As the year winds down and festivities ramp up, navigating public transport can become that bit more challenging, especially with altered schedules and early finishes. Thus, here’s a breakdown of D&G Bus arrangements this festive season, starting from Monday 23rd December 2024 and guiding you into the New Year.
Monday 23rd December 2024: A Balancing Act
The start of the festive schedule sees a mix of normal and adjusted services. Most routes, including the 11, 22, 33, and more, will run on normal service levels. However, other services, such as lines 2, 3, and 19/A, will follow a Saturday timetable. Travellers should note that a handful of trips will be suspended; notably, service 6 will not operate at all. Other adjustments are in place for services like 1/A, 5, 32, and 82, where select early morning trips are paused.
Christmas Eve - Tuesday 24th December 2024: Winding Down Early
Christmas Eve mirrors the previous day but anticipates early finishes on several routes to accommodate festive celebrations. While most services maintain regular operations, expect reduced activities post-7 pm. Notably, Service 11 and 22 will not run, and the last service for many lines, such as 8 from Wistaston Green or 12 from Leighton Hospital, will conclude their routes early.
Christmas Day & Boxing Day: A Pause in Operations
On both Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th December 2024, D&G Bus will take a break. Travellers are advised to plan accordingly, as no services will operate on these days.
Friday 27th December 2024: Returning to Routine
With Christmas festivities over, services resume with slight modifications. Most routes, like the 5 and 82, will operate on their usual schedules, albeit with some minor trip suspensions similar to those observed on the 23rd. Service 6 and a few iterations of 32 remain non-operational.
Weekend of 28th-29th December 2024: Status Quo
Saturday and Sunday travel throughout Cheshire and nearby areas will follow the regular weekend timetables. Passengers can expect continuity in service as the larger schedule remains undisturbed over the weekend.
Monday 30th December 2024: Festive Runs Continue
As December draws to a close, the operation continues in much the same manner as previous post-Christmas days, providing a mix of normal and Saturday services, maintaining those early morning trip suspensions where previously indicated.
New Year’s Eve - Tuesday 31st December 2024: The Last Ride of the Year
Reprising the schedule of the 30th, New Year’s Eve also sees early finishes on select routes. Travellers should pay attention to the last trips of the day, particularly those on services 8, 24, and 38, ensuring urgent travels are completed without getting stranded along the way.
New Year’s Day - Wednesday 1st January 2025: Welcome the New Year with a Rest
As is traditional, New Year’s Day will see D&G Bus taking a day of rest, with no services scheduled.
Thursday 2nd & Friday 3rd January 2025: Resuming Regularity
The public transport service eases back into its typical rhythm for the new year. Slight deviations remain, notably the persistent absence of early journeys on specific lines like the 1/A, 5, and 82, but otherwise, regular service resumes.
Saturday 4th January 2025: A Return to Normal
By the first Saturday of the new year, D&G Bus returns to normal service, with all routes anticipated to follow their regular schedules. As the seasonal alterations phase out, passengers can expect business as usual.
As the holiday season approaches, planning your travel on Greater Manchester’s public transport network becomes crucial to ensure smooth travel. Whether you rely on trams, buses, trains, or local links, understanding the festive timetable changes can save you time and effort.
Trams: Schedule Adjustments for the Holidays
During the festive period, trams across Greater Manchester will see varied schedules. Here’s a breakdown:
Christmas Eve (Tuesday, 24 December): Services begin at 6am but wrap up earlier. The last trams will arrive at terminus stops around 9pm. It’s advisable to check the journey planner for precise details.
Christmas Day (Wednesday, 25 December): There will be no tram services available on this day.
Boxing Day to New Year’s Day (26 December - 1 January): Key routes like Altrincham to Etihad Campus and Manchester Airport to Victoria will operate, but peak services on some routes will not. Boxing Day services kick off at 7am, running every 15 minutes until midnight, with Manchester Piccadilly station closed but accessible via Fairfield Street to the Metrolink stop.
Changes on New Year’s Eve (31 December): Services operate every 12 minutes till 1am, with modifications in the late evening to accommodate the City Council’s fireworks at St Peter’s Square. Again, checking the journey planner is recommended for the last tram times.
New Year’s Day (1 January): Services resume at 7am, maintaining a 15-minute frequency throughout the day.
By 2 January, normal tram services resume.
Buses: Modified Services to Keep You Moving
Bus services also experience significant timetable changes through the festive period:
Monday, 23 December: Standard services will run, with some routes on a modified timetable.
Christmas Eve (24 December): Runs mostly on a weekday schedule, with many services ceasing operations from 6pm, although some Bee Network routes continue until 9pm.
Christmas Day (25 December): With the exception of Stagecoach’s service 43, there are no other bus services running.
