Christmas Eve travel chaos: advice for travelling by road, rail and air amid strike action on December 24

Millions of people flocking to see loved ones or embarking on getaways this Christmas face even more disruption than usual due to strike action. Both railway workers and Border Force staff are set to strike over Christmas, likely leading to long queues at airports, cancelled trains and delays on major motorways.

Around half of those affected by the train strikes are set to drive or get a lift to their destination instead, with 16.6 million people expected to take to the roads on December 24. Meanwhile, most train services are expected to finish early on Christmas Eve and long queues are expected at airports arrivals as military personnel are drafted in to check passports.

Many people, especially those travelling by train, have been warned to travel on Christmas Eve only if absolutely necessary. Here’s everything you need to know including some handy tips to get to where you need to be safely.

Travelling by train - last time to catch a train on Christmas eve during the rail strikes

Thousands of railway workers from the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) are set to strike from Christmas Eve (Saturday, December 24) until 6am on December 27. This means trains on December 23 and Christmas Eve will be even busier than usual, and the majority of services will finish early on December 24.

As a result, passengers are being urged only to travel on Christmas Eve “if absolutely necessary,” and check the final train times for their journey area. Trains will stop running at around 3pm on Christmas Eve in most locations.

Examples of some earlier last train departure times include 10.45am from Leeds to London, 11am from London to Edinburgh and 12.48pm from London to Manchester. To check train times, visit the National Rail Enquiries website.