Travel Dorset is advising people to check their journeys before travelling over Christmas and New Year.
The number of roadworks or activity on site will wind down as contractors and highway maintenance teams take a well-earned break from planned work, but emergency responses will continue, so unplanned work may still pop up at any time over the holidays.
There are also some events taking place around the county and roads and parking may be affected. Traffic management has been lifted on the A338 Bournemouth Spur Road and work will resume 7 January 2019.
Bus and train services will change over Christmas and New Year and you’re advised to check the times of the last ones to ensure you can get to your destination.
Travel Dorset has summarised the expected service levels on public transport, but the public is advised to check the detail with operators themselves:
Christmas Eve – Monday 24 December
- First – Saturday service until 8pm. Route 6 on a non-school weekday timetable
- Damory – normal Monday service
- More – Saturday service on all routes, with the exception of extra early morning journeys on routes 5, 8, 9, 13, 14 and 16, a normal weekday service on X1, X2, X8, 24, 38, 112, 119, 125, 191, 193, Ringo and Cango, the termination of the 11pm X3 from Bournemouth at Ringwood, the cancellation of the 0.10am X3 from Salisbury and no service on Nightbus N1 and N2
- Yellow Buses – Saturday service with the exception of routes 1b (Somerford Estate), 18, 33, 36 and 737 on weekday services. Early finish around 8pm
- South West Coaches – Saturday service on most routes
- South Western Railway – revised service from 7pm, planned cancellations, trains stopping short of normal destinations and no trains from 10pm
- Great Western Railway – services finishing early between 9.30pm and 10.30pm. Engineering work at Westbury
- CrossCountry Trains – early close down
- Christmas Day – Tuesday 25 December
- Yellow Buses – no service
- South West Coaches – no service
- South Western Railway – no service
- Great Western Railway – no service
- CrossCountry Trains – no service
- First – no service
- Damory – no service
- More – special timetable on routes m1 and m2 only between 8am and 8pm extended to Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Christchurch
Boxing Day – Wednesday 26 December
- First – Special Sunday service until 8pm. No service 7
- Damory – no service
- More – Sunday timetable on routes m1 (starting at 6am from Poole and 5.50am from Castlepoint), m2 (6.15am from Poole and 6.34am from Southbourne), 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, 14, 16, 17, 40, 50, X3 and X8, only
- Yellow Buses – special service on routes 1/1a, 2, 3, 5/5a and 6
- South West Coaches – no service
- South Western Railway – no service
- Great Western Railway – no service
- CrossCountry Trains – no service
Thursday 27 December
- First – Saturday service on most routes. No night bus on service 1
- Damory – normal weekday service
- More – Saturday service on all routes with the exception of extra early morning journeys on routes 5, 8, 9, 13, 14 and 16, a normal weekday service on X1, X2, X8, 24, 38, 112, 119, 125, 191, 193, Ringo and Cango, the termination of the 11pm X3 from Bournemouth at Ringwood and the cancellation of the 0.10am X3 from Salisbury
- Yellow Buses – Saturday service on all routes with the exception of a weekday service on routes 1b, 18, 33, 36 and 737
- South West Coaches – Saturday service on most routes
- South Western Railway – industrial action. Engineering work at London Waterloo
- Great Western Railway – engineering work at Westbury
- CrossCountry Trains – normal service expected out of Bournemouth
Friday 28 December
- First – Saturday service on most routes. No night bus on service 1
- Damory – normal weekday service
- More – Saturday service on all routes with the exception of extra early morning journeys on routes 5, 8, 9, 13, 14 and 16, a normal weekday service on X1, X2, X8, 24, 38, 112, 119, 125, 191, 193, Ringo and Cango
- Yellow Buses – Saturday service on all routes with the exception of a weekday service on routes 1b, 18, 33, 36 and 737
- South West Coaches – normal weekday service
- South Western Railway – engineering work at London Waterloo
- Great Western Railway – engineering work at Westbury
- CrossCountry Trains – normal service expected out of Bournemouth
Saturday 29 December
- Damory – normal Saturday service
- More – normal Saturday service
- Yellow Buses – normal Saturday service
- South West Coaches – normal Saturday service
- South Western Railway – normal service except for planned engineering work
- Great Western Railway – engineering work at Westbury
- CrossCountry Trains – normal service expected out of Bournemouth
Sunday 30 December
- First – normal Sunday service on most routes
- Damory – no service
- More – normal Sunday service
- Yellow Buses – normal Sunday service
- South West Coaches – no service
- South Western Railway – normal service except for planned engineering work
- Great Western Railway – engineering work at Westbury
- CrossCountry Trains – normal service expected out of Bournemouth
New Year’s Eve – Monday 31 December
- First – Saturday service on most routes until 8pm. Route 6 on a non-school weekday timetable. No route 7
- Damory – normal Monday service
- More – Saturday service including nightbus N1 and N2 through to the new year with the exception of some extra early morning journeys on routes 5, 8, 9, 13, 14 and 16, a Monday service on routes X1, X2, X8, 24, 38, 112, 119, 125, 191, 193, Ringo and Cango, the termination of the 11pm X3 service from Bournemouth at Ringwood and the cancellation of the 0.10am X3 service from Salisbury
- Yellow Buses – Saturday service with the exception of routes 1b 18, 33, 36 and 737. Early finish around 8pm
- South West Coaches – Saturday service on most routes
- South Western Railway – industrial action. Special timetables for New Year celebrations
- Great Western Railway – engineering work at Westbury
- CrossCountry Trains – normal service expected out of Bournemouth
New Year’s Day – Tuesday 1 January 2019
- First – no service
- Damory – no service
- More – special timetables operate on routes m1/m2, 8/9 and 13 and a Sunday service on routes 5, 6, 16, 17 and X3, only
- Yellow Buses – special service on routes 1/1a, 2, 3, 5/5a and 6
- South West Coaches – no service
- South Western Railway – no service
- Great Western Railway – engineering work at Westbury
- CrossCountry Trains – normal service expected out of Bournemouth
Wednesday 2 January 2019
- Normal service restored on all operators with the exception of Yellow Buses with some routes on different timetables for the following week.
Industrial action
Ongoing RMT Industrial Action is expected to take place on Saturday 22, Thursday 27 and Monday 31 December affecting South Western Railway.
Sandbanks Ferry
The Ferry is expected to return to service follow annual-refit during week commence Monday 17 December.
On Christmas Day, half-hourly service from 8am until 6.10pm. Leaving Sandbanks at ’00 and ’30 and from Shell Bay at ’10 and ’40 minutes past each hour.
