On 07/11/2012 00:02, Paul Corfield wrote:

On Tue, 06 Nov 2012 11:50:33 +0000, Mizter T
wrote:

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/8288947.html

Looks like it could become an annual tradition.

I haven't been around in London town for the past couple of Boxing Days
and never really caught up with how severe the disruption was from the
two previous strikes - just wondering if anyone can fill me in on how
things turned out in the end? Thanks.

I haven't been around either but I did take a look at what happened.
From memory last year's dispute hit services badly with many lines
disrupted. Services to / from Heathrow were threadbare and I believe
HEX were not running either (no NR on Boxing Day). Buses were overrun
with people trying to get into town for the Sales.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16330372

I can only find this for Boxing Day 2010 but it shows a reasonably
high level of disruption.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...pping-day.html


Just to revisit this, as the ASLEF Boxing Day strike seems to be on...
http://www.aslef.org.uk/information/134561/boxing_day_strikes_announced/
and
http://www.aslef.org.uk/information/134567/why_we_are_striking_in_london_on_boxing_day/

I note what you (Paul C) say above about Tube services to/from Heathrow
being threadbare - the BBC article states they only ran "between
Heathrow Airport and Hammersmith, and Finsbury Park to Cockfosters" -
and there doesn't appear to have been any other onward District or
Circle line services from Hammersmith either.

I mention Heathrow specifically because in previous years when the
Heathrow Express wasn't running on Boxing Day (for example last year -
and I've just checked this), HEx has provided a coach service instead -
indeed HEx provided a coach service on Christmas Day too.

However, this year HEx is not running on Boxing Day (because of
Crossrail works), and it isn't providing a coach service on Boxing Day
or indeed on Christmas Day either.

So on Boxing Day, Heathrow travellers heading for central London or v.v.
will have to brave the disrupted Tube or find another way, e.g. National
Express to/from VCS or taxi / minicab / scrounge a lift etc. Not ideal.

(On Christmas Day itself, the Oxford Tube service does run an hourly
service via Heathrow instead of via Hillingdon - but not on Boxing Day.)

All in all, a rather unwelcome emerging new tradition seems to be taking
shape in the form of the Boxing Day Tube strike, though it might serve
to mute the rapacious consumerism of the Boxing Day sales, which
wouldn't be such a bad thing.