Festive changes to bus, rail and ferry services revealed as passengers urged to plan ahead

Free Christmas Day buses on selected hospital routes
 
Mersey Tunnels free on Christmas Day
 
Merseyrail to run Boxing Day services
 
Passengers urged to plan ahead with seasonal services operating
 
 
Festive changes to Liverpool City Region’s public transport services have been revealed – with passengers urged to plan their journeys before travelling.

 
The Mersey Tunnels will once again be free between 10pm on Christmas Eve and 6am on Boxing Day and supported bus services will cover most hospital routes between around 12 noon and 6pm on Christmas Day.

 
Merseyrail’s special Boxing Day services will make a welcome return stopping at selected stations on both the Northern and Wirral lines. Merseyrail is the only operator in the region to offer Boxing Day services.

 
A round up of transport information is now live and can be viewed at merseytravel.gov.uk/christmas .

 
With some services finishing earlier than usual, particularly on Christmas Eve, passengers are urged to check timetables before travelling, to avoid being caught out.

 
Cllr Steve Foulkes, Chair of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Transport Committee said:

 
“This time of year is always very busy for everyone and the work that our frontline public transport colleagues do over this period is always hugely appreciated.

 
“We would like to thank our staff working on the trains, tunnels, Mersey Tunnel Police, buses, ferries, travel centres, ticket offices and our customer contact centre, for helping keep the city region moving during the festive period and enabling the public travel safely to enjoy meeting family and friends.

 
“Whether travelling for work, leisure, shopping or simply to visit relatives, we would urge passengers to make sure that they plan their journeys in advance as there will be changes to services across the city region at this time.”

 Top travel tips 

 
Whether you are heading out for a Christmas party, commuting to work or travelling to visit friends and family, key information and advice is now available to help you plan your journeys.

 
 
Plan ahead: We expect some services to be busier than usual across the festive period.
 
Check timetables:  Make sure to do this ahead of and on your day of travel in case there are any changes – in particular check last bus and train times. Merseytravel and operators will use social media to publish changes made at short notice.
 
Consider your options: There will be significant changes to services on some days, so services may be busier than expected. Think about staggering your travel home times and have a plan B in case you can’t get the service you planned for. In particular, don’t wait for the last scheduled train or bus home as these can often be very busy.
 
If possible buy travel tickets in advance and online: This will speed up your journey and help you avoid queues on the day.
 
Consider multi-modal tickets: Tickets that can be used over different modes of transport, such as Saveaways, will give you more options.
 
Please be kind and respectful to transport staff: Remember that they are working really hard to get you to where you need to be. 
 
 
Travel Roundup

 
Below is a round-up of some of the bus, train and ferry services across the Liverpool City Region over the Christmas and New Year period.

 
A full round up is available in the Christmas and New Year Public Transport Guide which can be found on our webpage at merseytravel.gov.uk/christmas 

 
You can also find information in the guide about opening hours for Merseytravel Travel Centres. You can map out your journey on the Merseytravel website using our online Journey Planner.

 
Christmas Day – Wednesday 25 December

 
 
A special network of free bus services, funded by the Combined Authority, will run between approximately 12 noon and 6pm, covering most hospital routes
 
No other bus services will operate
 
No trains will operate
 
Mersey Ferries will not operate
 
The Kingsway (Wallasey) Mersey Tunnel and the Queensway (Birkenhead) Mersey Tunnel will be open throughout the holiday period. Both tunnels will be toll free from 10pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on Boxing Day
 
 
New Year’s Eve – Tuesday 31 December

 
Services across rail and bus finish much earlier than usual on New Year’s Eve – if you are heading out to enjoy the festivities, please make sure you plan ahead and look at alternative arrangements to get home.

 
Bus services

 
Bus services may vary over the festive period. Very limited bus services will be operating on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

 
Visit our Travel Updates page for latest planned changes to services and make sure you check with the operators including Arriva and Stagecoach.