See family on Zoom to avoid rail chaos, ministers say

PEOPLE are being asked to consider having Zoom Christmases rather than travel home to see relatives, amid fears of chaos on the trains.

Official advice urged people to think about “using technology” to see loved ones when Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed from Dec 23.

The guidance comes as ministers and rail companies have expressed concern about the network’s ability to handle a surge of people travelling during the five-day window.

The official guidance stated: “You should consider ways to celebrate Christmas in other ways, such as the use of technology and meeting outdoors, without bringing households together or travelling between different parts of the country.”

Rail sources told The Daily Telegraph the main concern companies had was around a crush developing on the last day of the window, Dec 27, which is a Sunday, meaning only scaled down services will be running.

On top of this, engineering works that usually happen over the quieter Christmas period are due to start on Christmas Day. Already the East Coast Main Line has advised passengers not to travel between Dec 25 and Jan 3 owing to long-planned upgrade works.

Rail sources said companies would be monitoring ticket sales over the coming days to try to anticipate where the greatest demand will be.

One source said: “This is completely unprecedented and very hard to predict.”

Meanwhile, figures released yesterday showed ticket revenues dropped by about £2.7 billion to £184 million between April and June compared to the same period in 2019.