Customers advised to plan their journeys and travel with confidence at Christmas

Britain’s long-distance train operator, CrossCountry, is advising its customers to book their journey early, remember to reserve a seat and check for the best times to travel this Christmas.

Train services are expected to be busy in December as people take advantage of the travel window to see friends and loved ones this Christmas. So customers can travel with confidence, CrossCountry is taking extra steps to provide space for people and presents by operating more and longer trains, and providing staff at key stations around the rail network to help people on their journeys.

A dedicated page is available at www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/Christmas-travel where everyone can find the latest information, including what days and times trains are popular for bookings. Customers are encouraged to plan their journey and travel at quieter times when more seats are available.

Customers are reminded that restrictions are still in place when travelling. Face coverings are compulsory unless someone is exempt, and everyone is asked to follow the guidance and keep an appropriate distance from fellow travellers. A seat reservation is required when travelling on CrossCountry services.

CrossCountry’s Managing Director, Tom Joyner, said: “We want our customers to travel comfortably and safely this Christmas, so we’re pulling out all the stops to help them use the travel window between 23 and 27 December. Every train we have will be carrying people around the country, and I will be joining colleagues out and about at stations to help people on their journeys.

“To help everyone travel safely, we’re asking customers to check our website for the quietest times to travel, book early and remember to get a seat reservation so that everyone can have a happy Christmas.”

With almost no engineering works affecting its services at Christmas the full current timetable will be operating, and there will be additional road transport available at some locations in case trains become too busy. Services will end slightly earlier on the 24th and resume a little later on the 27th, and there are no CrossCountry services on Christmas Day or Boxing Day.

The current high-quality cleaning regime continues, ensuring train interiors and surfaces are as clean as possible, with similar care taken on any road transport services provided.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact:

CrossCountry press enquiries - Tel: 0121 200 6115 or email: [email protected]

Notes to Editors:

CrossCountry’s network is the most geographically-extensive passenger rail franchise in Britain. Stretching from Aberdeen to Penzance and from Stansted to Cardiff, it calls at over 100 stations. Based in Birmingham, CrossCountry connects seven of the Britain’s 10 largest cities and delivers 298 services every weekday, equating to some 40 million passenger journeys a year.

For further information on CrossCountry services visit crosscountrytrains.co.uk or follow them online via Twitter at @crosscountryuk or Facebook.com/crosscountrytrains

CrossCountry is part of the Arriva group, one of the leading providers of passenger transport in Europe. Arriva employs over 53,000 people and delivers over 2 billion passenger journeys across 14 European countries each year.

Contact Information

CrossCountry Press Office: [email protected]

About CrossCountry

CrossCountry is a long-distance passenger train operator, with a network stretching from Aberdeen to Penzance and from Stansted to Cardiff and calling at over 100 stations. Based in Birmingham, CrossCountry connects seven of Britain’s 10 largest cities and delivers 240 services every weekday, equating to over 42 million passenger journeys each year.

For further information on CrossCountry services, visit crosscountrytrains.co.uk or visit one of our social media platforms via X @crosscountryuk or Facebook at facebook.com/crosscountrytrains