Travel by train, Boxing day 2016

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

...........did Oliver Cromwell just walk in? 

No he did allow any Christmas celebration so there would be holidays at all!

I get the feeling that he would have expected a full Christmas rail service! (He may have had a more robust attitude to ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about)/RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) on this issue too!!!) 

[LiskeardRich]

I drove home on the afternoon of boxing day, and the roads were fairly busy. Would any of that traffic go by rail if the option was there? I'm not sure. I was loaded from floor to roof in the boot and had my roof box full as well, with presents and 3 days clothes for wife and kids. Not viable by train.

There seems to be a demand argument on boxing day operations in shops

Stores open because there is demand, the ban boxing day trading brigade say there will be no demand if the shops didn't open. My argument is if the people didn't shop, the shops wouldn't bother.

The same applies with the rail, but how to argue there is or isn't a demand without operating it first.

Make it attractive for staff if staffing contracts wouldn't have it as a working day.

[ChrisB]

And the cost to the taxpayer would be very high and those driving/not using would complain if the cost to the taxpayer? Very valid argument.

Having spent the last few Christmases in Europe, we are so far behind...seemed to be a full weekend day service in each city we were in, in fact full public transport services!

So...make it part of the working contract. A Christmas working every x years, so everyone could plan ahead in their lives. Its in new contracts so one knows when you sign up dor a job on public transport, just like the NHS?

The problem would be level of service. In years like this ine, with an extra holiday on 27th, most dekand would come from shoppers only, so a limited market, and possibly too many unsold seats, certainly in the middle of the day?

On years when its back to work on the 27th, denand likely outstrips supply after lunch when the big back home trips all take place. I remember the M40 traffic a few years ago - horrendous from lunch till nearly midnight! Almost need a weekday non-peak service.

Europe seems to use a Saturday service on Christmas & Boxing day, and that's one option. Or we carry on as we are with no service, so everyone makes alternative arrangements. But anything in the middle (Sunday service, for example) won't do as more pax^▸ (passengers) than seats will happen & horrendous overcrowding will happen, which frankly is worse than what we currently have!