Christmas traffic and travel LIVE as trains cancelled, motorways closed and ferry delays

First have issued an alert warning there are currently 40-minute delays on all services due to heavy traffic in Manchester city centre.

CrossCountry says it expects services to be “extremely busy” over the next couple of days, with some subject to cancellations or an amended timetable. Services are expected to be particularly busy on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 December, the train operator said.

CrossCountry said in a statement:

“Due to a high number of cancellations, CrossCountry Trains have announced temporary disruption over the next couple of weeks.

“During this period, passengers can expect adjusted timetables, potential delays and we expect our services to be extremely busy. We understand that this may inconvenience our passengers and appreciate the ongoing support and understanding.

“To minimise disruption, CrossCountry Trains have advised that passengers please check journey planners for the latest information before travelling, the last train to your station may be extremely busy, please allow extra time for your journey and where possible travel on additional services where provided for a comfortable journey back home.

“Our journey planners are the best place to find all the latest travel information.

“2023 has been a challenging year for all train operators. The widespread industrial action has greatly increased the levels of cancellation. General punctuality of the service has been impacted by recent storms and extreme weather which has led to speed restrictions being imposed and affecting passenger lateness. An increase in Network Rail structural and embankment incidents has also contributed to a rise in cancellations with significant incidents seen at Nuneham, Plessey, Aycliffe and at Lydney.

“We at CrossCountry continue to work closely with Network Rail on improving the punctuality and reliability of our services. This collaborative working has contributed to improvements in asset reliability, track quality and improved operational resilience at key locations and junctions that we operate over.”

One lane is closed and there is heavy traffic on the M62 due to a broken down vehicle eastbound before J20 A627(M) J3 Rochdale.

The M56 in Cheshire remains closed in both directions between J9 (M6/Lymm Interchange) and J7 (near Altrincham) following a collision involving an overturned horsebox.

Traffic Officers are in attendance and a replacement horsebox is en route for a horse transfer.

Delays around retail parks, supermarkets and shopping centres causing delays on buses across Greater Manchester.

Jet 2 has issued an update to travellers warning there could be disruption to flights over the coming days due to the weather. It comes after the Met Office issued a yellow warning of wind across parts of the country for Christmas Eve. The update says:

Our operations team continue to monitor the UK forecast to ensure we have the most up to date information for all Jet2.com departing and arriving customers over the festive period.

The Met Office has warned that the stormy conditions are due to continue, at times, in parts of the UK for the coming days.

If you are travelling with Jet2.com up to (and including) 24th December 2024, we plan to operate our flights as close to schedule as possible, however, there may be some disruption during this period, should the weather deteriorate.

We advise all customers to check in as scheduled (our check in desks close 40 minutes prior to your scheduled departure time) and our friendly Red Teams in the terminal will keep you up to date.

If your flight is disrupted, we will be in contact with you direct via SMS and Email and post regular updates on this page of the Jet2.com website. We ask you to please ensure you check and update your contact information (you can check and amend this through the ‘manage my booking’ section on our website or app).

We will, where possible, board all flights for an on-time departure, however, please be prepared for a longer than normal wait either in the terminal or onboard the aircraft to depart.

To access individual flight information please enter your flight number or routing above and if your flight is disrupted, click on ‘more info’ when your flight is displayed.

Jet2.com would like to apologise in advance for any disruption you may experience. Your comfort and safety is our number one priority, we will have you on the way as soon as possible.

There is currently disruption to Elizabeth line trains between Reading / Heathrow Airport and London Paddington.

A broken down train in the Acton Main Line area means some lines are blocked. As a result, trains may be cancelled or delayed by up to 35 minutes. This is expected until 2pm.

• M56 in both directions blocked, long delays due to overturned vehicle between J9 M6 J20 (Lymm Interchange) and J7 A556 Chester Road (Bowdon).

• A628 Woodhead Pass in both directions closed to high sided vehicles due to strong winds between Tintwistle and A616 / A628 (Flouch Roundabout) Flouch Roundabout.

• Slow traffic on A57 Hyde Road and Mottram Moor at Mottram in Longdendale. Travel time is 15 minutes.

• Queueing traffic on All approaches at the Saint Peter Church traffic lights. Travel time is ten minutes.

• Heavy traffic on M67 Westbound at M60 (Denton Island).

• A57(M) Mancunian Way outbound busy but moving from Ancoats to Salford.

• Slow traffic on A57 Regent Road and M602 inbound in to Manchester.

The M56 is blocked both ways after a crash – follow live updates here.

The motorway is currently blocked between junction eight and junction nine near Bowdon. Traffic officers are on the scene, with a replacement horsebox ‘en route’.

Regulated rail fares in England will rise by nearly 5% in March, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

The DfT has set a cap of 4.9% for increases to most fares regulated by the Government, which include season tickets on most commuter journeys, some off-peak return tickets on long distance routes and flexible tickets for travel around major cities.

July’s Retail Prices Index measure of inflation, which is traditionally used to determine annual fare rises, was 9.0%.

