Liverpool City Region Combined Authority publishes full rundown on how buses, trains and Mersey Tunnels will operate over the Christmas period. Tony McDonough reports

Full details of how public transport and the Mersey tunnels will operate over the festive season have been published.

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority says there will be free Christmas Day buses on selected hospital routes, Mersey Tunnel will be free on Christmas Day and Merseyrail will run Boxing Day services.

As the city region gears up for a busy couple of weeks, people are being asked to check before they travel as services can be much busier and there can be changes to some timetables at this time of year.

Traditional Christmas Day supported bus services will once again be covering most hospital routes between around 12 noon and 6pm, offering free travel for those wanting to visit friends and family.

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Merseyrail is the only operator in the region to offer Boxing Day services with some services running on both the Northern and Wirral lines.

And the Mersey Tunnels will also be free between 10pm on Christmas Eve and 6am on Boxing Day. With rail and bus services finishing earlier than usual on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, passengers are advised to check timetables.

Cllr Steve Foulkes, chair of the Combined Authority Transport Committee, said: “Whether travelling for work, leisure, Christmas parties, last-minute present shopping or simply to visit relatives, we would urge passengers to make sure that they plan their journeys in advance.

“This is always a very busy time of year for everyone and as always, the work that our frontline public transport colleagues do over this period is always hugely appreciated.”

Click here for full details of festive travel. Here is a roundup of some of the main points:

Christmas Day – Thursday, December 25

• A special network of free bus services, funded by the Combined Authority, will run between approximately 12 noon and 6pm, covering most hospital routes.
• No other bus services will operate.
• No trains will operate.
• Mersey Ferries will not operate.
• The Kingsway (Wallasey) Mersey Tunnel and the Queensway (Birkenhead) Mersey Tunnel will be open throughout the holiday period. Both tunnels will be toll free from 10pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on Boxing Day.

New Year’s Eve – Wednesday 31 December

Services across rail and bus finish much earlier than usual on New Year’s Eve – if you are heading out to enjoy the festivities, please make sure you plan ahead and look at alternative arrangements to get home.

Bus services

Bus services may vary over the festive period. Very limited bus services will be operating on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Football Fixtures

On Saturday, December 27 (Liverpool v Wolves, 3pm) and Thursday, January 1 (Liverpool v Leeds United, 5.30pm), the following buses will be running to their normal timetables: 917 Liverpool FC (Stagecoach); Taxi One (A & J Taxis); Soccerbus (Stagecoach). There are no Everton home fixtures during this period.

Rail

• During the festive period there will be changes to the timetables of all rail operators, with some services finishing earlier than usual (particularly on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve) and some services not running.
• Merseyrail will be running some services on Boxing Day. There will also be changes to other services during the Christmas period. You can find full details on their website at www.merseyrail.org.
• No other operators will be running services on Boxing Day.
• There will be some changes to services run by Northern Trains which may include some cancellations and rail replacement bus services. Details can be found on their website. Christmas and New Year Disruptions 2025.
• If you’re heading out of the region by rail during this time, check your journey plans by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk

Mersey Tunnels

Kingsway and Queensway Tunnels will remain open throughout the festive period. Both tunnels will be free between 10pm on Christmas Eve and 6am on Boxing Day.

Mersey Ferries

• Saturday 20 and Sunday, December 21 – River Explorer Cruise service operating as normal.
• Monday, December 22 – Commuter and River Explorer services operating as normal.
• Mersey Ferries will not operate on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Saturday 27 and Sunday, December 28 and New Year’s Day.
• River Explorer Cruises will operate between Monday 29 to Wednesday, December 31, and Friday 2 and Sunday, January 4, from the Pier Head at 10am, then hourly until the last service which will depart from the Pier Head at 3pm, arriving at Seacombe 3.20pm. There will be no commuter service during this period.
• Normal service will resume on Monday, January 5, with the first commuter service at 7.20am from Seacombe and the first River Explorer Cruise departing from the Pier Head at 10am.