Travellers across East Anglia are being urged to plan ahead this Christmas Eve as record levels of festive travel are expected.
The RAC forecasts 37.5 million trips across the UK in the week leading up to 25th December, the highest number since it began collecting data in 2013. With Christmas falling mid-week, drivers are setting off early, with 6.5 million journeys expected on Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th December. Christmas Eve itself is likely to see 4.2 million trips nationwide, making it the busiest single day of the festive getaway.
For East Anglia, this means busy roads across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and Essex. Main routes into Norwich, Ipswich, Cambridge, and Colchester are expected to be heavily congested. Drivers should allow extra travel time, check weather forecasts, and be prepared for slower journeys in rural areas where icy or frosty conditions may occur.
Public transport users are also advised to pay close attention to service updates. Greater Anglia has issued travel advice for Christmas and New Year, highlighting major changes and closures. London Liverpool Street station will be closed from 25 December to 1 January for roof replacement and essential maintenance within the Bishopsgate tunnel. During this period, many services to and from London will start or terminate at Stratford, with ticket acceptance arranged on the Elizabeth Line, Central Line, Victoria Line, and Circle, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan Lines for journeys connecting with London Liverpool Street.
Christmas Eve will see an early shutdown for trains, with most services ending by 22:00 and reductions starting from 19:00. The Stansted Express will operate as an exception, with the last service to Stansted Airport departing London Liverpool Street at 23:21 and the last return at 22:43. No services will run on Christmas Day, and only a limited Stansted Express will operate on Boxing Day. Services from 27 December to 4 January will run on a revised schedule, with buses replacing trains between Stansted Airport and Cambridge North and between Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge.
Martin Beable, Managing Director of Greater Anglia, said: “While most of our services will be running over the festive period, so that people can continue to travel across East Anglia and beyond, engineering work is taking place and will affect passengers travelling on both main lines to and from London and in the Cambridge area. Since the railway tends to be much quieter over this period, Network Rail uses it to carry out essential upgrade work that will help Greater Anglia to continue operating a very punctual and reliable service for customers in 2026. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the service alterations, and we urge passengers to check before they travel as some journeys may take longer than normal.”
Travellers are advised to use Greater Anglia’s journey planner on the website or app to confirm times and plan connections. By preparing in advance, whether driving or taking the train, visitors and residents can make their East Anglia Christmas Eve journey safer, smoother, and less stressful.
