Passengers travelling to London Heathrow Airport by rail may face disruptions on December 26, 2012.
Transport for London (TfL), the UK-based government agency responsible for the transport system in Greater London, has reported that ASLEF, the union of tube drivers, has announced strike action on that day, coinciding with a planned maintenance work announced by Network Rail on the Heathrow Express or Heathrow Connect network connecting to the airport.
A Heathrow Express statement on its website said, ‘Due to essential Crossrail improvement works, Heathrow Express will not be running any services between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport on December 25 and 26.
Our inter terminal transfer service between Heathrow Terminal 4 and Terminals 1 & 3 will continue to run in line with the planned timetable. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.’
Transport of London said, ‘In general, train services will finish earlier than usual on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, and start later in the day on the Thursday 27 December and Tuesday 1 January. There are no trains running on Christmas Day (some buses will run for Airport services), and only a limited service running around the London and Glasgow areas on Boxing Day.
No trains run in Scotland on New Year’s Day, while some Operators run additional early morning trains from London on New Year’s Day morning following the celebrations in central London.’
The agency has also issued its online annual Festive Travel Guide for London residents and visitors travelling in the city during the Christmas holiday period, offering detailed information on Tube, buses, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), Tramlink, London Overground, Emirates Air Line, Riverboat services, Barclays Cycle Hire and the Congestion Charge.
