whole lot more effective than the trains. Unless, of course, there are strikes or bad weather …