London Northwestern Railway urges passengers to plan ahead this Christmas

London Northwestern Railway (LNR) is urging rail passengers to plan their festive travel carefully with increased numbers of people expected to use the trains.

In order to allow more people to enjoy the holiday period with their families, the Government has created a ‘Christmas travel window’ between 23-27 December.

To ensure smooth journeys, LNR is urging customers intending to travel during this period to familiarise themselves with their train times and plan ahead.

The operator will run the longest trains possible with additional carriages on many services and additional staff will be on hand at stations to help passengers on their way.

The normal LNR weekday service will run on December 23 and 24, although last trains will depart earlier than usual on Christmas Eve.

No trains will run on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. The usual Sunday timetable will operate on December 27, although the first trains may be slightly later than usual.

Lawrence Bowman, customer experience director for London Northwestern Railway, said:

“This year we will all experience a Christmas like no other and we’re urging our customers to plan their travel carefully during the Government’s travel window.

“We’re adding carriages to many services over the festive period so we can run the longest trains possible to help social distancing as well as maintaining our enhanced cleaning regimes. Face coverings remain mandatory on board unless exempt for medical reasons.

“Passengers who choose to use the railway can help us by planning ahead, purchasing their tickets online in advance and travelling at quieter times if they can.”

Meanwhile, passengers are being urged to check their train times ahead of the new LNR timetable which comes into effect on Sunday 13 December.

Under the new timetable, an increased number of trains will run on the Marston Vale Line between Bedford and Bletchley as well as the Abbey Line between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey. Timetables are available online now.

There are no significant changes to service frequencies for stations along the West Coast Main Line but some departure times may alter, so customers are advised to check their journeys at www.lnr.uk/plan

For more information on steps the Government is taking to help people travel at Christmas, click here.