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| Train delays to major airports expected because of engineering work | Train delays to major airports expected because of engineering work |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Passengers going by train to the UK's two biggest airports are set to face long delays over the festive period as engineering work begins. | Passengers going by train to the UK's two biggest airports are set to face long delays over the festive period as engineering work begins. |
| Gatwick Express train services will stop for the next 10 days, while the Heathrow rail links will stop for four. | Gatwick Express train services will stop for the next 10 days, while the Heathrow rail links will stop for four. |
| Network Rail said 20,000 of its workers would be carrying out almost 500 improvement projects across the whole of the UK during the festive season. | Network Rail said 20,000 of its workers would be carrying out almost 500 improvement projects across the whole of the UK during the festive season. |
| Its chief executive Mark Carne has thanked passengers for their patience. | Its chief executive Mark Carne has thanked passengers for their patience. |
| He also said that passengers had in the past "shown themselves to be incredibly understanding of planned improvement work". | He also said that passengers had in the past "shown themselves to be incredibly understanding of planned improvement work". |
| Line closures | Line closures |
| Gatwick Express trains will be suspended from 24 December to 4 January, while work is undertaken to replace a major railway junction at Purley, south London. | Gatwick Express trains will be suspended from 24 December to 4 January, while work is undertaken to replace a major railway junction at Purley, south London. |
| Southern Railway services to Sussex will also be affected. | Southern Railway services to Sussex will also be affected. |
| Neither Heathrow Express nor Heathrow Connect services will run for four days after Christmas Eve, due to a line closure between Paddington and Slough. | Neither Heathrow Express nor Heathrow Connect services will run for four days after Christmas Eve, due to a line closure between Paddington and Slough. |
| Services to the South West and south Wales will also take longer as some trains are diverted to London Waterloo or Marylebone stations. | Services to the South West and south Wales will also take longer as some trains are diverted to London Waterloo or Marylebone stations. |
| The West Coast Main Line will be closed between Crewe and Stafford between Friday and Tuesday, while there is also a closure on the lines from London Liverpool Street to Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich. | The West Coast Main Line will be closed between Crewe and Stafford between Friday and Tuesday, while there is also a closure on the lines from London Liverpool Street to Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich. |
| Analysis | Analysis |
| By BBC transport correspondent Richard Westcott | By BBC transport correspondent Richard Westcott |
| Network Rail always plans its biggest engineering jobs over the holidays because the trains are much quieter. | Network Rail always plans its biggest engineering jobs over the holidays because the trains are much quieter. |
| The company has promised there will not be a repeat of last year's chaos, when 115,000 people were left stranded by a catalogue of errors. The boss was on holiday in Cornwall when it all kicked off last Christmas. He's not going away this year. | The company has promised there will not be a repeat of last year's chaos, when 115,000 people were left stranded by a catalogue of errors. The boss was on holiday in Cornwall when it all kicked off last Christmas. He's not going away this year. |
| It's the fast services to the two biggest airports, Gatwick and Heathrow, that will be hit the hardest by engineering works this year. The last Gatwick Express of the year leaves London at 21:15 GMT on Christmas Eve, although slower services do start again on 27 December. | It's the fast services to the two biggest airports, Gatwick and Heathrow, that will be hit the hardest by engineering works this year. The last Gatwick Express of the year leaves London at 21:15 GMT on Christmas Eve, although slower services do start again on 27 December. |
| The best advice is to check online before you set off if you're planning a rail journey over Christmas and the new year, | The best advice is to check online before you set off if you're planning a rail journey over Christmas and the new year, |
| Follow Richard on Twitter @BBCwestcott | Follow Richard on Twitter @BBCwestcott |
| The Independent's travel correspondent Simon Calder said that while train services were thin, for the first time ever there was "something resembling a proper inter-city coach network" on Christmas Day, with National Express and Megabus both putting on extra services. | The Independent's travel correspondent Simon Calder said that while train services were thin, for the first time ever there was "something resembling a proper inter-city coach network" on Christmas Day, with National Express and Megabus both putting on extra services. |
| Meanwhile, it was likely to be the busiest Christmas Day ever at the UK's airports, with an estimated 200,000 people flying in and out - although it would still be the quietest day of the year by some distance, he said. | Meanwhile, it was likely to be the busiest Christmas Day ever at the UK's airports, with an estimated 200,000 people flying in and out - although it would still be the quietest day of the year by some distance, he said. |
| About 300 people due to fly to Seychelles have been disappointed after a technical failure grounded their British Airways plane - also leaving about 300 people due to return from the islands stranded until Christmas Day, Mr Calder added. | About 300 people due to fly to Seychelles have been disappointed after a technical failure grounded their British Airways plane - also leaving about 300 people due to return from the islands stranded until Christmas Day, Mr Calder added. |
| The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said Britain's "over-stretched" railways had suffered from signal failures, staff shortages and overcrowding in recent weeks. | The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said Britain's "over-stretched" railways had suffered from signal failures, staff shortages and overcrowding in recent weeks. |
| Last year there was severe train disruption when engineering work on the lines from King's Cross and Paddington overran, delaying travellers on the first Saturday after Christmas. | Last year there was severe train disruption when engineering work on the lines from King's Cross and Paddington overran, delaying travellers on the first Saturday after Christmas. |
| David Sidebottom, from consumer group Travel Focus, said the increase in the amount of engineering works reflected the increase in government investment in railways and passenger fare rises being put to use in improving infrastructure. | |
| He said the relatively quiet Christmas period was being used to complete big jobs that it was not possible to do overnight or at a weekend. | He said the relatively quiet Christmas period was being used to complete big jobs that it was not possible to do overnight or at a weekend. |
| "It's the least worst option," he said. | "It's the least worst option," he said. |
| The RAC have predicted that Christmas Eve would be the busiest day for traffic on the roads with 4.1 million journeys being made. | The RAC have predicted that Christmas Eve would be the busiest day for traffic on the roads with 4.1 million journeys being made. |
| Nearly 400 miles of roadworks have been removed to cope with the rush. | Nearly 400 miles of roadworks have been removed to cope with the rush. |