Britain's transport network is struggling to return to full capacity after the Christmas shutdown, with significant disruption expected to continue into the New Year. A combination of overrunning engineering works, staff shortages, and severe weather abroad is creating a perfect storm for travellers attempting to navigate the final days of the festive season.
Rail Network Faces Widespread Closures and Delays
Saturday 27 December saw a surge in passengers as intercity train services resumed, but the network was immediately hit by a series of serious problems. Key issues include a shortage of station staff at Clapham Junction, the nation's busiest rail interchange. Signalling system faults have halted services at both Cardiff Central and Chester, with National Rail confirming all lines are disrupted at these stations.
A points failure near Bristol Parkway, where the crucial London-Cardiff and Birmingham-Exeter lines converge, is adding to the congestion. In the South West, overrunning engineering works near Plymouth and the suspension of branch lines in Cornwall from Liskeard to Looe and St Erth to St Ives are causing further localised chaos.
CrossCountry services, which connect England, Wales and Scotland via Birmingham New Street, are experiencing cancellations and curtailments due to a shortage of train drivers, compounding the nationwide disruption.
Major Engineering Works Force Key Station Closures
Extensive Network Rail engineering work is the primary cause of long-planned disruption. Several of the UK's busiest stations will be closed for days, diverting passengers onto alternative routes and increasing pressure on other services.
No trains will run to or from London Liverpool Street, Britain's busiest station, until 2 January, with the exception of the Elizabeth line to Stratford. London Waterloo is closed from Christmas Eve until the end of service on Sunday 28 December.
A critical stretch of the West Coast Main Line from Milton Keynes to Rugby will be shut until 4 January inclusive for junction replacement work at Hanslope, with rail replacement buses operating. This will force travellers onto Chiltern Railway services from Marylebone, the East Coast Main Line from King's Cross, and the East Midlands line from St Pancras.
Further north, the West Coast Main Line between Preston and Carlisle closes from New Year's Eve until 15 January, with a shuttle service running via the scenic Settle & Carlisle Railway. The main line between Leeds and York remains shut until the start of service on 3 January.
While New Year's Eve will be quiet and 1 January even quieter—with almost no services in Scotland—crowds are expected to build from Friday 2 January. The final festive weekend of 3 and 4 January will see large numbers of displaced travellers.
Road, Ferry and Air Travel Also Disrupted
The AA predicts three peak days for road travel before the return to work on 5 January 2026: 27, 29 and 30 December, with New Year's Day being the quietest. Key congestion hotspots include the M25 around Heathrow and near Bluewater, the M4 between Bristol and Cardiff, the M5 south of Bristol, the M6 through the West Midlands, and the M60 around Manchester. The M27 in Hampshire is closed between junctions 9 and 11 until 4am on 4 January.
At the Port of Dover, sailings have resumed but delays are being reported at French frontier controls. P&O Ferries warned of large queues in the buffer zone on 27 December. The port advises drivers not to arrive more than two hours early and reassures that those who miss sailings due to congestion will be rebooked free of charge.
In western Scotland, Caledonian MacBrayne has cancelled all ferries between Mallaig and Armadale on Skye due to a technical issue with the MV Lochnevis. No CalMac vessels will operate on New Year's Day.
Aviation is facing its own challenges, primarily on routes to and from New York where extreme wintry weather has caused hundreds of cancellations, including flights between JFK and London Heathrow. Passengers on UK airlines have rights to rebooking and care, but those on US carriers do not enjoy the same protections.
Despite the disruption, the festive period from 19 December to 4 January is busier than last year, with 42,046 flights scheduled to depart UK airports, offering 7.8 million seats—a 4% year-on-year increase. London Heathrow, Birmingham, and Manchester airports are all expecting record festive traffic.