Boxing Day (26 December): A curated list of routes will run, catering to essential travel needs.
New Year’s Eve (31 December): Similar to Christmas Eve, services will cease running from 6pm, but some Bee Network routes and special late-night services are available until 4am on select routes.
By 2 January, bus services generally return to normal, with some routes still on a modified timetable until 4 January.
Free Bus, Local Link, and Ring & Ride: Special Holiday Schedules
The Free Bus in the City Centre operates daily except Christmas Day and Boxing Day, with alterations on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Local Link and Ring & Ride services will not operate on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day but run on normal schedules otherwise, with early finish times on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Trains: Plan Ahead for Amended Timetables
Train travellers should be aware of limited services during the holiday season:
On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, services will operate until early evening, with reduced frequency and select services winding down earlier than usual.
No train services will operate on Christmas Day or Boxing Day.
From Friday, 27 December, expect amended timetables with potential delays or diversions, especially for routes impacted by engineering works between Leeds and York over the weekend.
Regular scheduling resumes across train services by 2 January.
Customer Contact Centres and Ticket Offices: Operating Hours
For inquiries and support, the Bee Network Customer Contact Centre will be closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day, while other days have varied hours.
Information and ticket offices maintain reduced hours on key dates, with closures on Christmas and Boxing Day.
Conclusion
Preparing for changes in public transport schedules during the festive season can make a significant difference in your travel experience. By noting the specific adjustments in trams, buses, free bus services, trains, and customer support operations, Greater Manchester’s residents and visitors can better plan their journeys and enjoy a stress-free holiday period. Stay informed by frequently checking schedules on official websites and using journey planners to ensure you’re on the right track during this busy time.
As the festive season approaches, many are beginning to plan their travels, and for those relying on Irish Rail, understanding the schedule changes is crucial. This year, Iarnród Éireann has provided an overview of the rail service adjustments throughout the Christmas and New Year period, ensuring passengers are well-informed during this busy travel time.
In the lead-up to Christmas, Irish Rail has scheduled late-night DART and Commuter services to accommodate festive revellers. These services will run on Thursdays through to Saturdays from the 5th to the 7th, the 12th to the 14th, and the 19th to the 21st of December. Additionally, these late services will extend into the wee hours of New Year’s Eve, making post-celebration travel easier.
From Christmas Eve on the 24th of December to New Year’s Day on the 1st of January, there will be revised timetables across all routes. It is worth noting that no trains will operate on Christmas Day or St Stephen’s Day, providing a window for essential engineering works, particularly on the Dublin Connolly to Grand Canal Dock line. These works will necessitate service changes, including bus transfers between certain sections, notably impacting the Rosslare services which will require bus travel between Dublin Connolly and Bray.
On Christmas Eve itself, InterCity services will run with some reductions and alterations with final services departing between roughly 6:00 PM and 8:30 PM. DART and Commuter trains will follow a typical Saturday schedule until around 9:00 PM, after which the last trains to key destinations such as Portlaoise, Maynooth, and Drogheda will depart. The Cork Commuter services are aligned similarly with their last journeys to and from Cobh and Midleton concluding slightly earlier.
Between the 27th of December and the 5th of January, train schedules will persist with variations due to the ongoing engineering works, especially in Dublin’s central rail hubs. Improvements are well underway, necessitating the closure of the Dublin Connolly to Grand Canal Dock line, apart from limited shuttle options allowing for continued travel via alternative arrangements such as bus transfers, with Dublin Bus accommodating rail ticket holders between affected stations.
Moving into the New Year, while January 1st will see continued revisions reflective of the construction efforts, normal service is expected to resume by the 6th of January. For the New Year’s Eve celebrations, additional late-night services have been thoughtfully introduced, primarily departing from Connolly and Pearse stations, offering convenience to those celebrating in Dublin.
It’s essential for passengers to pre-book their InterCity services, especially during peak travel times, to ensure a stress-free journey. With the late-night services leading up to Christmas and the comprehensive timetable adjustments, Irish Rail provides robust solutions to navigate the holiday season while accommodating necessary infrastructure enhancements. Travellers are encouraged to check specific times before departing, especially given the frequent alternations during this period.
This thoughtful planning by Iarnród Éireann aims to blend holiday convenience with infrastructure progress, ensuring that passengers enjoy the festive season while also paving the way for sustained service improvements in the new year. Overall, it’s a time of celebration as well as transformation for Irish Rail as it balances holiday cheer with strategic enhancements to the rail network.
Bus Éireann has unveiled its holiday schedule, outlining service changes that will affect travellers across Ireland during the festive period. Understanding these modifications will help passengers plan their journeys effectively, particularly during critical travel days.
