A survey of 2,000 people by Independent travel watchdog, Transport Focus, asked them they intended to travel over festive period and which days they thought would be busiest.

The survey found that ten per cent of people surveyed planned to travel on days when there were very limited train services running or even none at all. It highlighted that some people are unaware that there will be no services running on Christmas Day and very few on Boxing Day.

Of those planning to travel by train, seven per cent of people said they intended to do this on Christmas Day, when there will be no service, while 13 per cent said they intended to travel by train on Boxing Day, when there will be a very limited train service.

The most popular for train travel was shown to be Friday 22 December, when 27 per cent of people surveyed said they will travel on that day.

About half of people who wished to travel by train over the festive period said they were reluctant to do so because they feared being affected by the risk of strikes or engineering work.

Of those planning a getaway this year, four in 10 intend to travel by road, 20 per cent travel by bus, and 16 per cent intend to use the train. Road journeys on the motorways and major A roads look likely to be spread relatively evenly throughout the festive period, with Saturday 23, Boxing Day, 26 and Wednesday, 27 December are as most popular days for travelling.

Anyone intending to travel by train should check with their train operator or National Rail Enquiries to make sure their train is running, and reserve a seat if they are making a long-distance journey. If their train is delayed, they may be able to make a Delay Repay compensation claim. Anyone travelling by road should check travel alerts and their vehicle before they set off.

Transport Focus chief executive Alex Robertson, said: Over the festive period passengers should check carefully to see if their train is running. Our latest research shows some people remain unaware that no services will run on Christmas Day and a very limited service on Boxing Day.

The Christmas period looks to be busy for passengers so they should plan ahead and check their journey details before setting off.