Christmas travel plans present huge challenges - The Yorkshire Post says

The anxiety that can cause is obviously much heightened this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with the temporary lifting of many restrictions around Christmas meaning movement around the country will be condensed into an even shorter period than normal.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced almost 800 miles of roadworks on motorways and A-roads will be lifted, with local councils asked to do the same where possible in the areas and also ensure bus services are operating reliably.

Plans for a reduced rail service running out of King’s Cross up to Yorkshire on Christmas Eve afternoon have been scrapped as part of the changes.

However, £1.2bn upgrade works to the East Coast Main Line are still scheduled to continue, meaning King’s Cross will remain closed from Christmas Day until December 30 - adding to the strain elsewhere in the network and undoubtedly considerably complicating travel plans for many people in Yorkshire.

The Department for Transport is in something of an invidious position - it says that if the work was cancelled, it would result in delays of up to two years in delivering improvements to punctuality, safety and reliability that are the intention of the work.

It is promising to hear Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy, who has also been appointed as the Government’s Christmas travel tsar, say talks are still continuing with operators to come up with further ideas.

From running longer trains to increasing Covid testing for transport staff, every effort must be taken to ensure people travel home for Christmas as safely as possible.

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