Christmas Eve travellers race to reach their destinations as rail strikes hit

Qantas passengers from Sydney will arrive in the early hours of 25 December, almost 48 hours late, after an unexpected city break in Baku

Waiting game: International Arrivals at Gatwick airport (Simon Calder)

As the next national rail strike approaches, train travellers are racing to reach their destinations – while thousand of airline passengers face long delays.

In normal years, trains normally finish at mid-evening on Christmas Eve. But RMT union members working for Network Rail will stop work at 6pm, and train operators are racing to get rolling stock and staff back to depots before the walk-out begins. Last trains from many locations are in the morning, with all services ending by mid-afternoon.

The final direct train to London has already left Edinburgh, while no trains at all are running on East Midlands Railways’ main line linking London with Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield due to a separate strike by members of the Unite union.