Those looking to get out and about this Christmas and New Year were reminded today that they will still have a large number of bus, Metro and even local train services to choose fromdespite on-going rail strikes.

Those  travelling to visit relatives, do some Christmas shopping, or heading out for some festive cheer will have a comprehensive network of services to consider.

Bus services are running and the West Midlands Metro tram system linking Wolverhampton, West Bromwich and Birmingham is now running a ten-minute daytime service.

Christmas Day is the only day that public transport shuts down entirely – for all other times people are being urged to check operators for information or use the journey planner on the Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) website or the smartphone app to get the latest advice and information.

Boxing Day will see a wide ranging bus service, albeit at a reduced level, thanks to funding support for operators from TfWM.

Mark Corbin, TfWM’s director of network resilience, said: “While the industrial action on the railways is causing severe disruption, especially for long-distance journeys, there are still many public transport choices for those moving around the region including our extensive bus and Metro networks.

“It is especially important that people socialising are not tempted to drink and drive. There are plenty of public transport options available so please leave the car at home.

“We urge people to plan ahead and check our websites, stations and stops for information before they travel and keep an eye on social media for live updates – and, of course, enjoy their days out during this festive season.”

Commuters can also sign up for text message updates for their chosen route via the TfWM website.

Bus

Most bus services are running throughout the festive season – including services on Boxing Day operating with TfWM support.

Services are running a normal timetable until Christmas Eve when some are likely to finish early.

Boxing Day sees a special reduced service in operation across the network. On Tuesday December 27 there will be a Sunday timetable will be in operation. The Saturday timetable runs from December 28-31.

A Sunday service will be operating on New Year’s Day and the Monday the January 2 bank holiday.

Metro

A ten-minute frequency weekday service is running throughout December from very early morning to around 7pm with a 15-minute service after that until midnight.

Frequency is reduced to 12 minutes on Saturdays, Sundays, Boxing Day and bank holidays.

Rail

Services wind down early on Christmas Eve as they do each year and there are no services on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Although there is widespread disruption due to the ongoing industrial action there will still be many rail services operating over the festive season.

Approximately 84% of West Midlands Railway weekday services will be running between December 18 and January 2, although this reduces during the weekends and bank holidays.

This includes the Cross City Line where there will be four trains per hour between those dates and two trains per hour on strike days.

West Midlands Railway services into Snow Hill from Kidderminster, Worcester, Leamington and Stratford are not running on strike days, but there are daytime services, stopping at 7pm, between December 18 and January 2.

There may be some additional disruption due to industrial action on December 28 and 29 and passengers are urged to check before they travel.