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Christmas and New Year Travel |
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Guide to getting around London during the festive season
Christmas Eve A Saturday service will operate on the bus network with some exceptions. There will be no night buses and on 24 hour routes, buses will operate until just after midnight. On the DLR, a normal Monday to Friday service will operate until 19:00 after which a reduced service will operate with last trains at Sunday times. On the London Overground, buses will replace trains between Gospel Oak and Stratford due to major engineering upgrade works. A Monday to Friday service will operate on other London Overground routes with last trains departing from 20:00. On Tramlink, a Saturday service will operate. Riverboat services will be running a reduced timetable. Many coach operators will reduce services from early evening, with last departures from Victoria Coach station leaving at around 21:00. Christmas Day Boxing Day London Underground hopes to run a Sunday service on Boxing Day. The leadership of the ASLEF union have announced that they are directing their members to strike on that day, and LU is calling on them to drop their threat. Passengers are advised to check before they travel by visiting www.tfl.gov.uk. New Year’s Eve Peter Hendy, London’s Transport Commissioner, said: “The New Year’s Eve fireworks display that takes place at the London Eye provides spectacular entertainment and is enormously popular, attracting large crowds that should be prepared for a long wait at the designated viewing areas along the Thames. As a result people with young children may wish to consider celebrating nearer to home.” “For those wishing to brave the crowds and long waiting times, public transport will be the best way to get around the Capital on New Year’s Eve, and I’m pleased we can offer this for free, but I urge revellers to plan their journeys well in advance.” There will be free travel on all journeys between 23:45 until 04:30 on the Tube, DLR, London Buses and Tramlink. Tube, DLR and Tramlink services will run all night on New Year’s Eve. Some selected Tube stations will be closed completely or for periods at a time, the Festive Travel Guide lists these closures. A Saturday night service will operate on night bus and 24 hour routes, subject to road closures in central London. More than 50 extra routes will be operating through the night to enhance the service. Free travel will apply on London Overground trains running after 23:45 until normal last train times on the Watford Junction and the Dalston Junction to West Croydon, Crystal Palace and New Cross route, but services will not run all night. London River Services will run a normal service, however after 14:30 the London Eye will not be served due to the preparation of the fireworks display. Some routes will operate on New Year’s Day, but a normal service will not resume until Sunday 2 January. Some Barclays Cycle Hire docking stations will be temporarily suspended for safety reasons at various times through New Year’s Eve. For the latest information on docking station availability, users should check online at: www.tfl.gov.uk/barclayscyclehire There will be a reduced number of UK coaches departing from Victoria Coach Station with last coaches leaving at around 20:00. National Rail will operate modified timetables with additional departures between midnight and 02:45. Normal rail fares will apply. London Overground Congestion Charge From 4 January 2011 the daily charge for driving within the Congestion Charging zone will increase from £8 to £10, however motorists who have a Congestion Charge Auto Pay account will be eligible for a reduced daily charge of £9. Motorists can pre-register now for a CC Auto Pay account at www.cclondon.com with a credit or debit card and will have to pay a £10 registration charge for each vehicle on the account. Once an account has been set up drivers will only be charged for the days they travel within the zone and charges will be automatically deducted from their debit or credit card. Dial-a-Ride December 15, 2010 |