But the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), which is a more commonly used inflation figure, was 3.9% in November.

The previous cap on increases in regulated fares was 5.9%.

Woodhead Pass is closed to high sided vehicles.

Travel service Inrix says: “Delays of up to 20 minutes and some cancellations on Northern between Rochdale and Hebden Bridge, and between Rochdale and Burnley Manchester Road due to earlier flooding at Todmorden.”

A fault with the signalling system between London Victoria and Clapham Junction means trains have to run at reduced speed on some lines. As a result, trains between these stations may be delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until 1pm.

The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning for Christmas Eve.

It covers large swathes of northern Scotland from midday on Sunday until the early hours of Christmas Day.

People should expect travel disruption, damage to buildings and power cuts, the Met Office said. There is the potential for gusts as high as 60 or 70 mph across Lewis, Orkney, Sutherland and Caithness.

• Queueing traffic and one lane closed due to flooding on M62 Eastbound from J22 A672 (Rishworth Moor) to J24 A629 (Ainley Top).

• A666 St Peters Way Northbound partially blocked, slow traffic due to accident from M61 (Kearsley roundabout) to A575 Manchester Road (Moses Gate).

• Queueing traffic on A57 Hyde Road and Mottram Moor at Mottram in Longdendale. Travel time is 25 minutes.

• Delays on M61 Southbound at J1 M60 (Swinton Interchange).

• One lane closed due to broken down vehicle on M6 Southbound from J17 A534 Old Mill Road (Sandbach / Crewe) to J16 A500 (Stoke-On-Trent / Crewe). Traffic is coping well.

Trains between London Euston and Watford Junction are currently disrupted due to a passenger falling ill. means trains to and from Watford Junction may be disrupted. As a result, trains may be cancelled or revised. This is expected until 12pm.

Avanti has lifted its peak restrictions meaning all trains between now and January 7 are now off-peak.

One lane closed due to broken down vehicle on M6 southbound from J17 A534 Old Mill Road (Sandbach / Crewe) to J16 A500 (Stoke-On-Trent / Crewe).

A mother and her two children booked a ferry to France as a back-up after their train was cancelled on Thursday.

Laure Sauve had been rebooked on a 9.30am train on Friday along with her sons Quentin, 16, and Benjamin, 12, but said her 18-year-old son could not book the same train so was travelling separately later in the day.

The 42-year-old university lecturer from Clapham Junction in London said the cancellation on Thursday was “quite a big disappointment”.

But she added that the queues on Friday were “not too bad” as they had been waiting about 30 minutes.

Mrs Sauve said: “We weren’t sure if there were going to be trains today so we booked ferry tickets in case.

“This has happened before, we’ve been in London for 15 years, it’s always like ‘will it be possible for us to be back in France in time for Christmas?’.”

The family said they were spending 10 days in France to see family for Christmas.

Northern trains between Rainford and Blackurn, and between Wigan North Western / Wigan Wallgate / Chester and Leeds are disrupted due to flood at Todmorden.

As service recovers, trains may still be cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or revised. This is expected until 11:30.

There is queueing traffic, and one lane closed, due to flooding on M62 eastbound from J22 A672 (Rishworth Moor) to J24 A629 (Ainley Top).

The M62 was closed overnight following a fatal crash between junctions 21 and 22. The road has now reopened but some queues still remain.

A construction engineer from Hackney said the queues at St Pancras on Friday morning reminded him of the coronavirus pandemic.

Lesie Smith, 60, said he “panicked a little” when he saw the news of cancellations on Thursday, but his train to Paris on Friday at 9.30am had not been delayed.

Meanwhile, Bogdan and Irena Petris, from Plymouth, said they were “a bit anxious” on Thursday but when they heard by 11pm that the strikes were off, they felt “relief”.

The 50-year-olds were spending Christmas in Paris.

The Port of Dover in Kent said it is taking about 90 minutes to process cars with pre-booked tickets.

It attributed the delay to a surge in demand for ferries after the Channel Tunnel rail link was closed on Thursday due to unscheduled industrial action by French workers, which ruined the travel plans of tens of thousands of people.

The RAC estimates that 13.5 million leisure journeys by car will take place across the UK between Friday and Sunday, up 20% on the three days before Christmas Day last year.

Road congestion is likely to peak on Friday as drivers embarking on leisure trips competed for road space with commuters and business traffic.

Motorists were advised to travel before 11am or after 6pm if possible to reduce the chance of being stuck in long queues.

Likely traffic hotspots on the M25 identified by transport analysis company Inrix include: clockwise between junction 7 (for the M23/Gatwick Airport) and junction 16 (for the M40/Birmingham); and anti-clockwise between junction 17 (Rickmansworth) and junction 12 (for the M3).

Other motorway stretches expected to see long queues included the M1 north from Woburn, Bedfordshire, to Daventry, Northamptonshire, and the M6 south from Wigan, Greater Manchester, to Stafford, Staffordshire.