Congestion cost in London axed for eight days over Christmas, TfL announce… however Sadiq’s beloved Ulez cost will nonetheless be working and focusing on motorists
The £15-a-day Congestion Charge for driving in Central London will be suspended for eight days between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, it was confirmed today.
But Transport for London (TfL) also said the £12.50-a-day Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) will continue operating across the festive period except on Christmas Day.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan controversially expanded the Ulez to cover all the capital’s boroughs in August last year, creating the world’s biggest pollution charging zone.
Drivers who enter the Ulez in a non-compliant vehicle are required to pay a £12.50 daily fee unless they are exempt, such as taxis or transport for disabled people.
For petrol cars to meet Ulez standards – based on emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter – they must generally have been first registered after 2005. Most diesel cars registered after September 2015 are also exempt from the charge.
Failing to pay the charge by midnight on the third day following a journey risks incurring a penalty charge notice of £180 each, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.
The Low Emission Zone (Lez), which requires heavy vehicles such as lorries to meet emission standards or be charged up to £300, will continue during the festive period.
TfL also confirmed there will be no public transport on December 25 – while only some parts of the network will be open on Boxing Day, operating a reduced service.
Transport for London has confirmed there will be no public transport on December 25
London Mayor Sadiq Khan controversially expanded the Ulez area in August last year
Buses will operate on Christmas Eve, but there will be no night services or 24-hour routes into Christmas Day – although Victoria Coach Station will be open throughout.
Santander Cycles, rental e-scooters and Dial-a-Ride, along with taxi and private hire services, will also be available during the festive period including on Christmas Day.
Services will run on every Underground line all night on New Year’s Eve except the Waterloo and City – while there will also be an overnight service on London trams, the Elizabeth line, the Docklands Light Railway and Overground lines.
TfL also confirmed a special bus timetable on New Year’s Eve with more services on some routes and some day routes extended into the night.
The Mayor’s annual fireworks display is taking place again on New Year’s Eve, with TfL urging customers not to travel to the area in and around the Victoria Embankment unless they have a ticket.
Also on New Years’s Eve, roads in certain parts of Central London will be closed, some Santander Cycle docking stations will be out of service, and some bridges will be shut to pedestrians.
TfL also warned of planned engineering works on some National Rail services over the Christmas period, such as closures at Liverpool Street mainline station from December 27 to January 1 and Paddington mainline station December 27 to 29.
Rail closures are also planned from King’s Cross St Pancras mainline station to Luton on Thameslink and East Midlands Railway services from December 21 to 29.
Customers planning to use any National Rail services over the festive period are also advised to check journeys before they travel due to timetable changes.
TfL said services over Christmas are typically quieter, so engineering works are carried out ‘when it is expected to least inconvenience customers’. Works include improvements to track, signals and stations as well as bigger schemes such as HS2.
Mayor Sadiq Khan made the Ulez almost four times larger by expanding it in August last year
TfL buses will operate on Christmas Eve but there will be no night services into Christmas Day
Free Tube travel on New Year’s Eve between 11.45pm and 4.30am was a tradition dating back to 2000 and was often funded by a sponsor, but this was scrapped in 2020 during the pandemic and has not been reinstated.
TfL said published fares will operate across all services on New Year’s Eve.
The IFS Cloud Cable Car will be open throughout the festive period with the exception of Christmas Day.
TfL’s chief operating officer Claire Mann said: ‘This festive period, we are once again excited to help Londoners and visitors experience all the entertainment, culture, bars, and restaurants and shops that the capital has to offer. TfL’s services are the best way to easily and safely get around the city.
‘The majority of the transport network will continue to operate over the festive period, ensuring that all customers can travel across London in affordable and green ways. We ask that customers check before they travel as planned works are taking place.’
TfL added that there will be planned works on the transport network on January 4 and 5, the first weekend of the New Year. This will include the closure of the Piccadilly line from King’s Cross St. Pancras to Cockfosters to help prepare for new trains.