Christmas Eve Service Pattern
December 24 will see a carefully orchestrated reduction in services throughout the day. While the morning begins with normal Tuesday operations, services will gradually wind down as the day progresses. The first major changes affect Expressway routes, with intercity services beginning to conclude from mid-afternoon. The Waterford to Dublin Airport route marks the start of these reductions, with its final departure from Waterford at 14:45, followed by its last Dublin Airport departure at 19:15.
As the afternoon progresses, more routes conclude their service. From Wexford, the last bus departs at 17:00, while Ballina’s final service leaves at 17:15. The Sligo connection makes its last departure at 17:30 from Dublin, with a returning service at 18:15. Western routes, including the Limerick to Killarney service, finish with final departures at 17:35 and 18:00 respectively.
For those travelling later in the evening, the last possible Expressway journeys include the Dublin to Donegal service (changing at Cavan) at 21:30, and the final Dublin to Dundalk Route 100X departing at 21:44. Local services, including city, town, and rural routes, continue until approximately 21:00, with any journey that begins before this time guaranteed to complete its full route.
Christmas Day and St. Stephen’s Day Operations
All services pause completely on Christmas Day. However, St. Stephen’s Day (December 26) sees services resume with alterations to early morning journeys. While most routes begin at 09:00 following a Sunday schedule, several essential early services ensure travellers can reach their destinations.
The earliest departures on St. Stephen’s Day demonstrate Bus Éireann’s commitment to maintaining vital transport links. The Expressway network leads the way, with the first bus leaving Donegal at 04:00. Local services follow shortly after, with Route 190 departing Athlone at 05:20, and both Shannon Airport connections (Routes 330 and 343) beginning at 06:00.
Year-End Travel
The period between Christmas and New Year sees a return to regular service patterns from December 27 through December 31. New Year’s Day introduces another modified schedule, operating Sunday service levels before returning to normal operations on January 2.
Planning Recommendations
For passengers planning Christmas Eve travel, understanding the graduated reduction in services is crucial. Those needing to make longer journeys should aim for morning or early afternoon departures to ensure they reach their destinations. The systematic wind-down of services means that later connections may not be available on usual routes.
St. Stephen’s Day travellers benefit from early morning options but should note that services operate on a Sunday schedule. This means reduced frequency compared to weekday service, even though early morning connections are maintained on key routes.
Thankfully, these are fairly minor compared to previous years. Nevertheless, they can catch you out if you are not aware of them, so I am sharing them on here.
The ones starting from 2024-09-01 are minor changes in journey times. The first is the afternoon journey on service 188, a variation of service 88 between Macclesfield, Knutsford, Wilmslow and Altrincham that is included in the same timetable, that will run 10 minutes earlier. The, there are tweaks to the route 60 and 60A timetables to add extra reliability. Coming on 2024-09-02 is a more dramatic change: Mikro Bus are removing the Brookhouse section from route 39. That will leave some looking for alternative travel options.
On 2024-10-24, two changes are being made to exclude parts of route 312 and the Sunday service on route 130 that go through parts of Greater Manchester. Route 312 will use the A555 instead, while route 130 will go along both the A555 and A34 on its way to and from Handforth Dean Retail Park. The latter will no longer go along Stanley Road or Earl Road; Monday to Saturday journeys are unaffected by this change and continue as they are. In addition, journey times on route 312 will also be altered to improve connections with service 88 for getting to and from Knutsford.
Hopefully, that will be all there is to these because more like the cessations in Nantwich rural services can come yet. There may be a Better Buses Bill on the way, but it brings no extra cash and there is a budgetary shortfall that has affected transport investment. At this moment, public transport needs all the help it can get, so that is a shame. Hopefully, we can get past this challenging period to enter better times; they are sorely needed. While there may be a new government, financial constraints sadly remain for now.
Bus Éireann has announced enhancements to the Sligo town bus services, introducing a new seven-day S3 route from Markievicz Road to Finisklin, along with improvements to the S1 and S2 routes. Starting on Sunday, 2nd
February 2025, Route S1, running from Cartron to Cairns Road, will offer increased evening services from 18:30 to midnight, including additional stops at Hollymount and Clarion Village. Route S2, from Strandhill to Rosses Point, will follow a revised route with new stops at Rosses Point Promenade, Oyster Island, and Wine Street.
20:52, January 20th, 2025
Bus Éireann will resume full timetabled services for Cork City Routes 202/202A, 205, and 208 beginning 2nd
February 2025, after reduced frequency timetables were implemented in October 2024 due to driver recruitment challenges. Since then, ongoing recruitment efforts have strengthened the pipeline for the driver training school.
Route 202/202A will return to a 20-minute frequency, Route 205 to every 15 minutes, and Route 208 to every 10 minutes. The 220 service is under review for improvements in punctuality and reliability, with a new timetable anticipated by April 2025.
