Thousands face travel chaos access Britain as rail and Border Force strikes continue
Jane Clinton
Thousands of people face Boxing Day travel chaos across Britain as a rail strike means no services will be running.
Many have been forced to cancel or make alternative plans as the industrial action continues.
Usually hundreds of departures run on 26 December after the Christmas Day shutdown.
However, Network Rail said Britain’s railways were closed for a second consecutive day because of a strike by employees who are members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT).
The strike is part of a long-running dispute between the RMT, and the train operators and Network Rail over pay, jobs and conditions.
Thousands of members of the RMT union at Network Rail went on strike over the festive period from 6pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on 27 December.
Disruption was also expected for people travelling to and from airports with no services running on the Stansted Express on Boxing Day.
Planned upgrade work on the Heathrow Express means there are no services on Boxing Day, forcing airline passengers to find other ways of getting to and from Britain’s airports.
Rail schedules beyond Boxing Day were expected to experience disruption with trains starting later on 27 December owing to the industrial action.
The lack of trains has meant more people are expected to travel by road, with coach operators National Express and Megabus reporting heavy demand.
The AA expected 15.2m cars to take to the UK roads on Boxing Day as people venture out for the sales and attend football matches.
A resolution to the rail dispute appears a long way off with the RMT accusing the government ministers of going “missing” after the latest round of talks.
The RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: “Until the government gives the rail industry a mandate to come to a negotiated settlement on job security, pay and conditions of work, our industrial campaign will continue.”
Network Rail has said the deal it has put forward is “fair and affordable”.
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Shoppers hoping for a Boxing Day bargain could face traffic jams as rail strikes bring train services to a halt, with the AA saying it expects 15.2m cars on UK roads on Boxing Day, with shoppers and football fans among those likely to travel.
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A spokesman said: “Traffic is likely to build around shopping centres as lots of people seek a bargain in the sales, meanwhile football fans will travel to see their teams.
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“There is scope for localised traffic congestion and more short trips, but traffic should be dispersed throughout the day as people take their time after Christmas Day.”
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New data predicts shoppers will spend 4% less this Boxing Day and during the post-Christmas sales due to the cost-of-living crisis.
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Research by Barclaycard Payments found that the average shopper intends to buy £229 worth of items in the post-Christmas sales period, a reduction of £18 compared with 2021.
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Many have been forced to cancel or make alternative plans as the industrial action continues.
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Usually hundreds of departures run on 26 December after the Christmas Day shutdown.
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However, Network Rail said Britain’s railways were closed for a second consecutive day because of a strike by employees who are members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT).
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The strike is part of a long-running dispute between the RMT, and the train operators and Network Rail over pay, jobs and conditions.
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Thousands of members of the RMT union at Network Rail went on strike over the festive period from 6pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on 27 December.
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Disruption was also expected for people travelling to and from airports with no services running on the Stansted Express on Boxing Day.
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Planned upgrade work on the Heathrow Express means there are no services on Boxing Day, forcing airline passengers to find other ways of getting to and from Britain’s airports.
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Rail schedules beyond Boxing Day were expected to experience disruption with trains starting later on 27 December owing to the industrial action.
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The lack of trains has meant more people are expected to travel by road, with coach operators National Express and Megabus reporting heavy demand.
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The AA expected 15.2m cars to take to the UK roads on Boxing Day as people venture out for the sales and attend football matches.
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Key events
Gwyn Topham
In case you missed it, rail passengers faced delays as they rushed to get the last trains before Christmas Eve services came to a halt, while Britain’s roads were braced for extra traffic as a result of the strikes on the railways.
People embarking on festive getaways or heading home for the holidays gathered on the concourses of major stations including London Euston and Birmingham New Street.
Thousands of members of the RMT union at Network Rail are striking from 6pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on 27 December.
The last intercity trains on some long-distance routes departed as early as 8am. Some main routes were not due to operate at all, partly due to ongoing industrial action that includes an overtime ban at train operating companies.
Services from Euston to Crewe, Manchester Piccadilly, Glasgow Central and Birmingham International were all delayed, with a limited staff presence as travellers waited anxiously with their luggage.
Rajeev Syal
Soldiers and sailors covering for striking Border Force staff at passport control do not have the power to detain people they suspect of criminal activity, leaked documents show.
