The busiest and quietest days to take a train over Christmas in the UK revealed

The busiest day for train travel will fall on Saturday 21 December, research from Trainline has revealed.

The next busiest day is predicted to be Monday 23 December, with last-minute travellers going up or down the country before Christmas Eve celebrations begin.

If you want to avoid the train melee, the quietest day is expected to be Christmas Eve on 24 December. However, it is important to note that the trains will stop running early in the evening ahead of Christmas Day. Sunday 22 December is thought will be the second quietest day for train travel.

No train services will operate on Christmas Day, but there will be some National Express coaches offering journeys. There will also be no train services on Boxing Day, apart from some limitted airport train transfer services.

New Year celebrations can also affect train schedules. Services are expected to run mostly as usual, but on New Year’s Eve they may end a bit earlier and New Year’s Day may bring a later start to some trains.

Major engineering works are also expected to take place, causing the closure of London Liverpool Street for eight days between 25 December and 2 January. London Paddington also will close for three days from 27 to 29 December.

There will be no East Midlands trains running between St Pancras and Bedford and no Thameslink services between St Pancras and Harpenden between 21 and 29 December.

No trains will pass through Crewe on 27 December. There will be no direct service to Liverpool and there will be a reduced service to Manchester from 28 December until 3 January.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast