Get away for less as fares fall

LONDON is facing an unprecedented Christmas close-down as people tighten their belts and cut spending.

Thousands are expected to stay at home to save money, with fewer joining the annual exodus out of town. Roads, railways and airports will be quieter.

Lower demand for flights and train tickets and increased capacity on the rail network mean there are still cheap advance tickets available for many journeys.

Return flights from London to Glasgow could still be found for about £70, while single train tickets to Liverpool were available for as little as £14.

Staff at City firms are being given more time off, while estate agents have seen business dry up. The Federation of Small Businesses said many companies would close for at least two weeks to save cash.

Restaurants, pubs and bars are less busy. One of London's leading restaurateurs said bookings were down 10 per cent on last year and he expected worse in the new year. "We're budgeting for 20 per cent [fewer bookings] and fear it could go to 30 per cent," he said.

The AA predicts about 1.8 million drivers in greater London will take to the roads over the holiday period, down 450,000 on last year. The Highways Agency said Christmas Eve would be like a "typical Wednesday". Only 10 per cent of people will spend more than four hours in a car over the Christmas period, compared with 25 per cent last year.

The Association of Train Operating Companies predicted passenger numbers would fall rapidly from 24 December, and demand for the period up to New Year would be "very low". A new timetable has added more services.

Passenger projections for the busiest days at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted are all down on last year. A BAA spokesman said: "I think it's fair to say the economic climate has had an effect."

Roads

ROADWORKS on motorways around London are to be suspended or scaled back over the holiday season.

The biggest engineering project in the South-East — the widening of the M1 — is due to be finished before next Monday, one of the main getaway days. The timetable for the work on the stretch between St Albans and Hemel Hempstead is on track, engineers say.

Other schemes will be suspended or altered from 6am on 22 December until 2 January to ease traffic flow. They include the widening of the M25 near Heathrow.

However, drivers are warned of congestion on a number of routes. These include the western section of the M25, the M23 to Gatwick and the M11 to Stansted.

An AA spokesman said: "The recession and icy weather are set to make this a quieter than normal festive season, but it will still be much busier than other times of year. Drivers should expect congestion on major routes, approaches to airports, and around major shopping areas."

The congestion charge will be suspended from Christmas Day to 1 January.

Tube

LARGE sections of the Tube will shut for four days from Christmas Day until 28 December, but Transport for London is promising normal services in the run-up to Christmas.

The Jubilee line will close from 25 to 28 December. The Metropolitan line will shut between Aldgate and Uxbridge on 27 and 28 December, with replacement bus services operating. No Tube lines will run on Christmas Day, with reduced services on Boxing Day.

From 11.45pm on New Year's Eve, travel will be free until 4.30am on the Tube, DLR, London Overground, Tramlink, London Buses and selected National Rail services out of the capital.

Night buses will run as normal and 53 daytime bus routes will run a 24-hour service to link with late-night rail and Underground services.

Planes

THE number of passengers expected to fly out of London's main airports is down on last year.

Heathrow has seen a two per cent fall in the number of projected passengers, Gatwick an eight per cent drop and Stansted is likely to be down by seven per cent, BAA said. City airport, with its dependence on passengers from the financial industry, is also said to have seen a huge drop-off in recent weeks. However, the busiest days are still expected to be 19-22 December, with more than 400,000 people due to fly out of Heathrow on Friday and Saturday.

The busiest days at Stansted are likely to be Sunday and Monday, with 100,000 passengers, while about 200,000 people will fly out of Gatwick over Saturday and Sunday.