The final rush for home: Traffic will hit its busiest in five years today with 4.2million getaways planned as experts say avoid roads between 11am and 7pm with airports packed and rail services finishing early
A major motorway has been shut down and remained closed for hours, causing travel chaos for Brits racing to get home in time for Christmas.
The M2 motorway in Kent was closed westbound after a car overturned and motorists suffered huge traffic queues.
Motorists have been warned that the motorway connecting Kent to London will be closed for several hours as queues form at airports and train stations.
Emergency services rushed to the motorway between Junction 5 for Sittingbourne and Junction 4 for Rainham following a ‘serious collision’ near Medway services.
Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue Service and National Highways Traffic Officers attended the event.
Police said: ‘Kent police were called at 12.50am on Christmas Eve following a serious collision on the M2 motorway into London near the Medway services.
‘The motorway is currently closed between Junctions 5 and 4 and is likely to remain so for a long time. The officers are there.’
The road is expected to remain closed throughout the day as motorists heading into London will have to find alternative routes.
The M2 in Kent was closed westbound after a car overturned in a crash that caused travel chaos on Christmas Eve
Large traffic queues that formed after the collision devastated those returning home on Christmas Eve.
Huge queues form at London’s Euston railway station as people head home for Christmas
A National Highways spokesman said: ‘The M2 in Kent is closed westbound between J5 Stockbury Junction and J4 Brooms Wood Junction following a serious collision which resulted in a car overturning.
‘Kent Police are present along with South East Coast Ambulance Service, Kent Fire and Rescue Service and National Highways Traffic Officers.
‘If this closure affects your planned route, please allow extra journey time. Plan ahead; ‘You may want to change your route or even postpone your journey.’
The M27 will remain completely closed in both directions from Junction 9 to Junction 11.
Huge queues also formed at airports and train stations, including Euston, as people returned home for Christmas.
Travel disruption will worsen in the coming days as trains will not run from London Liverpool Street and Waterloo stations between Christmas and New Year’s Day due to engineering works.
More cars will be forced off the roads due to disruptions on lines from Cambridge to Cambridge North and Bury St Edmunds to Stansted Airport.
Christmas traffic is estimated to be at its busiest in five years, with 4.2 million people fleeing today.
Roads and highways will likely remain full of cars and trains throughout the night, while train stations and airports will be packed.
Christmas Eve could be one of the most nightmarish days to get home as the RAC predicts 4.2 million leisure trips will be planned, the highest of any day in the seven days before Christmas and the highest since Covid.
A total of 37.5 million trips are planned in the same period, from December 17 to December 24.
This is the highest figure since the RAC started recording data in 2013 and is a huge increase of 8 million more than last year’s 29.3 million journeys.
At the same time, the AA predicts there will be 22.7 million cars heading home for Christmas today, causing even more chaos on the roads, although this is a slightly lower figure than the five days before that.
Long queues form on M25 motorway after crash near Clacket Lane Services
Major delays have also been seen on the M6 in recent weeks as people head home for Christmas
Since the main routes will be closed from today, the closure of the roads will be another problem for the drivers.
From Christmas Eve, the M27 will be closed in both directions between Junction 9 (Whiteley/Park Gate) and Junction 11 (Fareham East/Gosport) from 8pm to 4am on January 4.
The RAC has identified the worst and best times to drive on Christmas Eve.
The busiest times will be between 13:00 and 19:00, while the best times to travel will be before 11:00.
An RAC spokesman said: ‘Traffic is expected to be heaviest on the main roads between 1pm and 7pm, so our advice to drivers, especially those traveling longer distances, is to get out before this time if possible.
‘Motorists should ensure their vehicle is ready for the road: checking that tires are undamaged; has plenty of tread and is properly inflated; and ensure oil and coolant levels are correct.
‘The headlight aiming should also be adjusted according to the load being carried, to reduce the possibility of dazzling other drivers. ‘We also expect an increase in malfunctions as a result of the transition to cold weather.’
See the routes most likely to be congested today in our list at the bottom of this page.
Avoiding roads could also lead to further congestion on the rail network, as many vital services, particularly from London, remain unavailable over the Christmas period.
Rail closures could also force more people onto the roads and cause more misery for motorists.
Stations are likely to be packed with people heading home for Christmas, as they are here at Kings Cross
There will be no train services to Waterloo from Christmas Day until 28 December and there will be very limited train services to Waterloo until 4 January.
Passengers on trains are facing particular difficulties as Great Western Railway (GWR) services between Reading and Gatwick Airport will be disrupted today due to staff shortages. GWR said in a post on X: ‘The line between Reading and Gatwick Airport has been disrupted due to train crew shortages.
‘Train services to and from these stations may be subject to disruptions on all routes.
‘Disruption is expected until 17:00.’
- Disruption of GWR services between Reading and Gatwick Airport due to staff shortages
- There are no trains to and from Waterloo from Christmas Day until December 28th, and there are very limited services to Waterloo until January 4th.
- There are no trains between Leeds and York between Christmas Day and 6 January.
- There are no trains between Cambridge North, Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds and Stansted Airport from Christmas Day until 5 January.
- There will be no train services between Stratford and Liverpool St from Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
- There are no trains between Dalmuir and Balloch/Helensburgh Central or between Glasgow Queen Street and Crianlarich between 24 December and 2 January.
- There are no trains between Milton Keynes and Rugby between Christmas Day and 5 January.
- There are no trains between Preston and Carlisle between 31 December and 15 January.
- There will be no train services between Carlisle and Lockerbie between 1 January and 7 January.
A total of 42,046 departures are planned from UK airports between 19 December and 4 January
Airports are also preparing for an influx of Christmas holidaymakers, especially with record numbers of getaways planned.
A total of 42,046 departures are planned from airports in the UK between 19 December and 4 January, according to the data. siriumIt increased by 2 percent compared to last year.
Luckily, the busiest day has already arrived on Friday 19 December, with 2,853 flights scheduled from airports across the UK.
However, Christmas Day is becoming increasingly popular as a flying day; 889 flights are scheduled to depart from UK airports; that number is 10 percent higher than last year and 33 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
The busiest days for travel from major UK airports are: UK Aviation News:
- Heathrow – 19 December
- Gatwick – 21 December
- Manchester – 21 December
- Stansted – 19 December
- Birmingham – 22 December
- Luton – 19 December
- Edinburgh – 22 December
- Newcastle – 19 December
- Bristol – 19 December
