AIBU to be surprised that the trains don't run over Christmas?

[HeritageQuay]

So I've been invited by friends to their Christmas lunch in central London. Having been on my own for the last few years, I was delighted to be invited and immediately accepted.

I live about 50 miles outside London and so travel by train is clearly the most sensible option. Accordingly I have been ordering presents etc. on Amazon for delivery to my hosts.

So today I tried to look up train times, only to find that there are no trains at all on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. This came as complete surprise to me, is this a one-off or is it a regular thing?

Not quite sure how to get there now as the last thing I want to do is drive through London with all the issues re Congestion Charge / Ulez / Street parking etc., and in any case I wanted to enjoy a few drinks at Christmas!

How do other people travel at Christmas?

Simply because people clearly want to travel at that time, and successive governments have been trying to persuade you to give up your car and use public transport.

As someone who can’t drive for medical reasons it’s crap but normal.

Yes, always. People amazed that trains don't run on Christmas Day may also be amazed to learn that sometimes the essential maintenance overruns and trains don't run normally once the Bank Holiday is over either. I am still not over the chaos at Euston on the Wednesday after Easter this year. Should have reached my Mum's at 4.30pm that day (alarm went off at 5am), actually got there just before lunchtime the next day after an unscheduled overnight hotel stay. Pah.

I was astounded when I was in Melbourne one Christmas and not only were the trams running but they were free too. I wouldn't ever expect public transport to be running on Christmas Day in the UK.

It’s been always been this way. I like that rail staff get time off at Christmas to be with their families.

This. The roads will be deserted.

It’s hard enough to get the drivers to do Sunday shifts never mind Christmas Day. I’d like to see a reduced service on the underground on the day. It’s hard getting round to see people and taxis expensive.

Could you go up the evening before and treat yourself to a hotel and solo explore around the Christmas lights or shop in the department stores etc? Hotels are usually a fair price around Christmas I've found.

so naive

Christmas and Boxing day are the only times when maintenance taking longer than an overnight or Sunday can be done. Railway maintenance crews will be working 24/7 shifts all over the network. If they didn't, the trains would be even more disrupted the rest of the year. The roads are much quieter, anyway, driving into London is quite feasible if you have access to a car.

YAB slightly U not to know this as it’s been the case as long as I can remember (born in London in 1980), in my childhood some relatives could never visit at Christmas because of lack of public transport.

YANBU to wonder why this is the case. Since shops and restaurants started opening on Boxing Day it’s bonkers that all the underpaid and overworked retail and hospitality workers don’t have any transport to get to their jobs, let alone the NHS, emergency services, care home workers and so on. It’s not like that in other countries.

They barely run on a normal day, tbh...

I wouldn’t expect trains to run on Christmas Day.

Ulez and the congestion charge don't run on Christmas day, so if you're able to drive, then you could

The tube runs on boxing day though?

It's not a 3h taxi ... its a 3h train daily. Taxi is meant to be 45min-1h traffic dependent... the bitterness is in missing the entire of Xmas with my family and having to pay £180 for the privilege to do so

I don't think that many people want to travel long distance actually on Christmas day. I'd drive. I think CC is suspended, traffic should be light and parking fairly easy outside the main busy areas. Could you stay the night and travel home on Boxing Day.

You arrive Christmas Eve.

train personnel deserve a break too.

Parking is also free.

There’s loads of hotels in central London less than £100 Christmas night the drive back in the morning

They've never run on Christmas Day and Boxing Day in my lifetime (I don't think - born in the 60s). However, I'm more surprised someone would only be looking up train times so close to going.

This has always been the case. Taxi or drive. And taxis aren’t easy to come by, outrageous in pricing too.
my ex used to work for a posh hotel in London . Everyone scheduled to work 24-27 dec was given a room for themselves and for their family (all food included too) as there was no way for staff to travel to work.

Yep.I used to nurse in a central London hospital.You could stay over in the student nurse accomodation, get a cab or do what I did and walk.I stayed in my exs flat one year whilst he was at his parents as it was closer to the hospital.Totally off topic but I was working nights over christmas, we had just split up and it was the flat I had just moved out of.There was evidence of a new girlfriend. Most miserable christmas ever!

Train drivers don't even work Sundays anymore since they don't need overtime now so I'm not surprised they're not running on Christmas day and boxing day.

Always been the case, if I uave to travel on boxing day I always book coach well in advance as they book up quickly

It’s also free to park on the street in central London on Christmas and Boxing Day…