The festive season is one of the busiest times for Britain's roads, so here are some facts they may help you keep Christmas merry this year

With more people than ever working or living away from family and friends, it is no surprise that the Christmas voyage home is one of the busiest times for Britain's travel network. Regardless of whether you are travelling by train, plane, coach or car, planning your journey ahead is going to be imperative... as if there was already enough to think about at Christmas! Just like when taking your vehicle abroad, knowing the facts could help make things easier. So, here are some things Pendle Vehicle Contracts think will help you out!

The Roads

In 2014, the car was the most common used mode of transport for Britons, with more than half (57%) reporting that they used a car. Nearly 5 years on and this statistic is only increasing, as well as the number of people opting to use a car. To view the image in full screen for some interesting statistics, right click and 'Open in New Tab'. This Christmas you can expect the roads to be even busier with public transport services being either extremely restricted on not running at all. There are no rail services across the UK on Christmas Day and few on Boxing Day, with nearly all rail routes to Paddington being cancelled or reduced until New Year's Day. If travelling in and around London, please bare this in mind and allow extra time for your journey. Of course, this does not only impact personal car travel, but also coach services (if they are running.)

If you are looking for a new car or van and are considering leasing, please browse through all of our latest lease deals available for both Business and Personal Contract Hire.

The Trains

Network Rail have stated that there will be less disruptions in general this year in comparison to last year over the Christmas period. This is because they are planning most of the engineering and repair work on the days when the trains are not running anyway. As much as this is an inconvenience, we have to be grateful for those working on the rail network over Christmas! Here are the major disruptions you can expect if planning travel by train:

Major work is expected to affect Paddington between 23^rd and 31^st December.
Heathrow Express will not run at all from 23/12 -25/12 and also on 30/12.
Passengers are urged to avoid Clapham Junction from 23/12 to 01/01.
London Victoria station will have platforms 9 to 19 closed from 23/12 to 01/01.
Most Southern Services will be diverted to and from London Bridge.
Engineering work will close some lines in and around Manchester Victoria during Christmas.
Travel to the West Midlands will be limited as only two trains every hour run from Euston to the West Mids from 24/12 to 01/01.
Great Western Railway trains will terminate at Slough or Reading.
No Gatwick Express service will run.

We hope that Pendle haven't put a dampener on your Christmas spirit, but whether you are travelling in the affect areas on London, The South, The Midlands, The North... The United Kingdom... we wish you a safe and happy Christmas. Pendle look forward to hearing from you in the New Year and helping with your bespoke car leasing or van leasing deal! Until then, why not build your perfect lease vehicle, start here:

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