Some Christmas rail engineering works will start later and hundreds of miles of roadworks will be paused to minimise possible disruption during the UK’s 23-27 December travel window, the government has announced.
However, ministers have decided not to cancel long-planned works, with advance bookings and polling suggesting that festive travel will remain subdued on rail and road.
The government has announced that up to three households will be able to mix indoors and stay with each other overnight from 23 to 27 December under loosened coronavirus restrictions across the UK.
Can I eat out with my Christmas bubble?
No. In a blow to pubs and restaurants, and families who like to avoid the piles of washing-up, separate households in a Christmas bubble will not be able to meet up in hospitality venues. However, members of a Christmas bubble can meet at home, in places of worship and in outdoor public places including gardens. You can continue to meet people who are not in your Christmas bubble outside your home according to the rules in the tier you are staying in. If you are living in a tier 3 area in England, pubs ands restaurants will remain closed.
Is there a limit on the number of people who can meet up as part of a bubble?
There is no maximum size for a Christmas bubble, so you don’t need to worry if you and those you join with live in large households.
If I’m already in a bubble with another household, do we count as one household or two for the new Christmas rules?
Under the rules, a support bubble will count as one household when Christmas bubbles are being formed.
Can I join more than one Christmas bubble?
No, the bubbles have to be exclusive, and they cannot change over the five-day period – so pick your households carefully. This means that you can’t mix with two households on Christmas Day, and then a different two households on Boxing Day. However, children whose parents are separated will be able to move between two Christmas bubbles so they’re able to celebrate with both parents.
Do I need to socially distance from the people in my Christmas bubble?
Bubble members will not be required to social distance while they are together, so they can hug or kiss under the mistletoe. However, people are advised to exercise caution if there are vulnerable people involved in their bubble.
What about care home residents?
In England, some care home residents may be allowed to form a bubble with one other household, in agreement with the home and subject to individual risk assessments. In this case, social distancing should be maintained, with regular hand washing and ventilation to reduce risk. Care home residents should not form a three-household Christmas bubble at any point.
Can I travel to meet up with people in my Christmas bubble?
Individuals will be able to travel between coronavirus tiers and across the UK during the designated festive period (23 to 27 December). People will be able to travel to and from Northern Ireland for an extra day either side of that period, to allow for the extra time needed.
What if I live in a shared household?
In England, people living in shared households can split and join separate Christmas bubbles without breaking the three-household rule. So a group of, say, four young people living together would all be allowed to return home to their four separate families for Christmas and then come back to their shared home after the festive period.
Announcing the measures, the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said the government was “working with transport operators to help people see their loved ones safely”.
The biggest work, the closure of the east coast mainline between London and Scotland, will start later to allow for some train services in and out of King’s Cross on Christmas Eve. But it will remain closed for the remainder of the five days when the government and devolved administrations are easing Covid-19 restrictions to allow up to three households to mix.
Work is now planned to end slightly earlier on the west coast mainline, allowing more trains between cities on the London-Glasgow route from 10am on 27 December.
Passengers have been urged to plan ahead and book early. Longer trains will run on some services and rail passengers who had already booked tickets before the Christmas rules were announced can amend them without the normal administration fees, Shapps said.
“With many people carefully considering whether to travel to see loved ones this Christmas, we’re taking steps to try to ease journeys,” he said.
He added: “We ask everyone to closely consider their journey, plan and book ahead, be patient, and be considerate of fellow passengers – and particularly staff who have worked so hard all year – by following the guidance carefully, including keeping space and wearing a face covering on public transport.”
Rail sources indicated that bookings to date did not indicate any rush to travel in the Christmas period, with trains far below capacity even with social-distancing requirements. Passenger numbers were about 22% of pre-Covid times in the November lockdown, and about a third of normal in October.
Highways England has agreed to lift around 50% more roadworks than originally planned, with about 778 miles of works now to be completed or paused during the window on motorways and A-roads.
An AA survey found comparatively few people were expecting to drive to see relatives this Christmas, despite the flexibility in lockdown rules. The motoring organisation’s research suggested that there would be just 7.9m cars on the road, fewer than half the 17m in the same period in 2019.
Labour said the plan left “many unanswered questions”.
Jim McMahon, the shadow transport secretary, said the government should ensure engineering works did not clash with the window and that all peak fares were suspended during the travelling period. He added: “We must not lose sight of the fact that Covid has not gone away. Ministers must take charge of the situation to ensure passengers do not face Christmas travel chaos and risks to their health on overcrowded services.”
Shapps last week appointed Sir Peter Hendy, Network Rail chairman, as a “Christmas travel tsar” to scrutinise the collective industry’s plans.
Hendy said the measures announced on Thursday would help ease congestion but he would keep working with operators on any further actions needed.
Most long-distance rail and coach operators already now require advance booking and seat reservations to ensure social distancing. The Rail Delivery Group said train operators had improved cleaning and passenger information to allow people to travel with confidence, but added: “This year more than ever we’re asking people not to turn up at a station and hope for the best.”
