Christmas travel 2023: Predicted disruption, December train strikes & airport chaos - days to avoid travel

Christmas travel chaos could be on the cards again for this year as Network Rail and Transport for London have told passengers they can expect delays and cancellations due to engineering works over the festive period. There is also the possibility of short-notice disruption due to industrial action.

There are currently no strikes planned for the Christmas period but Aslef will be staging a fresh series of strikes at the beginning of December "to ratchet up the pressure" in their long-running dispute over pay. The Aslef union said the new walkouts will put pressure on train companies and the Government to give train drivers their first pay rise in more than four years.

There is also currently no industrial action scheduled at UK airports but that doesn’t mean holidaymakers will escape the chaos as there have been ongoing strikes in sectors across France, Spain and Italy throughout the year. Walkouts by air traffic controllers in France have caused numerous delays and cancellations this year, and more are planned.

Here we list which dates people should not travel on due to timetable changes and engineering works. NationalWorld will be keeping this list updated, adding any new dates of strikes or works that affect either train journeys or airports. 

Transport for London

The DLR will be closed from Canary Wharf to Poplar and Westferry from December 23 to 26. On Christmas Eve, London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, Elizabeth line, London Overground and London Trams will finish earlier than normal. 

Also on Christmas Eve, the Elizabeth line will be reduced from Ealing Broadway to Maidenhead and will not stop at Heathrow T4. It will not run on Boxing Day. 

The Bakerloo line will not run from Queen’s Park to Harrow and Wealdstone on Boxing Day, nor will the DLR from Canary Wharf to Poplar and Westferry. There will be a reduced service on the Elizabeth line on December 27.

Aslef Union strikes

Union members will walk out at EMR and LNER on December 2, at Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, Great Northern Thameslink, and WMT on December 3, at C2C and Greater Anglia on 5 December, at Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, the SWR main line and depot and on the Island Line on December 6. 

Union members at CrossCountry and GWR will also walk out on December 7 and at Northern and TPT on December 8. All Aslef members will refuse to work any overtime from Friday, December 1 to Saturday, December 9.

National Rail

These are the franchise holders not providing their full service on the days below. 

December 23

CrossCountry, London Northwestern Railway, Northern, Southeastern, Southern and TransPennine Express.

December 24

Avanti West Coast, c2c, Caledonian Sleeper, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Gatwick Express, Heathrow Express, Hull Trains, LNER, London Northwestern Railway, Lumo, Merseyrail, Northern, South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, Thameslink, TransPennine Express, West Midlands Railway.

December 25

On Christmas Day there will be no public transport at all. 

December 26

Avanti West Coast, c2c, Caledonian Sleeper, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Gatwick Express, Heathrow Express, Hull Trains, LNER, London Northwestern Railway, Lumo, Merseyrail, Northern, South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, Stansted Express, Thameslink and TransPennine Express.

December 27

Avanti West Coast, C2c, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Gatwick Express, Heathrow Express, Hull Trains, LNER, London Northwestern Railway, Lumo, Northern, South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, Stansted Express, Thameslink, TransPennine Express, and West Midlands Railway.

December 28

Avanti West Coast, C2c, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Gatwick Express, London Northwestern Railway, Lumo, Northern, South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, Stansted Express, Thameslink and West Midlands Railway.

December 29

C2c, Caledonian Sleeper, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Gatwick Express, London Northwestern Railway, Lumo, Northern, South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, Stansted Express, Thameslink, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Railway.

December 30

Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, LNER, London Northwestern Railway, Lumo, Northern, Southeastern, Southern, Thameslink, TransPennine Express andWest Midlands Railway.

December 31

Avanti West Coast, Caledonian Sleeper, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, LNER, London Northwestern Railway, Lumo, Merseyrail, Northern, South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, Stansted Express, Thameslink, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Railway.

January 1

Avanti West Coast, c2c, Caledonian Sleeper, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Gatwick Express, Hull Trains, LNER, London Northwestern Railway, Merseyrail, Northern, South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, Thameslink, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Railway.

January 2

c2c, Caledonian Sleeper, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, LNER, Northern, Southeastern, Southern and Thameslink.

Airports

Security staff at Alicante airport have planned strikes on dates throughout November and December, although for just a few hours each day. Flights are unlikely to be affected, but getting through security checks may take longer. The dates affected are between December 22 and 31.