How to get round London on New Year’s Eve: Map reveals highway closures
The Elizabeth Line will run an in a single day service for the very first time on New Year’s Eve – amid chaos and disruption on the stricken £18.9billion line.
Transport for London (TfL) introduced a ‘particular all-night’ service will run as 1000’s of revellers are set to pour into the capital to look at the bought out London Eye fireworks show herald 2024.
The tube line will run between Hayes and Harlington and Shenfield, Reading and Abbey Wood, and Maidenhead and Abbey Wood, though no trains will run to or from London Heathrow.
It is available in a month the place the road has been dogged with disruption and chaos after defective overhead cables led to all trains coming to a standstill on the night of December 7.
Seven trains have been stranded, leaving passengers caught in chilly and darkish carriages for as much as 4 hours. Elizabeth line trains haven’t any bogs, including to the discomfort on board.
A map printed by Transport for London displaying when and the place roads can be closed in central London forward of the New Year’s Eve fireworks show
Passengers at London Waterloo station immediately as rail operators warn of main disruption
Pictures and movies have been shared on social media, with singer James Blunt and TV Presenter Rachel Riley each affected.
Network Rail’s managing director for the Wales and Western area, Michelle Handforth, give up her £330,000 a yr position days later, though a rail insider advised the BBC she had made the choice earlier than the night time of chaos.
Ahead of the New Year’s Eve celebrations on Sunday, TfL mentioned all tube traces will run an in a single day service aside from Waterloo and City and the District line to Kensington Olympia – though some stations could also be exit-only at busy instances.
However, these coming to look at the fireworks from Bedford or Brighton have been warned they will not be capable of get a practice dwelling.
Thameslink won’t run in a single day on New Year’s Eve – which means passengers can not journey again from London through the night time.
There may also be highway closures in place in central London from the early afternoon forward of the fireworks on the Thames with buses additionally diverted.
Westminster bridge will near visitors from 2pm, with Waterloo and Blackfriars shutting at 7pm, and Lambeth bridge being closed off at 8pm.
The New Year’s Eve journey disruption comes following a day of chaos on the rail traces immediately during which livid Brits slammed operators as 1000’s have been compelled to cram into packed carriages.
Storms and employees shortages are already threatening to cripple the rail community forward of Sunday’s celebrations.
One main operator warned its clients to not journey – whereas others closed routes, diminished service and advised punters to remain alert for final minute cancellations.
The choice brought on fury amongst passengers, with former MP Ivor Caplin tweeting: ‘A disastrous finish to 2023. Let’s bear in mind this rail firm cancelled all its trains on Pride weekend in Brighton and now ruins those that need to benefit from the final weekend of the yr. Time for the CEO and administration to resign – they’re a shame.’
Vincent Masterson, a financial institution employee from St Albans, wrote: ‘Happy New Year from Thameslink. Incredibly poor service on one of many busiest nights of the yr, costing folks time with household and pals, and probably a whole lot of kilos on taxis.’
Chaotic scenes at London Euston as soon as once more yesterday as passengers look ahead to journey updates
Passengers at London Victoria station immediately as a number of rail operators warn of main disruption
Some platforms at London Victoria railway station are closed off immediately as a consequence of improve works
A passenger tweets {a photograph} of a board at London Euston displaying a cancelled practice immediately
And actor Adam Lines mentioned: ‘The practice service within the UK is totally diabolical. So, so unreliable. Dread to assume how a lot cash I’ve misplaced by missed shifts this yr.’
Operators advised revellers to journey now as an alternative of this weekend amid considerations over disruption and last-minute cancellations as a consequence of an absence of crew and extreme climate.
Northern, which runs 2,500 companies by 500 stations day by day, mentioned clients with tickets for New Year’s Eve may use them immediately or tomorrow to keep away from disruption.
The UK’s second largest practice operator issued a ‘don’t journey’ warning for six routes with no service on New Year’s Eve – together with Morecambe or Heysham to Lancaster; Preston to Colne; Manchester Victoria to Chester; Manchester Piccadilly to Chester through Altrincham; Manchester Victoria to Stalybridge; and Clitheroe to Bolton.
Other routes throughout North West England may also have a diminished service on New Year’s Eve ‘as a consequence of practice crew unavailability’ and are anticipated to complete early at 4pm.
Some employees at Northern, which is below Government management, solely work Sundays as voluntary paid time beyond regulation, making a danger of not having sufficient out there workers.
Fellow operator CrossCountry, which calls at 120 stations over its 1,500-mile community and has confronted current employees shortages, mentioned New Year’s Eve trains could be ‘extraordinarily busy’, additionally warning of ‘last-minute cancellations’ and an earlier end than standard.
Thameslink warned of ‘main disruption’ from the afternoon of New Year’s Eve as a consequence of ‘availability of practice crew’, with a ‘considerably diminished’ timetable and cancellations anticipated to most have an effect on the route between Bedford and London. The operator warned passengers ‘ought to anticipate to attend for a number of hours between departures’.
There may also be ‘far fewer trains between London and Brighton and trains that do run can be exceptionally busy and you could not be capable of board the primary practice to your vacation spot, additional extending your wait’. Replacement buses won’t be offered.
Thameslink won’t run in a single day on New Year’s Eve – which means passengers can not journey again from London through the night time in direction of Bedford or Brighton.
It mentioned anybody with a ticket dated New Year’s Eve can apply it to any Southern, Thameslink or Great Northern service at no further value both tomorrow or on New Year’s Day.
Chiltern Railways advised of a ‘excessive danger of quick discover cancellations and disruption’ on all routes this weekend ‘as a consequence of a scarcity of practice crew’. Engineering works at Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire on New Year’s Eve will compound the distress.
London Northwestern Railway warned passengers it’s ‘anticipating crowding and disruption to companies on New Year’s Eve’.
Passengers at London Victoria station immediately as a number of rail operators warn of main disruption
James Smith tweeted a photograph from an Avanti West Coast practice immediately, telling of ‘cancelled and delayed trains all day’, including: ‘Now a three-hour stand as much as London from Birmingham’
One passenger on board a Chiltern Railway practice from London Marylebone to Oxford this morning mentioned the service is ‘completely packed to capability’
It mentioned that is because of the ‘mixed affect of current storms harm throughout the community, increased than standard charges of illness absence inside our groups in addition to diminished capability inside our Sunday timetable’.
The operator has cancelled all companies between Stafford and Crewe, and warned that trains on different routes resembling between London Euston and Northampton are ‘topic to alteration and attainable cancellation’.
ScotRail warned companies will ‘start to wind down’ from 7pm on New Year’s Eve.
Meanwhile engineering works continued to have an effect on Greater Anglia trains by Chelmsford and London Victoria station has no Southeastern companies till New Year’s Day.