Emails reveal that people suspected of crimes such as carrying a false passport, drug smuggling, people trafficking and victims of modern slavery cannot be stopped by members of the armed forces if they hold valid travel documents.
Instead, a separate intervention has to be sought for suspected serious criminals or their victims from a fully trained Border Force officer, most of whom are currently on strike.
One Royal Navy officer warned in the emails that the inability to detain might “impact op [operational] capability during industrial action”.
The disclosure goes some way to explain why there has been little disruption at UK ports and airport since the PCS strike for improved pay and conditions began on Friday.
One email, sent on 22 December, shows that a Royal Navy sub-lieutenant wrote to Border Force and Home Office civil servants asking whether Royal Navy staff working at Manchester had the power to detain suspects.
He wrote: “RN personnel currently deployed at Manchester airport are currently prevented from completion and issue of IS81 and must not be involved in detention activity, referring to a BF officer. This may impact op [operational] capability during industrial action.”
An IS81 form gives immigration officers the authority to detain people while they undertake further inquiries, according to Home Office documents. It has to be issued even if someone is detained for just two minutes for a minor check.
A senior Border Force officer replied, saying that armed personnel had not been given enough training to detain suspects.
“Received email below following my discussion with C2 Navy lead at Manchester. They have said that they cannot issue an IS81 and this has to be done by a Border Force officer as there was only training up to IS81. Can this be clarified as a matter of urgency,” he wrote.
Here is a reminder of the upcoming strikes which have been announced by up until January.
Up to 15.2m cars expected on UK roads today, AA predicts
Shoppers hoping for a Boxing Day bargain could face traffic jams as rail strikes bring train services to a halt, with the AA saying it expects 15.2m cars on UK roads on Boxing Day, with shoppers and football fans among those likely to travel.
A spokesman said: “Traffic is likely to build around shopping centres as lots of people seek a bargain in the sales, meanwhile football fans will travel to see their teams.
“There is scope for localised traffic congestion and more short trips, but traffic should be dispersed throughout the day as people take their time after Christmas Day.”
New data predicts shoppers will spend 4% less this Boxing Day and during the post-Christmas sales due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Research by Barclaycard Payments found that the average shopper intends to buy £229 worth of items in the post-Christmas sales period, a reduction of £18 compared with 2021.
Network Rail has said railways across the UK will remain closed today due to the strike by employees who are members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union.
Merseyrail announced no trains would be running on Boxing Day.
ScotRail usually has a Boxing Day service in the Strathclyde area – but there will be no services there this year.
Northern operated a service between Liverpool Lime Street and St Helens Central on Boxing Day last year, but the company has said there will be no trains running on Monday.
There will also be no Southern services.
Trains do not usually run on Boxing Day, apart from some airport transfer services, such as the Stansted Express and Heathrow Express.
Thousands face travel chaos access Britain as rail and Border Force strikes continue
Jane Clinton
Thousands of people face Boxing Day travel chaos across Britain as a rail strike means no services will be running.
Many have been forced to cancel or make alternative plans as the industrial action continues.
Usually hundreds of departures run on 26 December after the Christmas Day shutdown.
However, Network Rail said Britain’s railways were closed for a second consecutive day because of a strike by employees who are members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT).
The strike is part of a long-running dispute between the RMT, and the train operators and Network Rail over pay, jobs and conditions.
Thousands of members of the RMT union at Network Rail went on strike over the festive period from 6pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on 27 December.
Disruption was also expected for people travelling to and from airports with no services running on the Stansted Express on Boxing Day.
Planned upgrade work on the Heathrow Express means there are no services on Boxing Day, forcing airline passengers to find other ways of getting to and from Britain’s airports.
Rail schedules beyond Boxing Day were expected to experience disruption with trains starting later on 27 December owing to the industrial action.
The lack of trains has meant more people are expected to travel by road, with coach operators National Express and Megabus reporting heavy demand.
The AA expected 15.2m cars to take to the UK roads on Boxing Day as people venture out for the sales and attend football matches.
A resolution to the rail dispute appears a long way off with the RMT accusing the government ministers of going “missing” after the latest round of talks.
The RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: “Until the government gives the rail industry a mandate to come to a negotiated settlement on job security, pay and conditions of work, our industrial campaign will continue.”
Network Rail has said the deal it has put forward is “fair and affordable”.
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