I have nothing to add and post this so that you can plan accordingly.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tra...cle6938223.ece

I thought it would be a recap of all trains practically not running on XMAS day and even on Boxing Day, the 26 th but is a recap of closures, etc over the whole Christmas period - like a mainline from Liverpool Street Stn being closed Dec 24 to Jan 3!

One wonders how most european countries manage to avoid disrutping the rail network for 'necessary' repairs like Britain does - a common thing for Bank Holidays as well, a time when many folks want to travel. Totally mindboggling, especially since after all the needed repairs they have a tattered crumbling system - the Duct Tape approach to railway maintenance.

Maintenance must be done. When would you suggest they do it?

In the Netherlands the rail system is a bit different with generally alternative routes available, and if necessary buses being used, but it is still an enormous pain when maintenance is being carried out. It does tend to be done at night and at weekends when possible, but of course that is not always the case.
Recently the mainline from the east into Amsterdam was closed for several weekends whilst work was done relaying and renewing tracks. The choices were go via another route, which added about an hour and a half, or use a special bus which also added about an hour. For us there was no choice - it was bus or nothing since it was our bit of track being worked on.

"a common thing for Bank Holidays as well, a time when many folks want to travel"

The work is done over Christmas and the New Year because that is in fact a time when fewer people travel. While the rest of the country is enjoying the festivities, railway workers and contractors are out in the cold and wet making major improvements to the track.

The media and opposition politicians like to trot out the usual cliches of "chaos" and "misery" at times like this, but have little constructive to say.

Well i was in Britain one August Bank Holiday not long ago and such closures provoked a huge protest - seems that is a time of great rail travel - even trains to Leeds, during the Leeds Festival - were stopped.

And yes the Headline of the Times article says it all - Chaos - well why would there be chaos if no one is riding?

A third-world rail system being band-aided together and it goes back to Thatcher's taking away the subsidies and Tories privitizing British Rail IMO

Oh, Pal, you really shouldn't believe what you read in the papers. "Chaos" and "misery" are two of their favourite words, and mean absolutely nothing. Do you think it would be better to close the lines in the middle of the working week?

How does rebuilding stations and rewiring and signalling work get to be "band-aiding"?

Having to close lines for major engineering work is nothing new. I remember having to get off a London-Portsmouth train in the late evening one night in the early 60s to get on a bus to bypass engineering work.

Incidentally, the subsidies are higher under privatisation, but then so are passenger numbers. Try reading the railway press for details.

it goes back to Thatcher's taking away the subsidies and Tories privitizing British Rail IMO>>>>

Clown.

Oh, this subject pains me, as do all countries with a state religion that governs the entire population.

Are you feeling alright dear heart?

I'm praying for all of you.

I lived in France off and on for years part time and the house was right by a main rail line - main line and i never ever remember it being totally closed at any time - ever - they do work yes at night and also during the day - in between trains and trains regularly speed along at speeds well over 120 mph. So maybe this is an exception - i don't know but in years of rail travel on the Continent i can recall only a few bus replacements or outright cancelling of trains - i am sure it happens but not like the OP's link where literally dozens of lines are effected. Perhaps it has something to do with the Rail Unions being recalcitrant

And how about the London Tube - every shut down whole lines for a two-week period - maybe portions of one line but is not the Tube a good parallel of how work can be done so as to not close the whole thing or main lines down and the maintenace on Tube lines must be staggering, given the huge number of trains.

But Chartley no doubt has a point - the tabloids make such a fuss over it and that is how it gains publicity - perhaps they do the same in France and i do not hear about it.

But it does seem that such essential track work is ongoing in Britain and in the end they have IMO a third-world rail system - especially in tracks. Even on the best lines you are hard pressed to have a coffee cup (in first class real ceramic cups) that does not aggravatingly rattle the whole time.

And the bizarre totally wacko things i have experience on British trains never ever happens to me on the Continent - indeed a train driver overshooting the station and not being able to back up! Incessant delays and cancellations due to 'driver shortages' and 'assaults on staff' and on and on - real horror stories not seen elsewhere.

hetismij

The Dutch seem to sometimes to complain about the trains in The Netherlands. However they are no way near as bad as the UK trains.
In NL if there is an accident it does not take so long to clear away the mess as like in the UK.
Maintenance does sometimes interfere with schedules in NL and that is normal. But It is not usual but it is not usual to close a whole line down for 10 days or so is it?
Here in Spain a lot of train lines are only single track. I find that strange given the size of the country and the amount of land available. Single tracks mean less train services during the day.

A danger to rail franchises when cancelling trains was illustrated by a bus substitution i encountered one recent Bank Holiday August when all trains Edinburgh to Newcastle were cancelled due to 'essential track work' and buses were substituted. I had ridden the rail line many times before but never gone by bus over the same route.

and i and more importantly many Brits were suprised at how scenic the bus ride was - right along a rugged coast much of the way - Brits were commenting that maybe they would take the bus next time

But perhaps the rail franchise at the time also owned the bus company.

Anyway you never want to force riders onto a competing service IMO