Here’s a roundup of bus, train and ferry services across the Christmas and New Year period.



Full details including timetables and late night bus and train services are in the Merseytravel Christmas and New Year Transport Guide.

Customers are advised to pick up a guide from any Merseytravel centre, view online in the travel updates section of the Merseytravel website or contact Traveline for details 0151 236 7676.

The Kingsway (Wallasey) Mersey Tunnel and the Queensway (Birkenhead) Mersey Tunnel will be open throughout the holiday period.

Christmas Eve - Saturday 24 December

• Buses will run to their normal timetables, but services will finish earlier than usual.

• Wirral, Northern and City line rail services will run to Saturday timetables with an earlier finish.

• Mersey Ferries - The River Explorer Cruise will run, departing from the Pier Head at 1100, then hourly until the last service which will depart from the Pier Head at 1500, arriving at Seacombe 1520, Woodside 1530 and finishing at Pier Head at 1550.

Christmas Day – Sunday 25 December

• A special network of free bus services, funded by Merseytravel, will run between approximately 12 noon and 7pm, serving most of the region’s/area’s main hospitals.

• No other bus services will run on Christmas Day.

• No trains will run.

• Mersey Ferries will not operate.

• There is FREE travel through both the Birkenhead and Wallasey tunnels between 2200 on 24th December and 0600 on 26th December.

Boxing Day – Monday 26 December

• Some bus services will run to normal timetables, with an earlier finish. Some will not operate.

• Wirral and Northern lines will run a limited service calling at selected stations.

• City Line trains will not operate.

• Mersey Ferries will not operate.

Tuesday 27 December

• Some buses will operate a Sunday service, some services will not operate

• Wirral Line trains will run to Saturday timetables.

• Northern Line trains will run to Saturday timetables.

• City line trains - there are service alterations due to engineering works in Central Manchester. For details of the Christmas and New Year services over this period, please contact National Rail Enquiries on 03457 48 49 50 or contact the service operator

• Northern Rail trains between Preston - Ormskirk and Kirkby - Wigan - Manchester will run to their normal timetables.

• ArrivaTrains Wales trains will run to a Bank Holiday service (every 2 hours)

• Mersey Ferries - The River Explorer Cruise will run, departing from the Pier Head at 1100, then hourly until the last service which will depart from the Pier Head at 1500, arriving at Seacombe 1520, Woodside 1530 and finishing at Pier Head at 1550.

Wednesday 28 December:

• Some buses will operate a normal or Saturday service, some services will not operate

• Wirral Line trains will run to Saturday timetables.

• Northern Line trains will run to Saturday timetables.

• City line - there are service alterations due to engineering works in Central Manchester. For details of the Christmas and New Year services over this period, please contact National Rail Enquiries on 03457 48 49 50 or contact the service operator.

• Northern Rail trains between Preston - Ormskirk and Kirkby - Wigan - Manchester will run to their normal timetables.

• Arriva Trains Wales trains will run to a Bank Holiday service (every 2 hours).

• Mersey Ferries - The River Explorer Cruise will run, departing from the Pier Head at 1100, then hourly until the last service which will depart from the Pier Head at 1500, arriving at Seacombe 1520, Woodside 1530 and finishing at Pier Head at 1550.

Thursday 29 December

• Some buses will operate a normal or Saturday service, some services will not operate

• Wirral Line trains will run to Saturday timetables.

• Northern Line trains will run to Saturday timetables.

• City line there are service alterations due to engineering works in Central Manchester. For details of the Christmas and New Year services over this period, please contact National Rail Enquiries on 03457 48 49 50 or contact the service operator.

• Northern Rail trains between Preston - Ormskirk and Kirkby - Wigan - Manchester will run to their normal timetables.

• ArrivaTrains Wales trains will run to a Bank Holiday service (every 2 hours).

• Mersey Ferries - The River Explorer Cruise will run, departing from the Pier Head at 1100, then hourly until the last service which will depart from the Pier Head at 1500, arriving at Seacombe 1520, Woodside 1530 and finishing at Pier Head at 1550.

Friday 30 December

• Some buses will operate a normal or Saturday service, some services will not operate.

• Wirral Line trains will run to Saturday timetables.

• Northern Line trains will run to Saturday timetables.

