Boxing Day travel

Few would argue with the choice of the Christmas and New Year holiday period to carry out significant engineering work on the railway.

However, the absence of services in England and Wales on Boxing Day, on those lines unaffected, needs reconsidering given the number of people wishing to visit friends and relatives, go shopping or attend sporting fixtures.

Furthermore, the industry does not do itself any favours, if my experience at Stockport station on December 27 is anything to go by.

In the space of a 20-minute wait for my train, a Northern local service was cancelled due to lack of train crew, a CrossCountry service was cancelled due to strike action, and an Arriva Trains Wales Manchester to Milford Haven two-car (yes, two-car!) Class 175 DMU arrived at its first stop nearly full and left with passengers standing in the aisles of both carriages. Unpleasant and uncomfortable journeys surely awaited many of those on board.

Rail travel in the festive season should not be regarded as a privilege or subject to a lottery. Must do better in 2018. Dave Taylor, Barbican