Transport groups have warned of unprecedented congestion as the UK braces for its busiest Christmas getaway on record. Motoring organisations forecast exceptionally busy roads, with Friday expected to be the most congested day due to a mix of commuter travel, shopping trips, and early holiday departures.
The AA reports that drivers will share the roads with 24.4 million other cars on Friday, with 72% of its members planning to drive. The RAC expects the busiest getaway period since its records began, with more than 4 million leisure journeys by car forecast on Saturday and Christmas Eve. Likely congestion hotspots include the M25 clockwise west of London, the M6 northbound around Birmingham, the M1 northbound past Leicester, and most of the M60 clockwise.
Air travel is also set to peak, with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) predicting the busiest Christmas season on record. Around 460,000 people are expected to depart from UK airports on Friday, with about 3 million outbound passengers over the festive period. Christmas Day flights are up 13% on last year, and total December passenger numbers are forecast to exceed the record 22 million in 2024.
Rail passengers face disruption due to engineering works over the holiday period. Works on the West Coast main line will disrupt journeys between London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and Scotland from 27 December to 4 January. London Waterloo will be closed until 28 December, and Liverpool Street will be closed to mainline trains until New Year's Day. Network Rail says about 95% of the network will be unaffected.
National Express has added 45,000 seats over the holiday period, including more than 10,000 between the north-west and London, to meet increased demand. The Port of Dover estimates nearly 30,000 cars will embark on outbound sailings during the festive period, with traffic peaking between 6am and 1pm from Friday to Sunday.