• City line there are service alterations due to engineering works in Central Manchester. For details of the Christmas and New Year services over this period, please contact National Rail Enquiries on 03457 48 49 50 or contact the service operator.

• Northern Rail trains between Preston - Ormskirk and Kirkby - Wigan - Manchester will run to their normal timetables.

• Arriva Trains Wales trains will run to a Bank Holiday service (every 2 hours) - see Wirral Line timetable leaflet for full details.

• Mersey Ferries - The River Explorer Cruise will run, departing from the Pier Head at 1100, then hourly until the last service which will depart from the Pier Head at 1500, arriving at Seacombe 1520, Woodside 1530 and finishing at Pier Head at 1550.

New Year’s Eve – Saturday 31 December

• Buses will operate a normal or Saturday service, but will finish earlier than usual.

• Wirral Line trains will run to Saturday timetables with an early finish.

• Northern Line trains will run to Saturday timetables with an early finish.

• City line there are service alterations due to engineering works in Central Manchester. For details of the Christmas and New Year services over this period, please contact National Rail Enquiries on 03457 48 49 50 or contact the service operator.

• Northern Rail trains between Preston - Ormskirk and Kirkby - Wigan - Manchester will run to their normal timetables with an early finish.

• Arriva Trains Wales trains will run to a normal Saturday timetable with an early finish.

• Mersey Ferries - The River Explorer Cruise will run, departing from the Pier Head at 1100, then hourly until the last service which will depart from the Pier Head at 1500, arriving at Seacombe 1520, Woodside 1530 and finishing at Pier Head at 1550.

(Some bus services are running later than usual for the Liverpool Vs Manchester City Match (kick off 1730). Please visit www.merseytravel.gov.uk/anfield for full travel information).

New Year’s Day – Sunday 1 January 2017

• Some services will run to normal timetables with an earlier finish, some will not operate.

• Wirral Line trains will run to Sunday timetables.

• Northern Line trains will run to Sunday timetables.

• City line - there are service alterations due to engineering works in Central Manchester. For details of the Christmas and New Year services over this period, please contact National Rail Enquiries on 03457 48 49 50 or contact the service operator.

• Northern Rail trains between Preston and Ormskirk and Kirkby - Wigan - Manchester will run to their normal Sunday timetables.

• Arriva Trains Wales trains will run to a normal Sunday timetable.

• Mersey Ferries will not operate.

Monday 2 January 2017

• Some buses will operate a normal Sunday service, some services will not operate

• Wirral Line trains will run to Saturday timetables.

• Northern Line trains will run to Saturday timetables.

• City line trains - there are service alterations due to engineering works in Central Manchester. For details of the Christmas and New Year services over this period, please contact National Rail Enquiries on 03457 48 49 50 or contact the service operator -

• Northern Rail trains between Preston and Ormskirk will run to their normal timetable.

• Mersey Ferries - The River Explorer Cruise will run, departing from the Pier Head at 1100, then hourly until the last service which will depart from the Pier Head at 1500, arriving at Seacombe 1520, Woodside 1530 and finishing at Pier Head at 1550.

Wirral Loop Line Track Renewal

From Tuesday 3 January 2017 Network Rail will be renewing the track that runs beneath the river between Liverpool and Wirral and around the Wirral loop line. The work will be carried out over three phases.

For full details of how your train will be affected during the works visit www.merseyrail.org/trackrenewal or pick up a Passenger Information Booklet from your local station booking office

Traveline - 0151 236 7676

Traveline will be open normally between 0700 to 2000 on Mondays to Fridays and 0800 to 2000 on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays except for the following days: 24 December 0800 –1800, 25 December - closed all day, 31 December 0800 –2000.

For travel disruption information, particularly during any severe weather, please visit the travel alerts section of our website www.merseytravel.gov.uk/travel-updates

So some services will run to normal timetables, some will finish early, and some won't run at all. Very informative, I'm sure everyone using public transport will appreciate this useless information.

My christmas travel arrangements include moving from my fireside in the parlour to the dining room, an odd time I might take in the kitchen going via the drinks cabinet.
Timetable to follow - subject to disruptions like tripping over the cat or the current Mrs Gazaprop hiding the key to the drinks cabinet.

New year will be spent buying a new drinks cabinet to replace the damaged one and picking the cat up from the vet.