The rail, road, flight and ferry travel chaos to expect as New Year’s Day approaches
New Year’s travel warning as busiest day on roads expected
- Britain's public transport system has partially resumed after the Christmas Day shutdown, with significant disruptions affecting rail, road, and ferry services.
- Extensive Network Rail engineering work is causing major closures, including London Liverpool Street until 2 January, sections of the West Coast Main Line until 4 January and 15 January respectively, and the Leeds-York main line until 3 January.
- CrossCountry rail services are experiencing cancellations and curtailments due to staff shortages, while the South Coast line between Brighton and Portsmouth is closed due to signalling staff illness.
- Road traffic is predicted to peak on 30 December, with New Year's Day expected to be the quietest for travel, alongside specific motorway closures like the M27 in Hampshire.
- Transatlantic flights are facing severe delays and cancellations due to extreme wintry weather in eastern North America, though UK airports like Heathrow, Birmingham, and Manchester are anticipating their busiest festive periods to date.