London Northwestern Railway (LNR) has identified Saturday 15 November as the busiest day to travel to London Euston this festive season, as millions of visitors prepare to head to the capital for Christmas shopping, markets and seasonal attractions.

With Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland opening its gates on Friday 14 November, LNR analysed three years of booking data to uncover travel trends to London Euston. The findings show that the next three Saturdays — 15, 22 and 29 November — are expected to be the busiest for journeys to the capital before Christmas Day.

LNR, which provides tens of thousands of seats to and from Euston each day, is encouraging passengers to plan ahead and consider weekday or off-peak travel for a quieter and more comfortable journey. Interestingly, the data suggests that those planning festive trips in December could find trains less crowded than in November.

Jonny Wiseman, LNR’s Customer Experience Director, said:

“We’re looking forward to welcoming passengers onboard for their travel to London this festive season. Carriages will be much quieter on weekdays at off-peak times, so those who might need a bit of extra space for bags of presents should avoid weekend travel where possible. More people will be travelling to London than usual in the lead up to Christmas, so make sure to plan your journeys in advance and remember to be kind to staff and fellow passengers.”

Passengers are also being reminded of a £26 million programme of railway upgrades near Milton Keynes over Christmas and New Year, which will affect West Coast Main Line services to and from London Euston between the afternoon of 24 December and the morning of 5 January.

Susie May, Euston Station’s Customer Experience Manager, added:

“We know Christmas is a special time for families and friends, and we want everyone to get where they need to be as smoothly as possible. With major improvement works taking place on the West Coast Main Line near Milton Keynes from the afternoon of 24 December until 5 January, it’s important to plan ahead. Our advice for anyone travelling between London and Scotland this Christmas is to plan your journeys as early as possible.”

LNR is advising customers to check timetables before setting off and to allow extra time for travel during peak weekends, ensuring smoother journeys through one of the country’s busiest stations during the festive period.

Image: London Northwestern Railway